5 Hour Energy - Wow-It Works!
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
We were packing out a bull this year in 78 deg. afternoon heat & I was feeling pretty drained from hunting most the day. We still had 2-1/2 hours of bushwhacking to get out with the meat & remembered that we had a 5 hour energy with us in our packs. My son said he had tried one once before about a year ago & he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest so I was very hesitant of its use?
We decided to split a grape one & Wow! Man I could tell a difference within minutes, it wore off in an hour so we took another 1/2 one. Not sure what's in it but it flat picks you up. In moderation I'll be using it again.
Any one used it in this capacity? Do you use something different for a quick pick me up?
ElkNut1
I have a few in my truck all the time and up at bear camp when I'm up at 6:00 and in bed by 1:30, it gets me to the end of the day. Red Bulls are my go to on long drives also. Never an issue or concern with pulse. My wife says I don't have a pulse some times, so maybe it's helping the marriage also!
It would probably make my pacemaker sling a rod out through the block !
It is caffeine that gives you the quick boost and then wears off.
You crash harder than the pick up you get from them. Whether you know it or not. God Bless
I prefer the blue pill.....
The 5hr work pretty well on those 3 or 4 hour drives to the airport or wherever when you've been hitting it hard for 10 days and just about to hit the wall.... all the peanut butter and pasta in the world will not help with that.... in fact fill up on a good meal and you can pretty much guarantee on hitting the switch very soon after....
If you need the lift/energy NOW, my experience is they help with that to a degree... the crash later on is likely manageable.... as in done, lean up against something (even if it's the fat lady on the plane next to you...) and pass out..... in which case the blue pill is a waste of.... whatever....
I've tried it but it didn't do a thing for me. Granted I'm a coffee addict so I may be a bit immune to the caffeine.
I have used the 5 hr a couple of times and IMO they work with no crash.
On a long drive I will down one when I start getting tired and I am good for another few hrs.
I also keep one in my pack when I am doing a dark to dark in a treestand. Around 2 pm I get the head nods. I down one and I am good.
Like I said, I do not get the crash, it just seems to wear off.
I have heard it can effect some differently! This is why I was a bit nervous! (grin) It worked well for us & will have it in my pack again for those times of need.
It must have more than just caffeine, I drink a couple cups a day & it's not the same as the boost the 5 hour delivers. It really helped kick butt on this ole guy! (grin)
I will mention that I'm one of those guys that eats or snacks every 2 hours, this helps as well but I do run out of gas or at least the red light has flashed a few times! (grin)
I did not experience any sort of crash though, it was as though it slowly ran out but wasn't draining or anything? Hmm, I guess we're all different!
Anything out there equal to it but better for you?
ElkNut1
Its the cocaine, thats what is giving you the boost.
I really like Wilderness Athlete. Mix Hydrate and Recover with Energy and Focus and I feel like Superman. The stuff is safe and has some nutrition. I don't go on a mountain hunt without it. Also keeps me from getting sore muscles on some of those death marches my twenty something year old guides take me on. ;)
Caffeine works. The key to effectiveness is to drink it very rarely. I carry Starbucks Via packets for such occasions. And they're virtually weightless.
I usually drink an orange one before my morning hunts. I never experience a "crashing" feeling. I'm usually wired on the stand in the pitch black just waiting for the sun to come up, without feeling tired at all. Love it! I know it's not the best for my body, but the season is short!
They are my go-to all night driving additive. I don't feel crazy or nuts and don't crash either. My brother-in-law drinks energy drinks all the time and they make his heart feel funny, so I guess they are different for different people. I also drink a lot of coffee so it's not like I'm a caffeine virgin. If I drink a 5-hr and a good stiff Starbucks I'll be insanely wired though.
Funny... I just drank one. My daughter has an ear infection and was up ALL night so I was dragging ass a little this morning. It's not the caffeine that does it. Its the massive amounts of B6 and B12 and their so called "energy blend". Here it is.
And the caffeine doesn't hurt either. ;)
Here's a decent article about 5 Hour Energy. It makes sense to use it cautiously as you did Elknut. Especially at high altitude under strenuous conditions just in case the old ticker doesn't respond favorably to it. But all in all it doesn't appear to be much different than a strong cup of coffee.
http://www.forbes.com/sites#/sites/davidkroll/2012/11/16/what-you-really-need-to-know-about-the-safety-of-5-hour-energy-drink/
They defintly work. I've drank some once when I was fighting fires. Working on a night shift. Everyone else was dragging and I was bouncing off the walls.
