I had been regularly using Splenda for quite some time without any negative side effects that I was aware of. However, about a month ago, I went on a mission to lose weight and started buying more products with artificial sweetener in them (namely Splenda). Before that, I had just basically used it in my coffee.

Over the next few weeks, I started experiencing stomach pain, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, bloating, gas, pain in my groin that went down my legs, and general intestinal mayhem.

It didn't dawn on me until recently that Splenda could be the culprit.  I removed it totally from my diet and within three days the symptoms were totally gone.

I since decided to see what I could find on the web, and see if others out there had similar experiences with this product. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are more than just a few who have.

Before I forget, I had seen my doctor about these symptoms for which she had concurred that I needed more fiber in my diet. My conclusion is that if a product states it is an artificial anything, then how could it possibly be good for us?!"

On 3 June 2006, we received another note from T.P.:

"I would like to add that I failed to stress the severity of my symptoms.  A week ago, I was in such extreme pain that I was on the verge of going to the emergency room.  Finally, after taking enough Pepto-Bismol, which I'd been living on for the past month, my symptoms quieted down enough so that I no longer felt it was an emergency.

I'm still kind of in shock that Splenda was the source of my misery for so long without my even knowing. I hope my entry, as well as others, will save someone else from having to go through multiple, expensive, needless tests."

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

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