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Lawsuit: Four Loko Causes Heart Arrhythmia?
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Mar 22, 2011
Modified Mar 22, 2011
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Mar 22, 2011
Modified Mar 22, 2011
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In November, the makers of Four Loko decided to remove caffeine from their recipe because apparently consumers couldn't put two and two together and understand that consuming both an upper (caffeine) and a downer (alcohol) could make you feel funny and should probably be done with caution. But apparently November wasn't early enough. One New Jersey man is suing the company after drinking two-and-a-half cans of original-recipe Four Loko gave left him with heart arrhythmia, which isn't exactly a normal consequence of knocking back a couple cold ones.
Michael Mustica claims he drank the Four Loko last October on a trip to Atlantic City and quickly fell asleep. Yes, the man fell asleep after drinking the equivalent of five cups of coffee. Sweet dreams! Then he reportedly awoke to find his heart was racing and he had trouble breathing. A doctor diagnosed him with heart arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, as "a direct result of consuming Original Four Loko," the suit claims. It also says Phusion Projects "deceitfully packaged" the drink with no warning about the health consequences of combining alcohol and caffeine.
In other Four Loko news, it's available in bottles now! Phusion spokesman Chris Hunter also said, "we still believe that combining caffeine and alcohol is safe." Translation: taking six caffeine pills and washing it down with a fifth of vodka makes you strong!
Tagged
four loko
heart arrhythmia
lawsuit
new jersey
Jaya Saxena
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