Most people are guilty of indulging in an energy drink now and again: the ultimate pick-me-up when you’re tired and can’t face another coffee.

Others more regularly knock back the caffeine stimulant – though few people could claim that they get through an astonishing 7litres A DAY.

However, that is exactly the quantity consumed by one mother-of-three from Newtownabbey in Co. Antrim.

Shockingly, Lena Lupari consumed so many calories as a result of her Red Bull habit that her weight now hovers around the 26st mark.

Even more serious – doctors also believe her brain has swollen and she risks going blind.

She first sought medical attention in June when she collapsed suddenly.

Doctors then discovered she had developed a condition known as Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), which they said was a result of her being overweight. 

Ms Lupari told Mail Online: “I used to drink 28 cans of Red Bull in a day and I'd only have a meal at night but it would usually be something fast-food like a takeaway or a packet of pasta.

“I've got three young children, one with special needs, and didn't have time to make anything. 

“I'd been suffering from migraines and headaches for about five years but I just ignored them and took painkillers.

“Then my vision went and I couldn't even lift my head off the bed and I ended up in hospital for six days.”

Specialists have now told Lena to lose seven stone – 30 percent of her body weight – and since cutting Red Bull from her diet entirely, she reports that she’s already shed two stone.

Intracranial hypertension (IH) refers to abnormally high pressure inside the skull and is quite rare, although it usually affects people who are overweight and obese.

The most common symptoms are severe throbbing headaches and changes in vision due to swollen optic nerves.