Splenda Dangers

Why Do You Need to Know About Splenda?

Splenda, best known for its marketing logo, "made from sugar so it tastes like sugar,' has taken the sweetener industry by storm. Splenda has become the nations number one selling artificial sweetener in a very short period of time.

Between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of US households using Splenda products jumped from 3 to 20 percent. In a one year period, Splenda sales topped $177 million compared with $62 million spent on aspartame-based Equal and $52 million on saccharin-based Sweet 'N Low.

McNeil Nutritionals, in their marketing pitch for Splenda emphasizes that Splenda has endured some of the most rigorous testing to date for any food additive. Enough so to convince the average consumer that it is in fact safe. They claim that over 100 studies have been conducted on Splenda. What they don't tell you is that most of the studies are on animals.

Additional Concerns About Splenda Studies

There have been no long-term human toxicity studies published until after the FDA approved sucralose for human consumption. Following FDA approval a human toxicity trial was conducted, but lasted only three months, hardly the length of time most Splenda users plan to consume sucralose. No studies have ever been done on children or pregnant women.

Much of the controversy surrounding Splenda does not focus just on its safety, but rather on its false advertising claims. The competition among sweeteners is anything but sweet. The sugar industry is currently suing McNeil Nutritionals for implying that Splenda is a natural form of sugar with no calories.

Is It REALLY Sugar?

There is no question that sucralose starts off as a sugar molecule, it is what goes on in the factory that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. In the five step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose or sugar molecule. A sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together; glucose and fructose.

The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it. As a result of this "unique" biochemical make-up, McNeil Nutritionals makes it's claim that Splenda is not digested or metabolized by the body, making it have zero calories.

It is not that Splenda is naturally zero calories. If your body had the capacity to metabolize it then it would no longer has zero calories.

How Much Splenda is Left In Your Body After You Eat It?

If you look at the research (which is primarily extrapolated form animal studies) you will see that in fact 15% of sucralose is absorbed into your digestive system and ultimately is stored in your body. To reach a number such as 15% means some people absorb more and some people absorb less. In one human study, one of the eight participants did not excrete any sucralose even after 3 days. Clearly his body was absorbing and metabolizing this chemical. That is what our bodies are supposed to do.

The bottom line is that we all have our own unique biochemical make-up. Some of you will absorb and metabolize more than others. If you are healthy and your digestive system works well, you may be at higher risk for breaking down this product in your stomach and intestines. Please understand that it is impossible for the manufacturers of Splenda to make any guarantees based on their limited animal data.

If you feel that Splenda affects you adversely, it is valid. Don't let someone convince you that it is all in your head. You know your body better than anyone else.

How to Determine if Splenda is Harming You

The best way to determine if Splenda or sucralose is affecting you is to perform an elimination/challenge with it. First eliminate it and other artificial sweeteners from your diet
completely for a period of one to two weeks. After this period reintroduce it in sufficient quantity.
(continued column to the right)

For example, use it in your beverage in the morning, and eat at least two sucralose containing products the remainder of the day. On this day, avoid other artificial sweeteners so that you are able to differentiate which one may be causing a problem for you. Do this for a period of one to three days. Take notice of how your body is feeling, particularly if it feels different than when you were artificial sweetener free.

Splenda May Still Be Harming You

If you complete the elimination/challenge trial described above and do not notice any changes then it appears you are able to tolerate Splenda acutely. However, please understand that you are not out of the woods yet.

The entire issue of long-term safety has never been established. Let's look at the facts again:

1. There have only been six human trials to date

2. The longest trial lasted three months

3. At LEAST 15% of Splenda is not excreted from your body in a timely manner

4. Considering that Splenda bears more chemical similarity to DDT than it does to sugar, are you willing to bet your health on this data?

5. Remember that fat soluble substances, such as DDT, can remain in your fat for decades and devastate your health.

If the above facts don't concern because you believe the FDA would not ever allow a toxic substance into the market then read on.

Do You Really Believe These People Are Going to Protect You?

Please consider that the only organizations between you and potentially toxic side effects are the FDA and the manufacturers of sucralose (Tate & Lyle) and of Splenda (McNeil Nutritionals).

The FDA has a long standing history of ineffective screening and rampant conflict of interests as demonstrated in their inability to identify Vioxx as too dangerous to be on the market. This mistake costs 55,000 people their lives.

Now the point I want you to understand here, because it is really important, is that Splenda is not a drug and is only a food additive. As such the number of studies required to receive FDA approval is substantially less than drug. Vioxx had an order of magnitude of more comprehensive clinical trials than Splenda ever did, and despite this rigorous approval process it still killed 55,000 people.

So, now you have the primary concerns I have about Splenda and the choices is yours.

Read Splenda Horror Stories

We have more people on our site that have reported adverse reaction to Splenda than were formally studied in the research submitted for FDA approval. It would seem this collection of data is in some ways superior to the data submitted to the FDA for Splenda approval.

You can help us continue our Splenda research by supplying us with your own experience. If you or anyone you know have had an adverse reaction to Splenda or sucralose containing products please tell us your story.

©Copyright 2007 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.

The Potential Dangers of Sucralose:
Reader Testimonials

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

The following testimonials have been sent to us by people from all over the world who feel they have been harmed by Splenda. We have not researched each of these accounts in-depth, but instead are posting them to draw attention to the fact that Splenda’s safety -- or lack thereof -- is not only unknown and severely questionable, but worse still is not even being explored on a sufficient scale.

That Splenda is being marketed so freely and pervasively is most concerning given that there are currently NO large studies underway researching the safety of this artificial sweetener, and Splenda was released with few studies to support its safety. This is the same pattern that occurred with the artificial sweeteners aspartame and saccharine--two sweeteners that are now widely known to cause numerous health problems. In the same way that Splenda was released with few studies proving its safety, few studies were conducted on aspartame and saccharine until the negative health effects began to be seen, raising alarm and prompting investigations into the true (lack of) safety of the products.

If it sounds strange that Splenda could be marketed so widely without any real safety studies, I ask you to consider the source behind the product. Splenda is made from real sugar and is then molecularly modified to be calorie-free (essentially, Splenda is produced by chlorinating sugar). The sugar industry, which is a huge and very powerful government lobby, is profiting quite nicely from this no-calorie sweetener. It is no secret that the U.S. government is influenced by the sugar industry, and it is not a stretch to think that their influence may be the real reason why no real studies have been done.

So, with that in mind, I urge you to take a look at the many Splenda testimonials below, and then ask yourself, is eating this largely experimental product really worth the risk?

Dear Dr. Mercola,

I want to thank you for your Web site and especially for your documentation on the dangers of Splenda. I also want to pass on this testimonial in the hope it may help others.

Last evening after dinner I began to feel flush. My husband commented how red my face was getting and, sure enough, one glance in the mirror confirmed a bright red, tight, shiny visage staring back at me. In the next few hours my eyes began to swell. I went to bed hoping I could "sleep it off." How wrong I was.

