Splenda made me sick....

[Melora]

I discovered that the "no side effects" Splenda was actualy making me miserable.

For the past 3-4 months I have been having a cup of tea in the evening right before bed and putting a few splenda packets in it. Over the past couple of months I have been feeling worse and worse. Waking most nights with a terrible headache and having to take some pain reliever at 4 AM. Waking most mornings and feeling like crap and not knowing why.

The other day I suddenly remembered a similiar experience I had had some years back with Slimfast where I had been drinking it every morning and about an hour later I had what could only be described as an almost migraine for 2 hours. I tried cutting out the slimfast (after weeks of this) and it magically disappeared the first day I did not drink it. I do not know what was in that that made me sick but I never had the problem again.

So after I woke up the other day with a headache so bad I could not even see straight I suddenly thought maybe it was the tea, or at least the sweetener since I had been using that about the same amont of time I had been feeling progressively worse. And I always drank it at night.

I looked it up on the internet and even though most websites say there are no side effects there are some that document real effects including the ones I was having.

Magically, after only one night of no Splenda, my headaches are gone as is the horrible feeling when I wake up in the morning.

I cannot tell you how much better I feel. I was beginning to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with me. I was blaming the recent stress or poor diet but Ive gone through both before and never had headaches like these.

Anyway..just thought I'd share.

 

[Blondie]

Nutrasweet (aspartame) does the same thing to me.

Years ago I used to have a diet coke every day at lunch, and about an hour later, I'd get this awful headache! I later on read that some people are sensitive to aspartame, so I decided to stop drinking the diet coke to see if the daily headache went away, and it did!

Now I stay far away from anything with Nutrasweet in it!

 

[Stimpy]

Same here, nutrasweet, equal, splenda all the "fake" sugars make me really sick. The part that really stinks is I'm diabetic and most of the "No Sugar Added" products for diabetics contain these instead.

 

[pw2pp]

Thanks for the info. I just recently discovered Splenda and I wondered why they don't put it in more products since everybody is going "Low-Carb" with their diets.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Diet drinks give me a wicked headache.

Lori

 

[binny]

yep does the same to me!


And dont even get me started on "Olestra" UGH terrrible stuff!!!

 

[mickeyfan1]

Mel, if you were to have your tea with the same amount of regular sugar in it, woulf that cause headaches?

 

[Melora]

Originally posted by mickeyfan1
Mel, if you were to have your tea with the same amount of regular sugar in it, woulf that cause headaches?

No..I do not think so. The weirdest thing is that I don't get headaches from Diet coke. But I also had the same thing happen when I was drinking Crystal Light 17 years ago. I could not figure out where these horrible headaches were coming from and lo and behold when I stopped my intake of that stuff... POOF they were gone.

I was SO loving my warm tea in the evenings. Now I guess I will need to have it without anything or maybe just a tiny bit of sugar. I was also adding Splenda to my oatmeal in the AM... GRRRrrrrrr

I should have known a no cal sweetner that tasted good was too good to be true.

 

[DMickey28]

What about Sweet n Low?

 

[snoopy]

I just read an article about aspartame poisoning that sounds similar to what you were going through with the bad headaches.

I'm on the Atkins diet right now, and of course they recommend that you have splenda rather than sugar. I can't stomach that stuff, hate diet sodas or to have it in my coffee or tea, so I just go without. I never was a big soda drinker to begin with, but I do miss sugar in my tea. Not enough to get me to drink that fake stuff tho!

Glad you are feeling better.

 

[Melora]

Originally posted by DMickey28
What about Sweet n Low?

EWWWWWWWWWWwwwwww

I think I will stick to the real stuff when I have to have some sweetner. I may even try the raw suger since its less processed. But I think cutting out sugar as much as possible is probably the thing to do.... Im such a sugar junky...

 

[Blondie]

The bad news on nutrasweet.


Aspartame Toxicity Information Center

The potential dangers of Splenda (sucralose)

 

[binny]

Mel, you could always try Sucanut. Its expensive but its really pretty good. Its sugar cane, unprocessed sugar.

 

[mckryan]

Originally posted by Melora
I was SO loving my warm tea in the evenings. Now I guess I will need to have it without anything or maybe just a tiny bit of sugar.

How about using some honey in your tea? I try to stay away from the artificial sweetners. I am a sugar junkie, so I don't miss many opportunities to have some.

 

[meandtheguys]

Just curious if anyone has any more recent info re. Splenda. We really like the stuff, but I think I will lay off and see if it affects my headaches!

Have a good day!

Michelle

 

[Wishing on a star]

It is really scary that they have now approved this stuff to be used in products marketed to kids!!! :confused

 

[nativetxn]

I'm so glad that my husband and I are not sensitive to the artifical sweeteners. As a type II diabetic they make his life much easier.

 

[Talking Hands]

I'm lucky that Splenda doesn't affect me adversely but I don't use it daily. Apartame makes me deathly ill so it is completely out of my diet. I've learned to take my tea and coffee black and drink lots of water. Boring but I feel better that way.

 

[Kermit]

Stevia might be a better option for you. You usually have to buy it at health food stores. It's an herb. I don't think it's completely calorie-free, but it's lower in calories than sugar.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with a moderate amount of sugar in the diet, as long as you aren't diabetic. Honey is a bit better than table sugar. It's sweeter, so you use less, and it has trace amounts of minerals.

 

[FreshTressa]

I thought it was just me!!!

I can't do nutra-sweet or splenda. It sure made the atkins thing difficult.

I drink only water or carbonated water. It just isn't worth feeling sick for!