“Pulling an all-nighter” can be as much a part of college as keggers and homecoming.

But students should think twice before loading up on coffee, energy drinks or prescription medication to stay awake while cramming for an exam or writing a term paper.

As undergrads return to college after the holiday break, parents should talk with them about the health risks of using these “study drugs” to postpone sleep and stay alert, experts and advocates say. Abuse or overuse of stimulants can cause tremors, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, insomnia and even seizures.

The drug of choice for most students usually is caffeine — in coffee, soda, pills and energy drinks such as Red Bull or 5-Hour Energy, which are sold in supermarkets, health and convenience stores. Prescription drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, which are normally prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, can also be misused to maintain concentration.

“The students do have a tremendous amount of pressure,” says Terri Bassi-Cook, director of Counseling, Disability and Health Services at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “Some of their financial aid or scholarships are linked to their GPA (grade point averages).”

Study-drug abuse is not a problem at Seton Hill, Bassi-Cook says. She’s more concerned about the potential health risks of sleep deprivation among the student body.

“Even without the use of these chemicals, the college environment is one that, by its nature, tends to be very late hours,” she says. “When you or I are sleeping, the students are just beginning their evening. However, they still have 8 o’clock classes in the morning. They’re trying to get by on very little sleep.”

She says the school warns students about the risks of stimulants and alcohol through brochures and posters, as well as their Prevention Services Facebook page.

Last year, the university removed Red Bull energy drinks from their campus vending machines, she says. Authorities tried at least twice to intercept someone who came on campus to hand out free bottles of 5-Hour Energy “shots” without administration approval.

“By the time we learn that they’re on campus, they’re gone,” she says. “Surprisingly, they come to do the free distribution before mid-terms and before finals time.”

Living Essentials, the company that produces 5-Hour Energy, declined to be interviewed for this article. Their website states that a single 1.93-ounce bottle contains “caffeine comparable to a cup of the leading premium coffee.”

Caffeine is a relatively safe substance in moderation but potentially toxic, says Edward Krenzelok, director of the Pittsburgh Poison Control Center. A couple of years ago, the center experienced a spike in calls relating to symptoms relating to consumption of energy drinks.

“College students need to be careful,” Krenzelok says. “Read and heed the label. Know what your individual threshold to caffeine is. Don’t use it to replace sleep. Use it as an aid to help you stay away when you’re drowsy at seven.”

A report issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics in May recommended that children and teens avoid energy drinks. In addition to caffeine, most energy drinks contain a hodgepodge of other ingredients, including guarana, a plant-based stimulant, and taurine, an amino acid. Many also contain ginseng, ginkgo balboa, vitamins and various sugars. The Food and Drug administration limits the amount of caffeine in soda but not in energy drinks, coffee or tea.

“If you’re sleep-deprived, that’s really the worst time to take these things,” Krenzelok says. “When they’re used in excessive amounts to ward off sleep, that’s when it gets dangerous. People have to take more and more to get the effect.”

The problem of using stimulants to stay awake isn’t confined to college students.

Rohan Bansal, 17, a junior at North Allegheny Senior High School, says he has classmates who use energy drinks, coffee or “a combination of the two” when writing papers or studying for exams.

“They’ve tried to use energy drinks to pull all nighters,” he says. “Some of them have been successful. I’ve known people who’ve gotten sick from them, too. I’ve seen both sides. ”

Energy in a bottle or a mug won’t substitute for good study habits, Bansal says.

“I just don’t find them necessary. I think if you can work diligently and get your work done there’s no sense in having to pull an all-nighter.”

A report issued by the National Association of Poison Control Centers in December listed exposure to energy drinks as the reason for 460 calls to their centers throughout the United States.

“I imagine that it’s vastly under-reported,” says Gaurav Arora, pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “It’s very transient, and they sort of blow it off, or they may not admit to it when they seek help.”

Additional Information:

Energy overdose?

Students who feel the adverse effects of too much coffee, energy drinks or other substances can call the National Poison Center hotline at 800-222-1222.

The call will be routed to the nearest poison center. Staffers will answer questions about your symptoms. Callers will remain anonymous.

‘The college student should never ever hesitate to call that number,’ says Edward Krenzelok, director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

‘It’s confidential. Nobody’s going to turn anybody in. We’re here to help people, not to report people.’

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