This morning I got up and my face was still red, bright and swollen with puffy eyes. I am a pharmacist and I have seen many anaphylactoid (allergic) reactions before. I began to feel concerned that I too was having one. I have had only one other reaction like this before in my life--to Bactrim.

I went out for my usual morning run but by the first quarter mile I could barely breathe so I walked slowly back to the house. My right shoulder was burning so I went to the mirror and was horrified to find a HUGE 6 inch by 3 inch welt at the base of my neck (see photo top right).

I also felt very panicky and shaky and immediately had two bouts of diarrhea in rapid succession. After 15 minutes and a cool shower on tissue that looked scalded, I was having difficulty breathing. I was seen in the local emergency room where the physician immediately gave me a dexamethasone injection in the hip and a prescription for Epi-pen and oral prednisone over four days.

At the time I didn’t know why I looked like I had ingested a sulfa drug. My husband and I tried to figure out what was different in my life over the last 12 hours. Laundry soap? Nope. Cake? Animal dander? No and no. A dear friend came to visit me in my misery and mentioned that I had started to flush at church, several hours before dinner.

I remembered that I had had a cup of coffee and had tried the new creamer sitting by the pot. I remembered the Splenda label on it, which prompted my husband and I to search the Web and we found your site.

The description by Marcia in the testimonial area caused me to burst into tears. Yes, Marcia, there are others like you. I am throwing that stuff out when I get to church! This reaction that I have had looks like a drug reaction! I am appalled an "artificial sweetener" did this to me.

Twelve hours after treatment my eyes are no longer swollen and my face is no longer red, but my neck welt is the same size, same redness and as tender as a sunburn. There are a few blisters in the welt. Even after treatment it still looks this bad! Perhaps the manufacturer of Splenda can sell it as a biochemical warfare agent after it is removed from the market as a food additive.

Thanks for getting the word out!
Lori Hunt, RPh
Pickens, SC

I also have had horrific effects from splenda. In May of this year, I started having drop attacks that I thought were strokes or TIAs. Later they got so severe, I thought they were heart attacks caused by coronary artery spasms. At the time, I had no idea what was causing my attacks because all medical tests were coming back negative. But after several visits to the ER thinking I was having a stroke or a heart attack, I began putting two and two together--whenever I would drink or eat a splenda product, within a few hours or sometimes even a day or two, my body would go numb and tingly in different areas. I was tested for MS, heart disease and for brain lesions. Sometimes, it was the entire left side of my body, sometimes my right, sometimes just my legs, sometimes just my arms or my lips or face. It would get worse at night while I was sleeping, then I would wake up and my heart would immediately go into an arrhythmia and race at about 160 beats per minute. I would get dry mouth and extremely nauseous. At this point, I would be terrified and the numbness would get so bad I would not be able to walk. In addition, I would get extreme esophageal reflux, which was not affected by anything, including prevacid, pepcid, etc.

I also had such bad IBS that I was given more drugs to control that. Since May, I have spent quite a lot of money going to doctors, all to no avail and with no diagnosis ever made. Finally I was told I was having anxiety as no one could figure out what was wrong with my body. I started wondering if it could be all the low carb stuff I was eating, as this was the only change in my life. Around the beginning of May I had started on a "low carb" life style and started drinking the low carb slimfast and eating the sugar-free low carb candy that is now so abundant in stores. I quit everything for a while and the symptoms seemed to subside and then almost went away. Last week, for some dumb reason, I decided to retry the slim fast because of my weight loss goals and today I had another attack of numbness and a panic attack. During these attacks, I can hardly breath and my legs and arms are weak, I am dizzy, numb and my muscles ache horribly. It feels like I am about to die. To say they are severe is an understatement.

Needless to say, I have learned my lesson and will NEVER use sucralose again. It is dangerous and seems like a huge toxin to the body. If just one person reacts this way, it CAN'T be a good thing. It seems like we are being poisoned by these huge conglomerates that don't care about health and only interested in lining their pockets. The price of being thin is definitely not worth loosing brain cells or getting huge amounts of neurological and cardiological damage or who knows maybe even death. My digestive track and my arteries were actually going into huge spasms so much so that my doctor and I both thought that I was having angina. My doctor prescribed nitro just in case - even though I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol and a low body weight. This is how serious things got with my health while ingesting this deadly poison.

Sincerely,
Sallie Ceideski
Charlottesville, VA.

I've been following the Paleolithic diet with some success for a couple of years. Last year, when Splenda became more widely available, I started using it pretty regularly. While it's not on my diet, I figured since it was "all natural" and not absorbed by the body I would be just fine.

I hadn't made the connection till now, but I have been unable to lose any weight for the past year which is about how long I've been using splenda in the form of drinks like Hansen's diet sodas, Big Red and Diet RC. Furthermore, I've had two unusual episodes of unexplained pain. The first, shortly after Christmas 2003, was very extreme. I had no diarrhea or gas, but I had terrible cramping for several hours. The pain was so unbearable I nearly passed out. I was a pale green color and there were a few moments where everything started to turn white like I would pass out. Since it had been Christmas I had been eating a lot of goodies (many made with Splenda) and less of my usual healthy veggies and such. I thought maybe I had burst my intestines or something from lack of fiber (the only explanation I could think of for such extreme pain) so I had my boyfriend take me to the emergency room.

When the doctor pressed on my left lower belly I could not help but scream in pain. They gave me a shot of morphine but it only helped me to not mind the pain so much, but I felt it all the same. Thousands of dollars and a CT scan later... absolutely no problems were found. The pain slowly abated after about two days. I felt really crazy but after reading these other testimonials I really wonder if it had something

to do with the Splenda. Recently, I have associated Splenda usage and bladder pain. I've been getting all the symptoms--burning, pain, and frequency of a bladder infection. But again, after doing a urinalysis at my doctor's, no infection has been found. I tried drinking a lot of water to clear up the ghost infection (and less Splenda-sweetened drinks and the symptoms went away. But because I never thought there was a connection, I began drinking Splenda again, and now my bladder symptoms are back. My Dad directed me to your site. Thank you for the information. I may have never seen the connection because I was so sure that Splenda was a very safe and natural product.

Laura Murphy
Austin, Texas

Yesterday I went for an iced coffee with my friends. Since I have been watching my weight I opted for the splend a rather than my usual sugar. I finished half the coffee in about five minutes time and immediately my throat felt like it was closing in on me, my arms and legs became completely numb,I was covered in a rash, and thought yesterday was going to be my last day on earth. I thought I was going to die there in my friend's car. She rushed me to the emergency room where my blood pressure was sky high. I was given breathing treatments and benadryl and was told I was having an allergic reaction to this drug called splenda. Today the rash still covers me, my throat still feels swollen and I'm afraid to death that any moment I may get the feeling of my throat closing up. I am a mother of three children and I am highly irate there are no warnings on any splenda product I've come across. Monday I will call an attorney and see what my legal rights are.

