"An emergency room visit has sealed Splenda's fate in my eyes!
I was on the Atkins diet several months ago. I did very well on the diet without the use of artificial sweeteners. While maintaining my weight, I started to experiment with some new products for a little variety.
About two months ago, I found a flavoured water beverage that contained Splenda. I began to use it as a part of my Atkins diet. Then I began to notice that every time I drank one of the waters, I got a headache. So... I stopped drinking them.
However, what I didn't realize was that most of the products out there approved for the diet--from breakfast bars to shakes--which I was also trying out and continuing to consume--also contain Splenda. My bad luck for not reading the labels better. I was under the impression that these items were sweetened with alcohol sugars. The headaches continued to come and go. I had shortness of breath and was easily upset by little things.
Last Thursday I paid the local emergency room a visit. I was complaining of chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, and severe hot flashes with an odd kind of headache. My blood pressure was also recorded as high, which is very out of the ordinary for me. My normal blood pressure is usually in the low-normal range.
After speaking with the doctors and going through their testing, they concluded that the break-up of my marriage (which I'm currently going through) was causing me to be stressed and depressed. They asked that I follow up with a psychologist and they prescribed Xanax for me.
During the weekend, I began to feel better. I had taken the Xanax on that Thursday and Friday, but then stopped taking it. (I'm not one to take drugs as I am a self-proclaimed medicinal wimp--two extra-strength headache tablets make me sleepy.) Imagine the effects of Xanax even cut in half! I really felt that the break-up of my marriage was not the culprit and began looking at my food consumption again. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday passed without consumption of any Splenda.
This morning, Monday, I ate one breakfast bar that I keep in my desk for a quick breakfast. Once I ate the bar--within a matter of minutes--the headache started again. My ears were ringing. I was short of breath. The chest pains were back! I read the label from the bar and found that it contained Splenda.
I am convinced now that Splenda has had a negative effect on my health. I recommend that people who are currently using it without incident be aware of its potential and pay attention to any warning signs that may occur as they continue its use. Personally, I would not recommend using Splenda and will try to make others aware that, despite the claims, there are negative side effects.
I have also found that it's use has had an opposite effect on my weight. Instead of maintaining my weight, I have put weight back on. I believe this is also due to the Splenda. Until today, I was puzzled about how I could be gaining weight when I was doing well on the maintenance level prior to this. I guess only time will tell on that note.
Your site is very informative. Thank you for its presence and for helping get the word out."
On 3 March 2004, we received this update:
"Thank you again for your site. I will be forwarding the link to the emergency room that treated me and diagnosed my symptoms as stress and depression. I think that since Splenda has become so popular, mostly through the Atkins approval, that emergency rooms should begin asking if patients with similar symptoms have consumed Splenda or sucralose."
Thank you J.A. for sharing your story with our visitors.
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