I must ad I don;t drink caffeine of any kind regularly Maybe a bottle of soda a month. Maybe. No tea, coffee, nothing that requires a dependency. So, the crash for me is dramatic. God Bless
It's the Niacin and vitamin B6 you need to watch out for in large quantities.
The caffeine in one bottle is similar to a 20 oz cup of coffee. They do seem to work pretty well. I use them rarely but pulling an all night decoy set in the spring for snow geese they are a life saver. Also great for long road trips.
It definitely works and I always keep one in my backpack and a few in the truck. Its a lot easier to drink one of those vs. having to make coffee in camp.
On my way up to elk camp this year I stopped and got 8 redbulls and 8 5 hour energy's. You should have seen the look on the cashiers face. He jokingly asked if I had an ID for all that. :)
You should be careful with those energy drinks. Friend of mine spent all day scouting earlier this year and came back to his truck thirsty. All he could find to drink was a few energy drinks which he quickly downed. Short time later he was rushed to the emergency room after suffering a mild heart attack.
Switched to E-Hydrate, the Israel SF uses it for physical recovery. Fairly new in the market place but it is safer than the heavy caffeinated products.
A few years ago I was driving home from the Super Bowl in Tampa,back to Pittsburgh,with my girlfriend. Somewhere in W.VA. I started getting pretty tired and couldn't keep my eyes open. Then I remembered I had a couple 5 hour energy drinks in the glove box.I never tried them before but I bought them just in case I needed them. Well, I drank one.Ten minutes later I was passed out and she was driving! Maybe the caffeine doesn't affect me anymore.I can drink half a pot of coffee and take a nap right afterwards.
They don't seem to have a large effect on me either.
Just a quick recommendation.........
Don't drink one AND a large coffee they advertise as the "truckers blend".
I did this coming back from an elk hunt after driving part of the night and I was wired for hours. Didn't feel good at all. First and last time I did that. I still use the 5hr, but avoid any strong coffee.
" rushed to the emergency room after suffering a mild heart attack."
yeah, blue pill will do that too.....my understanding it's completely turned the estate executor industry on it's ear....
Knock back one of these and you won't need that 5 hour stuff or blue pills. Nectar for the Gods it is.
I've drank soda all my life and recently switched to coffee, my wife hounds me about my sugar intake. Needless to say the couple of times I've tried these they had little to no effect. Caffeine gives some the jitters it just settles my nerves.
Worked great for me! Used on an all-nighter drive to Alberta for mulies. Shot a good one too!
Good stuff, lots of food for thought?????
Wapitibob, what is that drink? Is it as small of a container as 5 hour or the size of a soda can?
ElkNut1
Read the label, it's not the caffeine, its the total overload of B6/B12
Overload? Do you mean it just has a large amount of B6-B12 or do you mean it's close to an overdose amount?
ElkNut1
My experience with them goes this way. Buddy and hunting elk in Montana when he gets a call from wife saying he must come to Minnesota. Hunted all day, so we pack up and head out, He's hitting the energy drinks and says he'll drive. At Kadoka, SD we fuel up and I say let me drive a while. He gets in the passenger seat and I take over the wheel. When we stop for fuel in Albert Lea Mn he wakes up. Slept the whole way! I don't use them, maybe some day.
Not sure the line that is technically overdose, but look at the ingredients above:
Niacin: 150% B6: 2000% B12: 8333%
of recommended daily allowance.
I believe they give AF pilots these vitamins for long flights too.
Everyone's body will react differently.
Paul, it's a Monster Energy, 24oz. I love 'em. At our age, it's like crack and viagra rolled into one.
Not sure I'd chug one then pack a bull 3 miles uphill. Your heart might explode.
There's a certain amount of a daily intake of B-6 and B-12. What I mean by large quantities is drinking a couple of these a day on a regular basis on top of what you would normally consume in a normal diet. Every once in a while or during a week long hunting trip wouldn't be an issue.
On long pack outs, I have used two products to give me a boost at each rest stop: Honey Stinger Chews, and Pro Bar Bolts. They are basically sugar and caffeine. I prefer the Honey Stingers because they are less gummy. I had a Bolt suction the cap right off a molar once while chewing it during a pack out.
WapitiBob- Your odometer gives me hope!!! My 99 Powerstroke just turned 200K and 15 years old, Is that 340,000 I am reading there???
Mines still purring.
Yes I like the 5 hour, great for driving!
Yes, 340 heading to last years E. Oregon Elk Hunt. Mine is a '99 also. I will have 368,000 by the end of this month.
Yeah those 7.3L Ford powerstrokes are an epic truck. I was just in father in laws 99 ford and he has 465,000 on the original motor. It still runs ok but but needs a tune up:~)