Lucella Bennett
Leominster, Massachusetts

About six months ago, I decided to try the Atkins diet. They strongly recommend Splenda (right on their home page!) so I went out and got some packets. I also bought a flavored water called Fruit20, which contains Splenda. I used these products for three days and started feeling sick. My husband said he'd heard there were problems with Splenda so I did a little Web searching. It didn't take long to find reams of info on how evil this stuff can be. I experienced almost every symptom including bloating, abdominal pain, gas, nausea, headaches, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, depression and dizziness.

But here's the kicker--I STILL HAVE THEM, even though I haven't consumed any Splenda since those initial three days! Have you ever heard of this? I've been making the rounds to doctors and done several tests. An ultrasound revealed nothing. (Based on my symptoms, gallstones were suspected.) The motility test was slightly irregular but nothing major. Endoscopy suggested acid reflux, but the meds (Nexium, Aciphex, Protonix--I've tried them all) don't work. Based on all this, I'm told I have "nonulcer dyspepsia," which is essentially symptoms without a cause. I told my gastro about the Splenda and he poo-pooed it. I'm at my wits end and have an appointment with my GP to discuss the possibility of clinical depression since it seems this is related to unexplained stomach pain and vice versa.

--Nancy Keswani

I am so THANKFUL to have found your site, and the information provided on Splenda. I was tricked into trying it out; like most, reading the "Made from Sugar" claim convinced me. I am, as I write, having horrendous stomach pains, the cause of which I am most certain is Splenda. I have been using it to sweeten my iced green tea (oh, the irony) for a couple of weeks, but just recently I've noticed my body feeling worse and worse. The other night, I went out to dinner with friends, and had a cocktail--which I can normally handle quite well. After returning home, I was parched, and prepared a nice, tall glass of said tea.

All that night, and the next day, I was plagued by diarrhea, and severe stomach pains. And now, having just finished another glass, here I am with the same result. I cannot help, after reading the stories on this site, but think that Splenda is to blame--I am throwing it out the moment I close this letter.

--Danielle
New Jersey

I have been drinking one or two Propel water drinks (Gatorade water) every day or every other day for just over two months. I was having symptoms but blamed them on a new intense exercise regimen (martial arts twice a week during which time I drank the Propel), stress at work, and stress of dating (I was stressing over a girl at the time).

Here it turns out there is sucralose in Propel. The very real and undeniable symptoms I suffered included fatigue, mild stomach cramps, sudden urge to go to the bathroom (others apparently have suffered outright diarrhea) and at same time often a type of constipation where I feel the strong urge to go to the bathroom but when I try to I can't purge all the way or to satisfaction, irritability, sleeplessness (at 4:44 AM, I felt totally relaxed and awake, like it was 4:44 PM … it's like a strong caffeine or ginseng buzz, and I can't sleep), very tired eyes and headache (I NEVER get headaches but I've had a couple during this two-month period, and I remember thinking it was very strange), inability to concentrate and focus at work and lowered motivation, anxiety (feeling overwhelmed and scared, unable to cope), mild depression, itchy skin (under my armpits and also my scalp, I scratched my head so much that I developed small sores that scabbed over), heightened sensitivity to noises (smallest sounds are irritating), mild physical impotence or reduction of libido.

I drank one even today (before I read the Web site warnings), and so I had the chance to pay attention for signs of the symptoms. They took about five to eight hours to fully set in, I believe, from the time I took the last Propel (I believe symptoms grow, peak and then wane). I am sleepless, just went thru strong urge to go to the bathroom, can't focus, and am impatient and irritable. I also believe it makes you somewhat impotent as well, just like symptoms related to going to the bathroom, I still have my sex drive just like urge to go to bathroom, but can't really perform (am very weak in terms of being able to rise to the occasion and remain hard) … it reminds me of how mood-altering herbs/drugs can often inhibit libido. In fact, the overall effect of Splenda seems on par to me with herbal supplements, like St. John's Wort or Ginseng, as the effects are subtle but undeniable,
and out of your control.

Has anyone else noticed a problem with sexual performance due to Splenda?

--Bryan Prendergast

In the past, I had already read enough [about Splenda] to know I didn't want to use the product … ever. But, for some reason, I felt drawn to read the testimonials. I'm glad I did.

My mother died almost three months ago, and I've had some emotional times, some interference with my work, etc.--the normal grieving process. But, for about the last three weeks, I thought I was going downhill fast. Even when I'd sleep at night, I was still groggy and unable to stay awake during the day. I was irritable and uncomfortable most of the time. My brain didn't work in the "normal" way, I was forgetting things a minute later, couldn't follow-through on tasks in a logical order. This has really been affecting my work. The only days I noticed that I was more like myself were Sundays (I had attributed it to the fact that I always looked forward to going to church).

Several hours after reading through the testimonials, something occurred to me. About three weeks ago, the local bread store had a promotion, and if you bought so much, you got five loaves free...their choice of the free stuff. Well, I ended up with Good Hearth Carb Action Wheat Bread. I never liked it because it doesn't taste good, but it was free, and I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so we ate it. We ate it every day but Sunday the past three weeks (I make "special" meals on Sundays), either for breakfast or lunch, sometimes both. I just assumed they could claim lower carbs because the bread slices were thin and small, about one-third smaller than your average sandwich bread slices. (That's what a lot of "diet" breads do.) It had no taste, though. I was forever adding salt and garlic salt, etc., just to make it palatable.

Yesterday, I was sluggish and late getting up again. We didn't have breakfast at all, and lunch was leftovers. Through the day, I started noticing that my mind was clearing, and I wasn't nodding off to sleep every time I sat down. But, it wasn't until suppertime that I started connecting the dots. The only real difference in our diet the past three weeks has been the free bread. I pulled it out and looked at the list of ingredients, and was mad at myself for not guessing sooner that this stuff has sucralose in it! It also has a great deal of soy, which is probably why it doesn't taste good.

So, the two loaves of bread that are left are hitting the garbage can!

In just one day without the sucralose-laced bread, I can see a definite difference. I was able to get up this morning and my mind is clear. I hope the improvement crosses over to my work!

Laura in LA

I am writing to you to let others know of my problems with the product Splenda. We have been drinking a carbonated flavored water sweetened with Splenda for over a year. During all of this time, my husband and I were always feeling tired, under the weather, lost interest in doing our favorite things, all our joints were aching, nausea, gastro problems, and most recently I had developed this terrible rash on my neck, armpits and on my chest.

Of course, we just attributed all of this to changes in the weather, or arthritis, allergies, or the "What did I eat?" syndrome, UNTIL--I was doing some research on the Internet and discovered your page! What a blessing! After reading your page, and all of the testimonials from others, we stopped the Splenda water and using it in my coffee IMMEDIATELY! I had sent your page to my sister, who is diabetic, and she was having all of the symptoms also, including the rash! She is discarding all of her Splenda as well.

