Spike Shooter Banned from High Schools
Doherty High School in Colorado Springs has “banned” students from drinking Biotest Spike Shooter. Just two days ago we wrote that the new drink takes the dubious honor of being the most highly caffeinated 8oz drink (includes pictures of nutrition labels).
After drinking a can each – two students were taken to hospital after complaining of nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and heart palpitations. Apparently one girl had to be “brought down in a wheelchair because she could not walk steadily”. You can see the CBS story (plus video) here.
Let’s get some things straight here. Spike Shooter comes with a VERY clear warning: “Don’t drink if under 18.” I also suspect these students were drinking it on an empty stomach. I know people who get diarrhea if they drink a cup of brewed coffee on an empty stomach.
Spike Shooter also warns “drink only half a can at a time”. At Energy Fiend we’ve heard some positive reports about the drink – particularly with those who are active weight lifters.
The school principal is right to ban the drink from the school – because SPIKE is only for people over 18. However, if the ban should go any further then we have a problem – why ban a drink from the masses just because some people choose to ignore clear warnings?
Another question is – where did the kids get the drink? If from GNC – then the salespeople there have a duty to use some common sense when selling supplements to people under 18.
The issue here is not so much the strength of the drink – but if and how it is being marketed to young people.
Xyience Xenergy is in the same category – they are making a very clear push into the teen demographic – yet they are a supplement company who make energy products for bodybuilders.
Redline RTD is also in the same category – why sell a supplement like this at a 7-Eleven? You end up with burrito-eating truck-drivers going to hospital.
17 Comments
If you read the Yohimbe (yohimbine is what they call it on the drink label) experience reports in the erowid vaults, you see that most people, just after taking yohimbe alone, experience a feeling of drink to much coffee, and combined with large amounts of caffeine, it must be horrible for anyone without a high tolerance, or who isn’t doing any strenuous activities. Also a lot of the experience reports report erections, so that could also add a funny sight in the school.
There is an important distinction.YOHIMBE is a supplement made from tree bark that can be sold by any1 under the Supplement Act enacted by Congress bout 12-15 yrs ago.
YOHIMBINE HCL which is what BIOTEST states is contained(2their merit they r1 of the few supplement comp. that r true to their label cont.)in SPIKE S. drinks & caps is a PHARMACEUTICAL i.e. supposedly u need a MD’s prescription. It is available in 5.4mg tabs and according to Medscape the only use is “erectile dysfunction”. It does have some fat burning lypolitic qualities(remember BIOTEST markets mostly 2 bodybuilders).
The scary thing is BIOTEST doesn’t state the amount of a PRESCRIPTION MED. in something that is sold everywhere to any1.I guarantee this product will be taken off the market totally any day.
In the past Biotest had an ephedrine compound of amphetamine like strength banned. They also had a “pro-hormone” that was later reclassified from nutritional supplement to an actual Steroid!So SPIKE being outright eliminated will not b a 1st 4them and probably not a last.
T: you sound like you work for a competitor of Biotest’s, with all of that hype, none of the facts. When you ACTUALLY READ more about the ingredients, you’ll find the Yohimbine HCl is PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE, not Pharmaceutical as in “prescription only”. Get your facts right instead of spreading FUD.
ED,
what are u, one of T.C.’s pets? IT’S THE SAME THING! Read USP pharmacop. bro.
I’ve nothing vs Biotest.It’s the most relvant nutrional supplement comp. since EAS(in the Bill Phillips golden era!)That said they take a lot of chances.
This aint a new trick. There r companies that sell “USP pharmaceutical grade” Sildenafil Citrate (usually they’ll use the disclaimer “FOR RESEARCH ONLY”). Guess what they’re selling??
ACTUAL VIAGRA!!
Do your research or say hi to T.C.(whichever applies in ur case). Im just a pharmacology phd student!
I got a few cans as a free sample from their website somtime ago.
Yeah… They are pretty weak. I drank 2 this morning after fasting and still didn’t eat breakfast. All I did was get a fun tweak! I loved it actually.
I love SPIKE SHOOTERS!
If they could lower the price I would drink at least 1 a day. But yeah, email me if there is anything better than spike shooters or redline.
Thanks!
You should get your facts strait first. It says you should be above 16 not 18. It also says start with a half can a day, not only drink a half can. If they only wanted you to drink a half can they’d sell it in 4oz.
