Red Bull: Controlled Substance in Europe
 

One of the world's favorite enery drinks, Red Bull, which i believe originated in Austria, has been banned from supermarket and store shelves in several European countries - France, Denmark and Norway have limited sales of the drink to pharmacies, though not be prescription. (this is like things like ibuprofen and aspirin which in France the "grandes surfaces" (sp - large hypermarches) are not allowed to sell and which can only be bought in pharmacies at greatly inflated prices (ironic i always thought that in a near socialized medical society where a doctor's visit is practically free you have to pay such rip-off prices for things like asirin, Bendaryl and ibuprofen, etc.)
In France, however, the EU Court of Justice ordered the French to lift its ban until it could prove the dangers of Red Bull and similar 'energy' drinks. An ensuing French study, consisting of rats pumped an unfathomable amount of taurine (a key energy ingredient in Red Bull) produced too much energy in the rodents. A British study however in 2001 called the product completely safe. (Noticed in UK last year lots of young folk sipping Red Bull drinks cans on morning commutes instead of tea or coffe - probably better for a hangover even)
So in a Europe noticeably more lax on things like euthanasia and drug laws (France excepted in the latter) it's strange that Red Bull would be pulled off store shelves.
So if looking for Red Bull in these countries look at the pharmacy if the issue hasn't been resolved and you can't find them on the store shelves!

Unfortunately it is not controlled in the UK, although it should be.

Damn stuff gives you palpitations for hours - much worse than coffee ever is.

Red Bull and Vodka is a popular drink for youngsters and teens in the UK - and no wonder the country is going downhill! Kids' bodies just can't cope with all those chemicals.

Red Bull is freely available in the UK and there is nothing to stop any youngster (read child here) buying a can. My sons (13yo but look 11yo) can buy it in the local shop with absolute ease - no questions asked, no problems, nothing.

Thankfully they don't want to, because
last year an older boy whom they knew and played games with got 'high' on several cans, shoved one son when fooling around with a football on the village green - a shove which was violent enough to break his collarbone, and then the lad *"@*&^%£ off screaming and laughing instead of helping out. This injury messed up the best part of 3 months of my son's sporting year, and as a result both my boys are very anti-Red Bull.

Too right it should be banned, or its' consumption at least limited.

I flew on Air Berlin last year and they had a list of drinks that included alcohol with Red Bull.

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So in a Europe noticeably more lax on things like euthanasia and drug laws (France excepted in the latter) it's strange that Red Bull would be pulled off store shelves.
>>>>

there is some strange logic going on here. europe is not one country and even if it were, it is dangerous to assume a stance on one issue will create a tendency for a stance on other issues.

as for the regulation of controlled substances/medications, food additives, etc europe in general cannot be compared with the US on the scale of as more lax vs less lax. it's just different. some things are approved sooner and others later, other things are certified for use, others are not.

Hi P,

Sale of Ibuprofen is limited to pharmacies because it has can cause liver damage over the long term.

Ditto for aspirin because it causes internal bleeding.

Tylenol and codeine is much better.

((I))

PS,

You might find this of interest:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/potables/redbull.asp

((I))

Well if we're banning items that can cause problems if they're abused, then the area behind the counter will definitely need to be expanded.

Ira - even Tylenol is relegated to pharmacies in France and maybe for good reason if ibuprofen and aspirin are - for those who drink much Tylenol is considered to be very dangerous to the liver i believe - look at the bottle and it will warn against using with alcohol.
I say educate people and let them take what they want without paying rip-off prices in pharmacies - indeed under a danger criteria alcohol itself would be totally banned as would nicotine products.

I used to drink Whiskey and Red Bull a lot, especially during all-night parties and festivals. Then I took a step back and realized that I was letting my body run on an incredibly meager amount of sleep (max of 4 hours) while going out dancing for entire days at a time.

It is dangerous, though I don't think it should be controlled.

Paracetamol, a common pain relief tablet, is probably one of the nastiest - several times a year in our local hospital you get attempted suicides in. It can cause severe liver damage, but takes a couple of days to manifest.

You can buy aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol in UK supermarkets, but only a limited number of each.

I believe codeine is banned in Greece.

Paracetamol is the same as acetaminophen, generic form of regular Tylenol. Ibuprofen is lots safer.