We have been off Splenda for three days now, my rash is slowly going away, my energy is coming back, and my husband no longer has the nausea that he had experienced for the longest time. When is the government going to take this stuff off the market? And, who can we contact to get this off the market? This definitely is worse than chemical warfare! I hope this bit of information helps someone else out there, and they discard the "POISON " too!

--Terri from New York

I have been doing the low-carb thing for 18 months now. A little over three weeks ago I started to break out in a small itchy rash. At first I thought it was due to some new bras, but couldn't figure why that would be since I had washed them before wearing. Then the rash started to get worse. My scalp was so itchy, I felt like an animal with fleas. Then the rash broke out on my hairline at the back of my neck. It started to appear all the way across on my lower back. The itching and scratching was very intense! I couldn't control the scratching.

It seamed to be worse in the evening and made it harder for me to get to sleep. It also itched more when I first got up in the morning. After going over everything new or different lately that I had touched or been around, it just didn't make sense that this reaction came from anywhere, but from something I was eating. With doing the low-carb thing, I limit my diet to certain foods. So after 18 months of eating practically the same things, I figured I was eating too much of something and my body was reacting. I tried zinc oxide creams and antihistamine sprays to help with the itching, but there was little relief.

The rash started to appear on my upper back and shoulders. With the rash breaking out on my upper arms and both sides of my lower hips I figured this was going to keep spreading until I started to rule out one by one the things I was eating, that I was reacting to. I stopped eating nuts, then cut way down on eggs. The rash seemed a little better in the first two places that appeared, or at least the itching wouldn't start up as often and the scabs I got from scratching myself seemed to be heeling somewhat. The mass of rash on my lower back felt not like skin at all, but like a smooth large thick scar, yet with tiny bumps. It almost feels like something living under my skin that slows down in the daytime but never sleeps.

Since I was cutting out certain foods, I was increasing eating other foods. The Atkins ice cream bars--I would eat two to three of those a day. One day I had four of them! I thought it might be the ice cream bars, but I didn't want it to be, so I was going to rule that out last before going to the doctor. I knew they would do what I was doing, so I wanted to try it on my own first. I also had Carb Solutions Ranch salad dressing and Atkins candy in the evenings. Atkins pizza tasted good, too! Thought, oh boy … pizza!

Whenever I would grocery shop, I would look for Atkins products to buy because they had Splenda as the sweetener. Now there are more and more products out there using Splenda. The TV advertises it as being made from sugar, so what can be harmful about that? I finally got on the Internet to investigate Splenda since I have so much of it, and was shocked to read what I read on the subject. I kept looking and came across your site. I read about Marcia who had the itching and rash like me. It took me weeks to put it together, but thanks to your site and all the people like Marcia, it now makes sense. So much for the ice cream bars and the pizza and anything else with Splenda!

Some people mentioned cramping and diarrhea, I had cramping and soft stools about every five to six days. Never thought it was from the Splenda. I guess if you have too much of a 'thought to be' "good thing" for too long, it will come back and bite 'ya. Hopefully, there won't be any other consequences that show up later in my life. I'm looking forward to no more Splenda, watching the rash disappear and being able to be out in public again without scratching!

UPDATE: I've been off of Splenda and everything else containing sucralose for almost a full week now and my rash and itching are now both gone. I have a little dry skin and scratch marks left from the
intense scratching, but lotion is helping that. I feel great now! I hope my experience with Splenda will help someone else the way the stories on your Web site helped me.

--Sue F.

WOW, I must say I am dumbfounded! My name is Millie Wright and I am a single mother of three girls. So it would be natural to be stressed. On July 27, 2004 I woke up and had my normal decaf cup of coffee with two equals, however later that day it was not unusual for me to have a craving for something sweet. I opened a packet of Splenda and poured it on my tongue. That is normally what I do when I have a craving. I remember on the Friday before having a panicky, nervous feeling but thought nothing of it.

Well it was now Wednesday the 28th and I woke up feeling good and somewhat excited about the day and about myself. I had my cup of decaf with two equals and went to work. It was about 9 a.m. when I started to feel a bit nervous and thought that maybe they had served me caffeinated coffee by mistake but as the time went on the panic turned severe. I couldn't breath I was so nervous inside I felt like I could jump out of my skin and my vision was impaired. It was the scariest thing I have EVER encountered. I honestly thought that I was going to wind up in a mental ward. I couldn't even take my lunch for fear of getting into a car accident. I went on the Internet to research panic attacks when I came across the harmful effects of aspartame, which led me to look for the harmful effects of Splenda because it was my "choice sweetener."

I wanted to cry when I read the story on this site of the pharmacist. Except for the burn (which I too experienced from Bactrum) our symptoms were so similar. For the past few weeks I have had trouble with my vision, memory loss, forgetfulness, severe thirst, joint pain and unexplained dizziness. I am 37 and I walk on the treadmill every day during lunch. I am always on the go, active but healthy (so I thought). However, now that I took a good hard look at everything I eat (I have been low carbing for eight years), 50 percent is made with Splenda and 50 percent NutraSweet or Equal!

I am simply devastated. I can't believe that for all these years I thought I was being so health conscience and in turn I have been poisoning my mind and body. The word has got to get out to people, especially now with the low-carb craze. EVERYTHING has Splenda and/or NutraSweet, and we are poisoning ourselves. If you ever need to get the word out, you can count on me!

UPDATE: It has been a couple of weeks since I have had any [Splenda] and the one time I decided I couldn't have my coffee without it and just one wouldn't hurt … WRONG. I suffered another panic attack worse than the first!

--Milagro Wright
Port Saint Lucie, FL

My name is Michelle Karn and I am 19 years old. I live in Rhode Island. My entire life I have had the option of drinking diet sodas and other supposed "diet" drinks and foods. Each time I consume Nutrasweet, Splenda or any type of sweetener, I get a migraine that lasts all day. Normally I avoid anything I believe contains sucralose but sometimes I am fooled. Beverages claiming "less carbs" in their title instead of "diet" catch me off guard. For example, the Coca Cola C2. Trying this beverage caused me to have a migraine for eight hours. Obviously this chemical is harmful if simply drinking half a liter can cause such pain. Who knows what long-term effects the regular intake of this chemical could be. There are people who have been fooled with the notion that diet soda is better than regular for your body because it doesn't contain sugar. People should be more aware of what the results can be.

The important thing is for me to be aware of all the different foods that contain this substance and avoid it completely. There should be a requirement for all these foods to have a warning or at least a bold marking that this food/beverage contains this substance as I have noticed that sometimes it is only listed in the ingredients, not anywhere else on the packaging.

-- Michelle Karn
Rhode Island

I learned several years ago that I was highly reactive to aspartame so I began carefully reading labels and have eliminated it completely from my diet. The symptoms I was having (mild seizure-like reactions) disappeared. I lost the ability to communicate and to even recall the names of my children for several minutes with each episode. That was a frightening occurrence. Recently, I discovered sucralose and believed from the testimony of others, who spoke with authority even though they didn't really know, that it was safe.

