To M.G. at JOHNSON & JOHNSON from T.,

Thank you so much for your reply and your concerns, I am willing to call. I thought that because the symptoms were so big I would send you a copy via e-mail. Also if you would like, once you have received this email and read through it you could call me. My phone number is **********. Other wise I will leave it go till Thursday and call you. I guess I could just quote the complaint number? Thanks for your concerns, I really do appreciate it.


From T. to JOHNSON & JOHNSON re: Splenda sickness

My husband and I started to use Splenda approximately 7 months ago. We started to use Splenda as we were going on a diet to lose some weight and to better our health. We cut all sugars out of our diet, I am totally against artificial sweeteners but I used your product because it claims that it is made from sugar.

We started to experience side effects within one month of having the product, we both believed it was sugar withdrawals, after a few months we were getting worse so we thought we would re-introduce sugar back into our diet, we got worse side affects so we stayed far away from sugar. It's funny now that we stopped using Splenda, sugar is not affecting us, we stopped taking the product on the 2nd of August, the symptoms we experienced are as follows:

T.'s symptoms

• Dizziness
• Light-headed
• Weak sensation in my muscles
• Shortness of breath
• Felt tired all the time
• Eyes couldn't focus
• Visual problems (cloudy)
• Shaking (tremors)
• Irritable, which was strange, I am not a contentious person.
• Anxiousness
• Heart palpitations -- serious
• My short-term memory was lacking
• Spotting around my ovulation time
• Missed period
• During period's - heavy cramping and bleeding, it felt like my contractions during labour.
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Gas
• Constipated
• Mental confusion (mild),
• Mild hot flashes
• Lower leg pain
• Hip pain
• Waking during the night feeling as if my heart had stopped. (saying my prayers)
• Lots of vivid dreams, which is very uncommon for me.
  

The last week of having Splenda, I experienced seizure-like symptoms. My head felt as if a ping- pong ball was bouncing around inside my head. My mind was racing. I felt as if I could not control my thoughts. A foggy sense of doom was hanging around; I started having spiking pains in my temples that lasted only seconds, as well as constant killer headaches

I truly thought I was going insane, or worst - death. I also gained 4 kilos over the last month of using Splenda. After being off the product for 1 week today, almost all the symptoms have gone. I still get shaking (tremors) when I first wake up, I am also getting a feeling of being choked lightly, I can't seem to get enough air. I have also lost 2 kilos with out dieting; I guess this would be due to not being constipated.

Husband's symptoms:

• Dizziness - extreme, affected my work.
• Light-headed
• Weak sensation in my muscles
• Shortness of breath
• Felt tired all the time
• Eyes couldn't focus
• Visual problems (cloudy)
• Shaking (tremors)
• My short-term memory was lacking
• Mental confusion (mild),
• Mild hot flashes
• Lower leg and feet pain
• Waking during the night feeling as if my heart had stopped.
• Lots of vivid dreams
• Ringing in my ears,
• Cold feet
• Anxiety attacks
• My blood pressure was also recorded as high at the hospital, the day of one of the anxiety attacks. Next day, at my doctor's, it was normal - I was prescribed Paxil, I did not take them. ( I didn't believe I needed them, I am a Christian by faith and I believed God would heal me)
• Anxiousness
• Choking feeling
• Bladder was bothering me - I had to go all the time and there was a lot of pressure on it.
• Seizure-like symptoms. My head felt as if a ping-pong ball was bouncing around inside my head. My mind was racing. I felt as if I could not control my thoughts.
  

Last week of having Splenda, my feet began to hurt to the point where I was having a hard time standing at work. They tingled when I stepped out of bed in the morning. The foggy sense of doom was hanging around. I had spiking pains in my temples that lasted a while. My Pastor also recommended I seek counselling at my church, I have now cancelled my appointment as I have my mind back, and my Pastor agrees.

Today, almost all the symptoms have gone, I still get shaking (tremors) when I first wake up, I am also getting a feeling of being bloated and a lot of gas and constipated, my legs feel weak and my feet still had a bit of pain. I feel like I have waken up, my life over the last few months seem to be a daze. I can work again with out any problems.

T.