I had my first can today and it was a disaster. I almost had to go to the hospital. I vommitted for hours was dizzy and had no clue what to do. My heart felt like it was coming out of chest. How would you like to feel nervous and sketchy for 6 hours?
I am a very experienced energy drink consumer and can consume 3-4 24 oz montsters or rock stars on a daily basis. This 8oz spike took over my body and held it hostage for 6 hours. Goose bumps and hair on arms standing straight up for entire time. Also extreme fatigue
first things first… I attended (sometimes) Doherty High and can tell you that Spike was not the only “stimulant” they had ingested if they had to go to the hospital. I was very active in the “stimulant” scene when i was in high school (not braging, in fact, not the best time of my life) and am almost positve that they were on something far worse than Spike at the time! I love this drink because it give a good rush with out the crash, but you have to have a high tolorance for caffine, other wise you will feel like vomiting, just like if you drank a pot of very strong coffee in one sitting!
Here in Kentucky for a time we had energy drinks limited to 18 and up. Why? Because some stupid guy drank 3 Full Throttles and went to the hospital.
Spike Shooter is sold at my local 7-11, and unfortunately, they will sell it to just about anybody. I am not 18, and managed to purchase a Spike without a problem. Luckily, I am an experienced energy drink consumer who knows how to READ LABELS! It’s ridiculous to see how kids try to ruin energy drinks for the entire community due to a lack of responsibility all around. Shame on these kids for not reading the enormous warning, but more importantly, shame on the stores who sell such powerful drinks to underage buyers. All in all, I got a slight kick from the drink, but if you aren’t extremely caffeine tolerant like I am, Spike can pose a serious health risk.
Haha Vince I never noticed that! I’m 17 and everytime I go to my 7-11 to pick one up, they never ask for identification! I just had one an hour or so ago, the kick is amazing before you’re about to go work out, just not RIGHT before you work out. That’s why I wait a little. Most other energy drinks are practically soda in comparison to Spike Shooters.
I’ve definitely brought these to school before with no problems though. It’s really fun being able to stay awake all day of school haha. I’m surprised this school actually BANNED it. You should know your caffeine limits and how your body works before jumping straight into Spike Shooters, imo.
Drinking a Xtazy gets me jittering really bad. Pepsi gets me a little shiver. Guess my systems like Caffeine.
if spike shooter is taken in moderation, it’s great. if morons like those high school kids aren’t allowed to get to it, great. personally spike shooter has probably saved my life on several occasions.
since i work two jobs almost everyday; landscaping in the morning and a drive-in theatre at night, i’ve found myself waking up on the wrong side of the road on a couple of occasions. if i take spike shooter at about 7pm, when i get out of work at 1am i dont have to worry about this problem, since it leaves me in an insomnia-like state. good stuff, does what its supposed to, keeps you goin for a WHILE. (orange gold FTW)
These drinks aren’t too bad, unless you take them on an empty stomach or have more than one. My worst experience so far was the night of our high school prom. I was planning to be up until about 4 am, so I drank within a 24 hour period 2 8.4 oz. spike shooters, about 8 or 9 shots of expresso, and one or two cups of coffee. Keep in mind all of this was on nearly an empty stomach, except for a sandwich at about 4 pm ( around the same time as spike #1) and a bowl of pasta at around 9:30ish.) I had the second spike during prom, and the expresso afterwards. At about 3 am, my heart was racing. I mean Racing. I was only 16 at the time, and I felt like my chest was going to explode. All of this was from the excessive caffeine that I had. I did not drink any alcohol that night, yet I was showing the symptoms from too much caffeine. Although I did not puke, I felt like I was going to between 3 and 4 when I finally fell asleep. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was to not be hospitalized. I think that the only reason that I was not seriously ill was the fact that I have a high tolerance for caffeine (I usually drink a spike before each rugby game.) For this reason, I do not recommend having more than one of these drinks, especially in conjunction with other sources caffeine and/or on an empty stomach. Although one can is almost always fine if you eat properly before, any more is just dangerous. These drinks should not be banned from schools however. If anything, their sale should be limited to 1 can per person.
im 13 and i bought one of these, followed the instruction type things and i didnt feel a thing. and i bought it from 7-11 and did not get questioned.
The vid points out that it is sold at 7-11, so it probably isn’t too hard to get a hold of (if there even are any 7-11s where you live
).