It is not. I began having the same reactions to the sucralose as I was having to the asparatame. Thankfully, I have begun to research it and find that it is as dangerous for me as is aspartame. My doctor thinks I should have an EEG and MRI as I did three years ago, and I may do that just to prove to myself that I am OK, but I will be surprised if they find anything this time either. I will not, under any circumstances, ingest any product that uses artificial sweeteners of any kind. I am a believer!

--Sjs2418@aol.com

I have been suffering on and off for over two years from intense itching all over my body. It would go away for a while after I decided to stop taking in anything suspicious. I blamed it on beer, chocolate, caffeine, laundry soap, chlorine in the home water system, and just plain getting older. I could never quite pin the exact cause down. I went to my doctor, who even took a biopsy and couldn't determine anything, then I went to a dermatologist who also was completely stumped. Then I read your testimonials and discovered someone had a reaction very similar to mine. I stopped taking any foods made with Splenda and now four weeks later, my itching is gone and I can definitely link my reaction to this poison.

I thought, like many others, that it couldn't be my Diet-Rite, or my hot chocolate, because, after all, it's made from sugar! What could be more pure?! I found that Splenda caused me to be super sensitive to other things, which made it more difficult to isolate. Also, it took over three weeks for most of it to work out of my system. Now, I realize that my joint aches and pains were also linked to Splenda. My knees, and shoulders were getting very painful to move and now they feel great! I can't believe this is marketed as the best thing since sliced bread! I saw an ad with smiling children drinking Splenda-laced soda pop and eating Splenda-laced ice cream, happy presumably, now that they're being poisoned just like adults. It's downright scary! I feel like making up signs with the skull and crossbones overlaid on the Splenda logo and leaving them in grocery stores. This should not be allowed to continue being sold or used! Thank you again, for saving my sanity and most likely, my life!

--Cliff Vrla

I had been eating the Atkin's "Advantage" bars for a long time (but only several a week). The label says that they are sweetened with sucralose, which is the other name for Splenda. Last fall when my husband was on a hunting trip (and I wanted a break from cooking) I drank a lot of canned Atkin's shakes, and they contain tons of sucralose. At the end of the week, one evening, I had unbelievable wretching/vomiting for five hours straight. I could not even get off of the floor. The next day I went on the Internet and did a search for Splenda and sucralose and found that I was not alone. Go to www.mercola.com and type in "Splenda" or "sucralose" on Dr. Mercola's search engine. There are around 30 testimonies about it telling of all the adverse reactions that people are having from using it.

Among the many symptoms were "wretching/vomiting". At that time I totally quit using anything with Splenda or sucralose in it. Note: While you are on Dr. Mercola's Web site, type in "Nutrasweet" or "aspartame" (the Diet Coke sweetener) and read about what a poisonous substance THAT is. It has caused blindness and even death.

Three weeks ago (my husband was on a fishing trip this time) I bought some "Lo-carb banana muffins" at the health food store. I didn't check the label, but trusted the "health" food store. I ate one muffin that afternoon and one more in the morning. What happened to me was unbelievable. My left hip joint and the surrounding muscles became so extremely sore that I had to walk as if I were crippled. Lying on my left side caused excruciating pain.

At the time I thought that I had developed a combination of osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia (but OVERNIGHT?). I even bought a book called "The Arthritis Cure." I also went on a total cleansing diet, which soon eliminated the symptoms. I prayed for understanding. Finally (after a week) I tracked down what had happened to me. The label on the muffin package said that they contained "sucralose." I printed out and re-read the testimonies on Dr. Mercola's site and was amazed to see that others had experienced these same symptoms, plus many others, including depression and panic attacks.

Unfortunately, with the "Low-Carb Craze" Splenda and sucralose are in everything now. I saw regular Pepsi at WalMart yesterday with a sign that said: "1/2 the sugar." I looked at the label and sure enough, it said: "sucralose."

The problem is that people won't believe it unless they have experienced it themselves. When I tell people about it, they say that sucralose doesn't bother them, that I must have an allergy to it or a sensitive body. Well, believe me, it affects EVERYONE, whether they believe it or not! The whole world is looking for cures for cancer, arthritis, MS, MD, and all those terrible diseases. Do they want to check out the chemical poisons in our food supply? Oh, no! Of course not! Big business is too worried about the almighty dollar!

--originally posted on Barbara Dewey's Web site www.ChristianNewsletters.com
Michigan

I have been using Splenda for quite a few years. I ended up, about six years ago, with anxiety and over the past two years I have been having flushing, feeling cranky, having cold chills, feeling like my skin is hot and ended up with high blood pressure. The worse part was the heavy feeling and stiffness I was having in my legs. Most times I could hardly bend down to pick things up I felt so tight and stiff in my legs and feet.

I just read a forward that was sent to me last week on aspartame and it dawned on me that the Splenda might be causing my problems. I phoned the company in the Toronto area about a year or so ago to ask about it and they told me it was made from the pure sugar cane and was safe to eat. Since I came off of it within the last four days I can hardly believe how good I feel. Hopefully, this will touch other people and make them realize that we are poisoning ourselves for those companies to get rich.

--Barbara
Canada

I have just recently started researching the dangers of Splenda. About two years ago I began drinking Fruit20 water made by Veryfine. That's when my problems started, but I didn't start putting things together until just now. Two years ago I got Bells Palsy on the left side of my face. One week into that I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia because of the excruciating pain along with the palsy. Still kept drinking the water ... long story short. Fourteen months later I got Bells Palsy on the right side of my face along with trigeminal neuralgia on the right side also--now I'm bi-lateral, doctors seem to think this is rare ... still kept drinking the water and mixing with meds, pain gets worse, and now they tell me I have a neurological disorder called Atypical Facial Pain with the bonus disorder of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome ... still kept drinking the water.

I finally get smart and start thinking about my two-year history and think about the Splenda in the water and that leads me to you. I truly in my heart think I have been poisoned by either Splenda or aspartame, although I do not knowingly use aspartame.

Putting my whole story in an e-mail is very difficult, but I have stopped drinking the Fruit20 for six days now and at least my feet have stopped tingling. Hopefully, some of the other things that are going wrong are reversible. I am only 44 years old. I believe they need to take this awful product off the market.

UPDATE: I stopped using Splenda on June 1, 2004 and any aspartame that I may have been getting in error (I now read all labels). I am now pain free, which is amazing because I was using a morphine patch for the pain and percocet for the break-through pain. I stopped using pain meds on July 4, 2004 and have only had to use 1 1/2 tablets of percocet since then. I must have gotten one of the two poisons when I went out to eat but the pain comes back within two hours of ingestion.

--Cynthia A. Schmidt

Monday, on the advice of a physician, I started eating an occasional container of yogurt sweetened with Splenda, and using one packet of Splenda in the morning to sweeten a morning smoothie. I want to stress that the amount that I have so far ingested is miniscule--two packets and perhaps three yogurts in all.

I have a history of depression, but have been going through a particularly stable phase for quite a few years. By Tuesday, I noticed some signs of a depressed effect creeping up, but I thought I could exercise and meditate and head it off.

