Do so-called "energy drinks" really give you more energy?

It is mostly sugar and caffeine.
So you might as well drink a cola.

Put two tablespoons of sugar into a cup of strong coffee, and you have a cheap energy drink. Save yourself the cost of the hype and the aluminum can.

It’s mostly the caffeine. I totally avoid energy drinks and coffee because of the risk of having a heart attack. It doesn’t take much. A boy close to my age died of a heart attack and all he had was a mountain dew and 2 coffees.

They also have lots of other stuff that sound kind of dubious, like taurine.

I really like cold brew black coffee as alternative to energy drinks. This is something I’ve tried – https://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-1536387-chameleon-cold-brew-organic-cold-brew-coffee-concentrate-black-32-oz?site=google_base&LanguageCode=EN&locale=en-US&utm_source=google&utm_medium=PLA&scid=scplp162245&sc_intid=162245&utmp_campaign=SC_Shopping_Campaign_Mid_Margin&branded=no&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjdLOBRCkARIsAFj5-GCmTVY-Yx93lrPHNYbWcUEdSHut8dfMXMCxIPngvVuwV5UIQ_2cdsgaAn73EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

It is powerful but I need only use a small amount and sometimes I mix a bit almond milk or whatever to dilute it a bit.

A side note though some of the vitamins and extra stuff like ginseng isn’t bad for you but the amount and coupled with other unnecessary extras make it go overboard.

If I remember right studies were saying 150–200mg of caffeine is at the most you should consume in a day. Depending on tolerance maybe up to 250–300mg but that is pushing it.

It also talked about how excess caffeine, constantly being stimulated can “burn out” your adrenal glands.