My experience with Splenda

M

moni_stout

Guest
I don't post a whole lot, but some of you may remember me posting about a year ago how I thought that I needed to have gallbladder surgery. Well, after many tests we found out my gallbladder is fine. I have spent thousands of dollars on tests: ultrasound, hida scan, two MRIs, endoscopy, an endoscopic ultrasound, and a nuclear scan -- all in addition to numerous blood tests. Noone could ever find anything wrong, yet I have continued to experience horrible abdominal pain and back pain. It has changed my social life dramatically.

Well, needless to say, all of this started right around a time that I was determined to lose weight and started buying products that contained Splenda, sometimes unknowingly. I ended up losing more weight than I wanted to because of the abdominal pain, which prevented me from eating at all sometimes. Well, I started eating my real sugar products and I've been feeling good but gained some weight. So a couple of weeks ago I decided to try to lose a few pounds -- started buying a few products with splenda, and what do you know -- my old stomach issue has returned with a vengence. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out that it could be directly related to my splenda / sucralose consumption. I have been doing a lot of internet searching and have found other people who have the exact same experiences that I do.

I just want to make sure that I let people know of the possibility that Splenda could cause negative side effects. Examples of the products I was purchasing include:

-Blue Bunny yogurt - No Sugar Added
-Kettle Corn microwave popcorn - 100 calorie / low fat bags
-Skinny Cow Fudge Pops
-Vermont Sugar Free Syrup
-Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Lower Sugar

Those are probably the products that I consumed the most. If anyone else has experienced this please let me know. I would love to talk.

Monica
 
Hi Monica

I am extremely sorry to hear of ur reaction to Splenda. I have never really used the product (although I have may consumed it without knowing). Luckily, I am not allergic to a lot of things.

But thank you for posting your experience so that at least I and the other members are aware of the possible reaction to this popular sugar substitute.

At least you know the root of your problem now and can take care to avoid it.

regards,

Penny
 
I had the same experience with Splenda, so did my whole family. The stuff is toxic if you are intolerant to it. I have to carefully read labels to avoid it. My son had diarrhea for 2 weeks after eating it in some canned fruit. My daughter's experience was after propel fruit water. I am so glad that you at least know what was the problem. I hope you are all better now.
 
Monica,

I was really interested in your post because about two years ago, I was consuming large quantities of a Dansani lemon flavored water that was lightly sweetened with Splenda. I absolutely LOVED this water, because it was so refreshing and was just the best thing after a hard run. Well, I started having bouts of anxiety with intense panic attacks that were so extreme that I went to the doctor one day convinced I had a serious problem and he ordered a bunch of heart tests to include xrays, an ultrasound and a stress test - all of which revealed my heart was just fine. Well, my doc wanted me to take a month off from work, but I managed to negotiate a week off, and I had to take xanax for a while to combat things.

I started taking inventory of my diet and a day or two later, my DH said that there was a study on Splenda and that it causes healthy issues. I researched it on the internet and was horrified to find that I had many of the symptoms, to include anxiety, panic attacks, numbness of the tounge, etc. I decided to clean my system completely. I went off birth control pills, stopped eating sugar in every form except honey, and my anxiety went away within a month or two. So I truly believe this stuff isn't "all in our heads". People will say that Splenda is "just a form of sugar" but I firmly believe when you start screwing around with the God made forms of things, even on a molecular level, you're asking for trouble! :7

I try not to eat alot of sugar, and usually use Sweet and Low now, with no side effects. I hope your tummy issues subside soon!

Reese
 
Thanks for the responses. It is very comforting to hear from others that have experienced problems -- just let's me know I'm not loony! I've been having pain off and on all weekend, so my Splenda elimination starts right tonight! I have been reading labels and learned it is also in my Starbucks Doubleshot Lite drink that I consume regularly. I took it all to the trash can. I will post again to let you know if my symptoms clear up over time.

Monica
 
Monica,

I remember your stuggles with your stomach when you were doing the P90X rotation with us. Wow!! To think it was all because of Splenda....!!!! I'm so happy that you've found the cause of the problem, and that it's such an easy solution.

Any sweet-tasting product that advertises that it is low in calories or sugar uses sucralose. It's become very ubiquitous. I'll take a few extra pounds over chemical fake sugar ingestion any day.

Good luck with your dietary purge. I hope your stomach feels better soon.