By Wednesday, I noticed that I had become remarkably irritable with my children. By Thursday, I called my husband at work to tell him that I was afraid I would either commit homicide or suicide. I felt fatigued, apathetic, hateful and unable to engage in my daily work.

By Friday, I was obsessed with hateful thoughts, leading me to contemplate immediately divorcing my husband and abandoning my children. This is despite ceasing consumption of Splenda after Wednesday morning.

Thank heavens I found your testimonials so I can see that these unwanted emotions are reactions to the Splenda; now I can steel myself to ride them out instead of acting on them. I will be speaking with my physician at the earliest opportunity to warn him about my symptoms and the symptoms listed in your other testimonials.

--Lori Smulling

I had problems with Splenda quite a few years ago, so I'll do my best to describe my experiences. I'd had real sugar all my life until I moved out of home. At that point I thought I'd be healthier using Splenda in my coffees and on my breakfast instead of using real sugar. It didn't happen immediately for me, but after a couple of weeks of regular use, one night after dinner I fell very ill. I had sort of a stitch feeling like when you go running. I decided to walk it off and felt a bit nauseous and faint. That night I experienced food poisoning-type symptoms and basically kept running back to the bathroom for most of the night.

That was my most severe reaction. I put it down to the meal I had that night and continued along as normal. The next few times I didn't throw up or anything, but I really wished I could! My stomach had that stitch feeling again and it felt like gases were swirling around in my stomach and were trapped. I was unable to release the gas and had to suffer for a few days at a time. I tried Buscopan, Panadeine, Forte, Mercyndol and anything I could get my hands on to alleviate the pain. On separate occasions I spent nights in the Hospital Emergency Ward, twice receiving a Buscopan combination injection.

I went to the GP the first few times and then was referred to a gastrointestinal specialist. I had tests for my gallbladder and my large bowel. All test results were fine. I kept a food diary in an attempt to find a pattern, but nothing was found.

Then I read something about phenylananine and aspartame allergies and even though Splenda was supposed to be made from sugar, I decided to go back to the real stuff and avoided anything "diet." Since doing that I have not experienced the stomach problems once. All that money spent on specialists and drugs and that's all it took.

--Charisse Ditcham
Melbourne, Australia

Dear Dr. Mercola,

I wanted to thank you for posting your article regarding sucralose, and to inform you of my reaction to eating it today.

I bought a low-carb bar called "Ultimate Lo Carb" by Biochem at a local health food store. I have been eating foods low in starchy carbs and thought this might be a good snack bar. Well, almost immediately after eating eat I became nauseous. Then my stomach starting cramping and I began dry heaving.

I wondered what could have caused this and decided to try and read the label. The only ingredient I did not recognize was "sucralose".

So, I jumped on the internet and did a search for it and found your article. In the meantime I was heaving and feeling even worse. Well, I am allergic to chlorine, as well as having a liver that doesn't function very well (I take a natural supplement called "Lipogen" for liver support as prescribed by my ND), and when I saw what you had to say about sucralose, I figured that was what was causing it.

I kept feeling worse, and I decided I needed to get it out of my system and took some ipecac (maybe not the best move, but the only thing I could think of). By the time the syrup got into my stomach the heaving was getting worse and intestinal distress was setting in. It was like eating bad seafood. I nearly died of food poisoning by crab legs a number of years back, and this was the closest thing to that feeling.

Finally everything in my system started coming out, and my body didn't stop until my entire digestive tract was cleared out. I have never reacted this violently to anything I have eaten except for when I have had food poisoning.

Something needs to be done to get this product off the market.

I can't help but be convinced that the FDA takes payoffs. No ethical person could approve the use of things like MSG (another thing I cannot tolerate eating), which is classified by the FDA as an excitotoxin and is known to be harmful to the central nervous system. I will do everything to get people to read your article and get the word out on the FDA's latest blunder.

Best,
Shelley Flis

Dear Dr. Mercola,

I first visited your Web site about a year and a half ago when I realized that I was getting sick after two days of using Splenda. I had stirred one or two packets of granulated Splenda into a glass of iced tea and immediately became nauseous. The feeling came on so strongly the first day that I didn't even finish the tea, but didn't yet connect it to what I was ingesting.

The second day, I had taken my iced tea with me in the car and was driving to the store. It was a very hot day and as I was driving I became increasingly ill. I parked in the parking lot, opening the car door and immediately vomited. When I got home I searched the Internet for Splenda articles and found your site. I threw out my Splenda and didn't think much more of it.

However, I work at Starbucks and we have recently started carrying the granulated Splenda packets for customer use (as we also have Sweet 'n Low, Equal, and Sugar in the Raw). I was pretty upset to find that we were carrying this product that I had such a strong reaction to, and have tried to educate my co-workers about it after I heard one of them telling a customer that it was great, and is safe because it is made from sugar (which is NOT true!).

We also have been getting in Jones bottled sodas and received a case for sampling. I took a bottle of sugar-free black cherry (again, not thinking anything of it because I regularly drink diet coke) and was almost finished with it when I began to feel sick again. Thinking "oh no," I looked at the label and sure enough, "sweetened with Splenda!" Splenda has got a lot of contracts with food companies now, so please, check labels of the food you buy. The Splenda logo is all over lately.

I wrote to the Splenda people about my experience and was brushed off. They replied saying, "Splenda has no known side effects." I encourage every one of you who has had a negative experience with Splenda to write them--they can't deny all of our experiences!

Allison B.

About a year or so ago I stopped at a drug store and bought a Pure protein bar and ate it in my car while driving. Within moments, my hands started itching and my vision started to fade to black. I knew I was about to lose consciousness, so I quickly pulled off the highway and ran into a restaurant to ask for help. I collapsed on the floor soon afterwards and went into a seizure. I could understand everyone around me, but I could not communicate verbally for some time afterward; all I could do was repeat one syllable over and over.

Meanwhile, the paramedics came and took me to the hospital. I was covered with hives and shaking uncontrollably. I was injected with steroids and many other medications and observed for a few hours while I went through an inner hell. Needless to say, the cost of the Pure protein bar, when all was said and done, was around $3,000.

I didn't know, until today looking at your Web site, what sucralose was. Yesterday my sister had a reaction to yogurt that contained Splenda--her eyes started itching, then turned beat red. I went online to look up Splenda and now realize why I ended up in the hospital last year.

Linda Rainshaw

I have had chronic diarrhea and my neck has been itching and swelling for about year. I went to a doctor on a number of occasions and had a series of uncomfortable and embarrassing tests. I also changed my diet. Nothing helped until I ran across your Web site last week and saw the picture of the lady with the red, inflamed neck. It looked just like what had happened to me on a couple of occasions this year (no one knew what was causing it). The picture prompted me to try cutting out the Splenda and suddenly all of my symptoms disappeared.

