Artificial Sweeteners and Their Serious Side Effects

I recently stopped taking Aspartame, and have gone through horrible withdrawal- mood swing, nausea, headaches. I read that increasing your vitamin intake can help to offset the symptoms. I found Fuse drinks, which are labeled as natural, no preservatives, etc. And, they have vitamins in them. Unfortunately, they also have sucralose, which I now know means Splenda. I thought I was having another withdrawl symptom, but after reading here and other places, I know my wheezing/hacking/hard to breath feeling was from the Splenda. Looking back, I realized that it occured shortly after drinking the Fuse drinks. I was beginning to wonder if I hadn't developed asthma. I can't believe that they allow these products into our food, and even out toothpaste!

A while back, I decided I needed to cut back on sugar and tried to switch to Equal (aspartame). Within a few days I noticed that my nipples (I am a male) became very sore to the touch. Just a slight bump or rubbing against my shirt was really beginning to hurt. After a few weeks, I went to see my doctor, who, being stumped after the ointment didn't work, sent me to an internist. In the course of his diagnosis he asked a lot of questions; one of which was have you changed anything in your diet recently. I told him about the Equal. He asked how much sugar I had been using. When he told me that calories in a tsp. were just 16, he suggested I quit the aspartame and see what happens. Within a week or so, the pain was gone. I thought it was possible that it was coincidental and not really the aspartame to blame, so I started taking it again. The pain returned almost immediately. I quit it again, the pain went away. I waited for several weeks and tried it again (gluton for punishment); the pain returned. Without a shadow of a doubt I can associate that pain in my nipples with the use of aspartame. I don't know what it was doing to me, but it wasn't worth it. I've never gone back. I have been using Splenda (sucralose) for the last several weeks without any ill effects that I've noticed. I especially like that fact that there is no after-taste associated with the Splenda either. I logged onto this site to see if there was anything to worry about with this stuff, but so far, I haven't found anything wrong with it personally.

I just recently found a correlation between eating sugar-free ice cream sweetened with splenda and breaking out into hives around and in my mouth.

Equal caused severe headaches. What is your thought on Stevia? I use it in place of artificial sugars and appear to have no problems. It comes in liquid or powder form and is about 20 times sweeter than sugar. It is also a natural product made from leaves and used extensively in South America.

I have suffered from heart palpitations for years and just recently discovered they are triggered by artificail sweetners.

I have a question maybe someone can help I have been drinking diet soda for the last three years and lately I have been feeling realy tired and sick to my stomach and achy bones and joints heart palputaions and on ocassion dizzy I have been to my doctor he checked me for arthritus and that came back clear and so have several other test we cant figure out what is wrong could it be the diet soda I drink about 3 to 6 a day has anyone else had all of these same symptoms and quite drinking the diet soda and there symptoms go away let me know what you think thank you

I've been using alot of splenda over the lase few years and having different things to happen to me. I have sores on my arms and neck, Depressed, and RLS. I haven't tried to stop but I have been reading about others who had the same trouble. Do you think this is my problem?

Hi. I believe I am experiencing withdrawals from Splenda. My symptoms are similar to that of hypoglycemia with lightheadedness, headache,weakness, and a "shaky" feeling. This happened after 3 weeks of heavy Splenda using and abrupt stopping when I had no tea to use it in. Just thought I'd let you know that there definitely are withdrawals if one stops using Splenda. Thanks.

does anyone know ANYTHING that cures msg + aspartame headaches?!? Every time I accidentally get some aspartame or msg, I get the worst migraine headaches! of course aspartame is the worst because I cannot think properly because of my brain misfirering messages for about 24 hours after having the least bit of it:-( while I try to stay away from both substances I sometimes manage to get some and I am sorry for pretty much 2 days. PLEASE HELP ME!!

I tried the Atkins diet a few years back and would eat 1-2 "snacks" a day sweetened with splenda. My skin on my face got very blotchy, patchy and dry. When I made the connection, I stopped eating the snacks and in a week it cleared up again. I've also noticed that sweetening anything with splenda will give me a headache. Also, whatever sweetener that is in Diet Pepsi makes me stupid. I can't put together sentences or think of the word I want to use after drinking it for a couple of days. I figured this out when I visited my sister and that's what she had to drink around the house. Within a couple of days, I couldn't converse very well and the only difference was the Diet Pepsi. I never use artificial sweeteners anymore.

On headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients. Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death. If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.

Splenda had me fooled. I just heard the news that Splenda is not totally just from sugar without the calories. I knew that sucrolose gives me Insomnia but I just didn't want to believe that Splenda does too, so I brushed it off. Well now I know that the cause of my intermittend insomina is also Splenda. This company fooled us good.I will from now on use sugar again, but only half the amount what the recipe calls for.

I am re-posting. I bought SPLENDA 8 months ago and have been using in daily coffee and a few recipes. This caused severe itching and swelling/hemorroidal symptoms. I read in the paper that this sweetener can cause itchy lesions anywhere on the body.

Like others, I was lead to believe that Splenda was the answer to sugar substitute. I then started on Equal(which was just as bad) then decided to go back to sugar. I later read somewhere on this site that "Stevia" is a better substitute for sugar--nothing added(google the name and read) I just went to the vitamin shoppe and purchased a box. This stuff is real good. One packet equals to two tsp of sugar.

I had been using 3-6 Equal packets in morning coffee for at a year. At one point I noticed my left arm had a numbing sensation that would not go away. It stayed for weeks. Sometime my arm muscle would twitch as well. It would be months before I finally stopped using the Equal and realized it was the Aspartame poisoning my nervous system.