This Isn’t an Energy Drink — It’s a Drug, and It’s a Problem.
- Joe Horvat
- Jan 14
- 3 min read
I’m not a doctor. I’m not a nutritionist. I’m not even someone who claims to know a great deal about pre-workouts. But it doesn’t take a medical degree to look at what’s being sold as an “energy drink” and realise some of these products probably shouldn’t be sitting in a fuel station fridge.
This isn’t just a drink — it’s a drug.
Back when I was a full-blown gym bro, I used a pre-workout called REDCON1 Total War. To me, it felt like doing a shot of speed. I’d feel unstoppable for a short window — wired, shaking, itchy skin, heart racing — and then completely exhausted afterwards. It worked, no doubt about that, but looking back, it came at a cost.
What concerns me now is that this same pre-workout is being sold ready-to-drink at petrol stations, sitting next to everyday energy drinks and marketed in a way that makes it look normal. It isn’t being compared to other pre-workouts; it’s being positioned as a starter energy drink. That distinction matters.
To put this into perspective, let’s compare it to something most Australians recognise — a 250 ml can of V Energy.
A standard can of V contains about 78 mg of caffeine. That’s pretty typical across mainstream energy drinks. It also contains around 26 g of sugar per can, which on its own is close to the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily limit for added sugar. That’s not great — and I’m not pretending otherwise — but at least the stimulant dose is relatively moderate and well understood.
Now let’s look at Prime Energy, because this is where the line really starts to blur.
A single can of Prime Energy contains 200 mg of caffeine in a 355 ml serve. That’s more than two and a half times the caffeine in a standard V, with no sugar to slow absorption. In Australia, the general guidance for healthy adults is a maximum of around 400 mg of caffeine per day, and for children and adolescents, recommendations are far lower — often advised to be avoided altogether.
Prime Energy is marketed heavily to young people, uses influencer branding, bright colours, and sports imagery, and is frequently confused with Prime Hydration, which contains no caffeine at all. That confusion alone should raise red flags. A product delivering 200 mg of caffeine in one hit is not a casual drink — yet it’s sold like one.
And then there’s Total War RTD.
One bottle delivers around 400 mg of caffeine — effectively the upper daily limit for an adult — in a single serve. Unlike V or Prime, it doesn’t stop there. It includes performance-grade ingredients that simply don’t exist in energy drinks: around 3,200 mg of beta-alanine (responsible for tingling and itching), about 1,000 mg of agmatine sulfate, and other compounds designed to push physical performance, not just wake you up.
Yes, Total War works as a pre-workout. That’s the point. But pre-workouts are meant for gyms and supplement stores — places where people actively choose them, understand dosing, and expect side effects. Not petrol stations, where products are designed to be grabbed on impulse.
When you line these drinks up — V at 78 mg of caffeine, Prime at 200 mg, and Total War at 400 mg plus performance stimulants — the escalation is obvious. Yet they’re increasingly being sold in the same places, marketed in similar ways, and treated as interchangeable.
I’ll be upfront — I drink a V most days. That’s not ideal, and I’m not pretending it is. But the difference is that I know what I’m drinking. My concern is for people who don’t — especially young people who see a can, recognise a brand, and assume it’s safe because it’s available.
This isn’t just about personal choice. It’s about transparency, responsibility, and where we draw the line.
Because calling all of this “just an energy drink” seriously downplays what some of these products actually are.
And that’s the real problem.
Joe Horvat Written 14/01/2026
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, nutritionist, or health professional. This is a personal opinion based on publicly available information, not medical advice.
References
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 2.6.4: Formulated Caffeinated Beverages. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au
Healthdirect Australia. Caffeine – effects, intake limits, and recommendations. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/caffeine
World Health Organisation (WHO). Guideline: Sugar intake for adults and children. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-NMH-NHD-15.2
V Energy. V Energy Original – ingredient and nutrition information (250 ml can).
Prime Energy. Prime Energy – caffeine content and ingredient information (355 ml can).
REDCON1 Total War. Total War Ready-To-Drink – product ingredients and stimulant profile.
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Sports supplement framework and high-stimulant supplement guidance.
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