I only used about three packages of Splenda with coffee in the morning and rarely one or two with tea in the evening, but it was enough to make me sick every day. The GI symptoms were like food poisoning. We are exposed to so much poison these days, how can we tell which ones are making us sick? Thank you for helping me to feel better.

Pat in Oregon

Dear Dr. Mercola,

THANK YOU so much for your informative site! I am currently "detoxing" from using sucralose after a terrible reaction. It all began with purchasing a box of Splenda. The changes (in my opinion) were subtle.

However, my family and friends noticed immediately. I became withdrawn and disinterested in my usual hobbies. Everything became a "chore." I was tired during the day, but couldn't sleep at night either. I play flute which requires a quick mental process and fingering skills to match but suddenly I was struggling to play. Typing is difficult, as well.

During the past three weeks I noticed myself "zoning out." I'd become forgetful and moody. I thought perhaps it was the Splenda, because that was the only thing different in my daily habits.

I quickly dismissed the thought - despite having experienced a similar situation with Equal a few years back. I called it "Jekyl v. Hyde Syndrome." But it seemed I noticed the changes much quicker with Equal than with Splenda.

I really suffered yesterday. I was an emotional wreck. I cried and cried. I felt like I was losing my mind. My husband and son discussed my disturbing behavior while I was in the shower. Our son, Tim, recalled that the changes began with that little yellow box. Steve, (my husband,) mentioned it to me. Little by little, things fell into place, including the unexplainable accident I recently had in our truck.

I had just stopped at a stop sign and the trooper said that I couldn't have been going over 15 miles an hour when I nearly rolled our truck. Even he said that I narrowly escaped injury. I nearly had a second accident last week.

My senses had become SO dulled, I could barely function.

I could not focus on anything. Even playing my flute was so hard. I normally stand to play, but for the past two weeks at practice, I sat a lot. I felt "dazed."

This morning, I feel MUCH better than I have in the recent weeks. Not quite "normal," but much better. Even the acne (on my otherwise clear skin) is fading away. Yep! I had a patch of acne, which appeared when I began using Splenda!

How many people are suffering from what appears to be diseases - or even acne, when it is simply a reaction to a chemical they are ingesting? If companies were forced to list the ingredients of these products, such as arsenic, they'd sure be a lot more careful! I mean, who would intentionally poison themselves?

Sincerely,
Debby Fazekas

Dear Dr. Mercola,

Four years ago I began to have panic attacks and was on BuSpar for about a year. I started reading about aspartame and consumed the product daily -- mostly in diet drinks and was a big consumer of Diet Rite. After learning about problems other people were having I quit completely consuming the stuff. And have been panic free for 3 years.

In December I started using splenda and at the same time started having a great deal of anxiety and had a couple of panic attacks but didn't think about the link of Splenda and the anxiety until about a week ago. I also had my mom visiting and introduced her to Splenda -- guess what -- she started having panic attacks during her visit and actually cut her visit short due to her feeling bad.

I haven't consumed anymore of it for a week but am still having problems. Oh, I also was having an irregular heart beat which I did see my doctor about. He assured me that my blood pressure was excellent and cholesterol also good and I shouldn't worry about my heart.

I consume very little to no caffine. Local doctors don't put much faith in the idea that Nutra Sweet caused problems. I'm sure my new theory about Splenda would carry even less weight. By the way, I have a very stess-free life-style. I run my own little business and set my own hours. I don't believe my environment is causing any irregular stress.

Sue

My son was hospitalized four days after suffering from acute renal failure. An otherwise healthy 14-year-old with no family history of kidney problems, he had been consuming Splenda whenever we ran out of sugar. I had noticed his sugar binges (he adds the stuff to iced tea, lemonade, orange juice and cereals), and I decided to stop purchasing sugar to discourage his excessive consumption. He quickly found the box of Splenda.

The doctors were (and still are) puzzled by his symptoms of lethargy, excruciating back pain (at the kidney level), vomiting and headaches with a blood creatinine level of 389H (almost four times the normal level) and blood urea of 15.6 H (twice the normal level). After four days of IV, his levels dropped to almost normal, and he was released from the hospital.

We have no proof that his ailment was caused by his consumption of Splenda. Ultrasounds and X-rays did not reveal anything, and the doctors deemed it was not necessary to perform a biopsy. It is, however, the only lead that I have. My son consumes no vitamins or other dietary supplements. There were no signs of infection. It is the only hypothesis that I can think of. Does anyone else have a similar story linked to sucralose?

--Worried parent in Canada

I have been experiencing extreme and unusual bouts of depression, anxiety, crankiness and fatigue lately. They are occasional but severe and can last for a day or more. I tried to think of what could be causing this depression. I cut out alcohol, reduced stress by cutting down on commitments, increased exercise, reduced caffeine and started eating fish oil.

But I still feel plagued by these dysphoric emotions. I used to be a very social person with lots of friends but over the past three months I've been declining invitations and feeling paranoid or angry in social situations. What changed in my life that could be causing this? I couldn't think of anything.

I assumed that I had finally come down with the "clinical depression" that is common in my family and am now seeing a therapist. This morning I was reading the label of my sugar-free syrup, which contains Splenda, and it got me curious so I did a search. Coincidentally, all of these symptoms began about the same time I started buying this syrup. I put it on my pancakes and in my oatmeal--not everyday but occasionally.

This might explain why the symptoms are not present everyday. I've also had inexplicable diarrhea lately. I will cut this product completely from my diet and report back if it makes a difference. I'm not positive that this is the cause but the symptoms seem like too big of a coincidence to rule it out.

I had no idea that sweeteners could cause mental side effects. My therapist has put me on Prozac for the past week but I wonder if I need it? There are so many variables to consider here ... I hope further research will be done on this topic.

--Corinne, Austin

Thank you for posting all the information re: Splenda/sucralose. For the past several months I have been using this product in hope to stay away from sugar while my fiancé and I both changed our eating habits, moving totally away from any refined foods, white flour, etc.

He is not a coffee or tea drinker, but I am and so I have been ingesting this nightmare sweetener for months now and for the life of me could NOT figure out why I was GAINING WEIGHT hand over fist while he--who was eating more then I was--was losing weight.

Then a few days ago he took a sip of my iced tea, which of course had Splenda in it, and he really enjoyed the taste, after which he would occasionally sip from my drinks. He just got over what we thought was the worst case of food poisoning ever seen or heard of, violent PROJECTILE VOMITTING was the least of it, body pains that were excruciating and debilitating, cold sweats with the sweat running down his body--literally ice cold water. He still has the body stiffness, which we are hoping will go away soon as we are now both so NOT using Splenda anymore--EVER AGAIN! And I now know why all these months I had suffered increased pain in my knees and hips for no apparent reason, it just didn't make sense, but now it all makes sense. How dare they allow this on the market--this is a travesty of immense proportions.

--RK and Joule Fountain

A few months back my sister and I bought a liquid mix for making iced coffee--Just an impulse of something kind of fun to do. And yes I know ... not healthy food. It was supposed to be a treat, but we both got diarrhea. The first time we drank it we did not recognize it was from the drink, but after a couple of times it became obvious.