RESPONSE FROM JOHNSON & JOHNSON:

Johnson & Johnson Pacific
AUSTRALIA-FIJI-NEW ZEALAND
JOHNSON & JOHNSON PACIFIC PTY LIMITED A.C.N. 001 121 446
1 Bay Street Broadway N.S.W. 2007, AUSTRALIA
TELEPHONE:131 565, FACSIMILE: (02) 8260 8102
ADDRESS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO:
LOCKED MAIL BAG NO. 5, BROADWAY 2007

Dear T.

Thank you for your e-mails. We also appreciated having had the opportunity of speaking with you about your experiences and your use of our SPLENDA* Brand Sweetener, as well as your husband's experience and his use of the product. We understand your concern and distress in relationship to the symptoms you described to us.

We assure you that our first priority is the health and safety of users of our wide range of products. The design, specifications, materials and production methods for all of our products are rigorously tested before any product is released for sale and we always endeavour to ensure our products meet the high standards you have come to expect from Johnson & Johnson. Also, our product packaging is subject to a thorough review process to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. We remain satisfied that all aspects of our packaging, including the use of the claim "made from sugar" are appropriate and that for the reasons set out below, warnings do not need to be included on the packaging.

Sucralose, or SPLENDA* Brand Sweetener, has been found safe for use by health and regulatory agencies around the world and it is permitted for use in over 80 countries. The results of over 100 scientific studies representing over 20 years of research has shown that sucralose is safe for use by the whole family. It also might be helpful for you to know that sucralose is not classified as an allergen. Research shows that it does not elicit, and would not be expected to elicit, allergic responses. In fact, according to our records since 2001, (our other records are archived), we have not received any reports of other consumers experiencing any of the symptoms of which you have complained. Consequently, it is most likely the case that your use of our product was unrelated to the symptoms you and your husband experienced.

Of course, however, as with anything that is consumed by humans, it is possible, in extraordinary and rare circumstances, for adverse reactions to take place in individuals. Whether you or your husband have had such a reaction probably could only be determined by a suitably qualified specialist.

In your e-mail, you refer to an American website that you have come across; you also mentioned, in your initial e-mail, a blog website that you had visited. We are aware of these and other kinds of websites that contain information that is simply untrue and not supported by the extensive body of scientific evidence and literature regarding sucralose safety. In fact, most of the information on this kind of website consists of unconfirmed anecdotes and rumours. For accurate and scientifically supported information about SPLENDA* Brand Sweetener products, you might like to visit our website at www.sucralose.org.

We thank you for the time you took to contact us and for providing us with your comments as we are interested in all matters raised in relation to our products. However, you will appreciate that, in the circumstances, we cannot accept that the symptoms reported by you are caused by our SPLENDA* Brand Sweetener. If you or your husband are concerned about your symptoms, we suggest you consult with a suitably qualified specialist.

We assure you of our best attention at all times.

Yours sincerely

MARILYN GRANT
Consumer Service Manager
CONSUMER@JJPAU.JNJ.COM
MAG/cl 000650664B


T. continues her original note to us:

As you have read above she states that we have not received any reports of other consumers experiencing any of the symptoms of which you have complained. Is there anyone else out there complaining to the company? We need to stop this insanity. Only we can do it--the governments won't. Are we prepared to stand up for what we believe, or are we all just typing e-mails.

Think about it people, I have a twelve-year old child, and I don't want her to suffer what I have just gone through. Think of the change we could make! START COMPLAINING! Complain to the company, complain to your government, complain to your FDA departments. Lets stand up for our humanity!

Thanks."

Thank you T. for sharing your story with our visitors.

Editor's Note:

We have heard from other visitors that their contact with Johnson & Johnson has resulted in similarly crafted responses. While we concur that the information contained in our visitors' stories is anecdotal, it is interesting to note that the symptoms remain constant, the people affected are all careful in their consideration of the source of their symptoms, they all experience recovery from the symptoms after stopping their intake of Splenda/sucralose, and no response was ever received to our direct inquiries to the manufacturers or developers of Splenda when we attempted to obtain copies of the 100s of studies, or even the basic ingredients of Splenda. So, to Johnson & Johsnon, this editor requests, one more time--send us your studies or links to your stories. We will gladly post them on our site or link to them. We are here to inform--positively or negatively--and welcome the opportunity to provide our visitors with additional information so they may make informed decisions about their use of Splenda and sucralose.

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