Cheers,
Sandra
 
Thank you for sharing this Monica. Just a few months ago I watched the documentary called 'Sweet Misery'. I was just fascinated with the movie. It was a little slow at times, but the info was good. It basically has all these testimonies of people who have had severe health issues being linked to artificial sweetners. I think most of the movie was focused on aspartame. It really makes you wonder how many health problems people have are related to these artificial sweetners they are consuming non-stop. I have a friend who is experiencing almost MS symptoms. She is having numbness in her limbs that the doctors can not explain. She has had MS tests done, but with no answers yet. I was talking with her the other day and just asked her how she was doing on her water intake. She shook her head and said yesterday she had 2 diet mountain dews and a tea (sweetened with Splenda). No water. Yikes. I can't even imagine. I wonder if her symptoms would at least improve is she eliminated all the artificial sweetners and replaced it with water.
 
What scares me is all the chemical whatever's manufacturers put in our food could be causing issues like this for some individuals. My son has been having anxiety issues and I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on, and to think maybe it's something he's eating makes me crazy. He's 15 and it's impossible to keep track of what he eats! He wants to be with his friends and do what they do. He's NOT going to listen to his ol' mom.
I'm glad you figured out what was going on for you. And, thanks I'll have a conversation with him about this.
Heather
 
As someone who uses splenda very much in moderation I can report I have had absolutely no problems with it. It's the aspartame that doesn't work so well with me. This reminds us all to read those product labels carefully.
 
I used to use Splenda in my coffee every a.m. My drepression, anxiety, and PMS symptoms have gotten better since I quit using it regularly. My mom was having joint pain among other things (can't remember what) and when she quit using Spenda her joint pain and other things got better instantly (don't you love the scientific other things(;

Anyway, I do consume it every now and again in other products but not on a regular basis.
Angela:)
 
Wow...this is really interesting. I just got off of splenda about a month ago and now use honey and stevia. I never experiences any side effects, but my mom gets really bloated when she consumes it. Maybe this post will be enough to get my dad off of the stuff...Thanks for sharing!
 
I have a friend who also has problems with stevia. I never would--I can't get part the horrible taste to discover any side effects. For many, occasional splenda is fine.
 
I had similar problems with Nutrasweet. I use Splenda now moderately with no problems; however, I will watch my intake of it. Thanks for your input!!!!! Nancy J.~~~
 
Interesting, I've been using Splenda for years without any problems. I guess there's something in it that you're allergic to?
 
Recently, I ate some Blue Bunny ice cream pops, not knowing that they were sugar-free, containing Splenda. I got the worst abdominal pains after eating them and it lasted for several hours. I didn't make the connection between the pain and the Splenda until I ate a Blue Bunny pop a couple of days later and experienced the same excruciating pain. All artificial sweetners, including Nutrasweet, give me negative side effects. Bad stuff.
 
Splenda gives me the worst headaches I've ever had. I wake up with a headache the next day after using Splenda. Every time.
 
Monica,

I swear I could have written your post myself. I'm literally sitting here as I type with terrible pains in my stomach, and I too have just recently figured out that it must be my Splenda consumption causing it. This has been going on for days, and it's terrible! I was definitely starting to wonder if I needed my gall bladder checked, though I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the Splenda. Lately, I've given up everything sugary or starchy, but I'll grab a diet iced tea or something similar when I crave something sweet (or actually, something with flavor ;-) ), or a low calorie yogurt, or even sugar free gum! And it's killing me...:eek:

So as of yesterday I stayed away from anything I knew to have Splenda in it, but I'm still not relieved of the abdominal pain. How long did it take you to rid your system of it?

Jennifer
 
Sheesh! I am so sorry for all of you experiencing this!

I've always felt "guilty" for NOT using Splenda. Guess I won't anymore!

I've always felt that it's better to go w/ natural products (butter, sugar, etc.) because of things just like this.

Hope you have a speedy recovery Jennifer!
 
i don't have any negative effects from splenda but i'm worried about long time use of the product. however i'm having a hard time kicking the splenda habit. i don't like stevia and i don't want the extra cals from honey or real sugar. any suggestions?
 
If you're counting calories is there something else you could skip so that you could enjoy a bit of sweet? You might try "Sugar in the Raw" Like sea salt, a little goes along way so you shouldn't have to use as much to get your sweet fix.
 
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