The US Federal Drug Administration has issued warnings targeting specific drinks in a clampdown on alcoholic beverages with high caffeine content.

The drinks in question are mostly seen in the States and are malt-based and premixed drinks.

The FDA is concerned that the drink’s labelling does not state that adding the caffeine is “generally recognised as safe”.

In some cases, the drinks contained other stimulants alongside caffeine itself.

The FDA website claims that they have data and expert opinion that caffeine can: “…mask sensory cues that people rely on to determine how intoxicated they are.

 

About the author

Peter Szczepanski

Peter has been on the GPhC register for 29 years. He holds a Clinical Diploma in Advanced Clinical Practice and he is a Clinical Lead in Alcohol and Substance Misuse for Abbeycare Gloucester and works as the Clinical Lead in Alcohol and Substance Use in Worcestershire. Peter also co-authored the new 6th edition of Drugs In Use by Linda Dodds, writing Chapter 15 on Alcohol Related Liver Disease. Find Peter on Respiratory Academy, Aston University graduates, University of Birmingham, Q, Pharmaceutical Journal, the Dudley Pharmaceutical Committee, Dudley Council, Twitter, and LinkedIn.