So I started reading the label and I found this weird thing called sucralose. This was not supposed to be a "sugar-free" product. I do not buy "sugar-free" products because I don't like the way I feel after eating or drinking foods with nutrasweet in them.

I did a Web search and found information on negative health effects from sucralose/Splenda. And I am very glad that all my sister and I got were a couple of bouts of diarrhea. Sounds like many people have far more dangerous reactions.

I am also very angry that they would put a low-calorie sugar substitute in a non-calorie-restricted food. Thank you for putting the info out there.

--Jatina Challender

I was horrified to read some of the letters on your website. I was excited at first to find an artificial sweetener that did not give me Migraines like Aspartame (which also caused some depression). Although I did not use it a lot, after about 6 months of OCCASIONAL use, I detected a pattern in my Splenda use and severe altered emotional state. I became irate, impatient, hyper-sensitive to noise, clutter and children. I really thought this was a mental breakdown, or spiritual attack of some sort. These episodes only came periodically, but they really scared me. Then I noticed a pattern - use of sucralose, followed in hours (or the next morning) by one of these events (lasting 3 to 5 hours). What a relief! I'm not really going nuts - and I can fix this, by never using the product again. What really upsets me is that how many people are suffering and will NEVER make any connection.

How many doctors are treating these people with anti-depressants? How many body-conscious teenagers are committing suicide because of this severe alteration of emotional function? I realize that not all people have the same symptoms, but I would really like to join a support group, or get involved in a chat room or join a campaign and GET THE INFORMATION OUT!!!

I also would be interested in knowing if there is any information on exactly what component of Sucralose affects the brain/nervous system and causes altered emotional states.

Thank you,
Lugene Azar

I wish to share with the medical field the terrible reations I experienced after eating the product "splenda" .

I do not know who to tell, but I do feel it is important.

I am not diabetic; however, I had two good friends come to dinner, and they brought this big "yellow box of Splenda"...my life, my health was so messed up for the next week I didn't know what was wrong.

I am healthy. I am 44, in great health, 125 pounds, no medicine presc. at all...and yet the morning after I ate this product "Splenda" I was in terrible, terrible pain.

I only ate it, because I cooked two pies for my diabetic friends.

The next 6 days were full of such excruciating pain, I hated to have to go to a doctor but I had to. I cried, the pain in my chest hurt so much.

I want someone that is doing research on this product to understand it really can hurt healthy people, without their knowing it.

I thought I had a heart problem. Forturnately it was a reaction to this product; yet the doctor I saw that ran all kinds of tests, never asked me if I had "ate" anything new!!!!

If I can provide you with anything else I would be pleased to; I don't want anyone else to have to experience the terrible pain in the chest that I did. It was "EXCRUCIATING"...no doubt about it.

Cynthia Nelson

You can add me to the list of people who have had a bad experience with sucralose. I purchased and ate a bag of jelly beans yesterday afternoon.

No carbs sounded wonderful, and they really did taste great, so I grabbed another bag on my way home

Unfortunately, a couple of hours later, I started experiencing food poisoning-like symptoms. It was clear to me that my system is trying to rid itself of something, so I looked at the packaging of the only thing I ate last night and found your web page. I was up all night and my normally flat and trim tummy is distended to the point that, when I lay on my back, I look seven months' pregnant!

I am grateful I now know what is causing my discomfort -- I will definitely avoid this product at all costs when shopping for my family!! Thank you for an informative article!!

Karen
Fort Lauderdale

Dear Doctor Mercola,

I'm not expecting an answer to my email, however I do want to say thank you. After reading your site I am certain now that I was poisoned by Splenda. I knew I was poisoned and I knew it wasn't "food poisoning" from a bacteria. The pain in my body was definitely neurological. I am still experiencing some of the pain and am flushing my Splenda down the drain today. The pain was excruciating, in every part of my body. I am a nurse and I knew instantly that I was experiencing neurological symptoms. I had diarrhea for 3 days also. I came very close to calling 911. I am a 53 year old female in excellent health. These symptoms hit me like a brick very quickly. My blood pressure sky rocketed and I almost fell on my face in a parking lot. I'm on my way now to whole foods to purchase some granular vitamin c to detoxify my body. You saved my life. Thank you again for your information.

Sincerely,
Gypsie Mahrou, RN
Houston, Texas

Hello,

I've just been reading up on sucralose because I realized just this past week that I've been having a bad reaction to a product I've been using since December - Splenda. I started using Splenda in my coffed and tea since late December and shortly after I began itching in various place on my body and bright red rashed and welts appeared as well. It seemed to be the worst in the evening and only a little in the day. I didn't relate it to the Splenda at all, but I had my coffed in the morning, two cups, the second I rarely finished, and I would have two to three cups of hot tea in the evenings. I finally saw my doctor in March and after seeing my rash and how badly I itched and hearing what I discribed, he told me that I was allergic to something I was ingesting. I still didn't put it together, at least I didn't want to.

I knew that Splenda was the only thing I had changed and had still been using since the itching started, but I didn't want to go back to sugar and the other substitutes weren't options for me because of the aspertame. Splenda "had" to be alright since it was made from sugar, I thought. The doctor put me on some medication to stop the itching and clear up the rash. While I took it for a week and½, the itching stopped. The rash would still be visible, but now it just looked sort of like it was underlying the skin, as if it were just dormat. Two weeks after my first doctor visit, I had a follow-up and the doctor said I looked fine and to see him again in three months just to make sure, unless, of course, it started again.

Well, it did start again, that very night, in fact. I itched and itched. I waited a few days, but the itching got so bad, I took some of the medication that I still had, since I hadn't used it up. I would just take it at night so I could sleep and then only every two or three days so the pills would last until I could get to the doctor again. The rash would still appear and it would be that very bright red color, different size spots and some odd shapes as well. Sometimes I would get streaks. One day last week I had two streaks going up my neck side by side, each almost as wide as my finger and at the base of my neck a large red splotch.

Wednesday night the itching was terrible again and I finally gave in to the inescapable fact that Splenda had to be the root of this problem, so I stopped using it in my tea that night, and have not used it in anything since. I have still had the rash appear periodically as before, but not as often and not so bright red, no welts appear, and I have not been itching nearly as much or as badly. I'm guessing that it may take time for the stuff to get out of my system completely. I guess I am writing this to you to have my experience with Sucralose documented in some way, even if it's just an email. I would love to know, though, if you know of anyone else who has had a similar experience. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Marcia

I just want to thank you guys, as without your Web site I'd be in the mental ward right now! I'm a big coffee drinker, but my family has a history of diabetes so I decided I should cut out the sugar I add to my coffee.

Well, I switched to using Splenda in my coffee about two months ago. Now I’m no wimp, and I’m not a health nut or anything like that! I’m a former football player, a vice president with a major banking institution and kind of a tough guy. Let me put it this way--the last time I cried was when the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl!

So, anyway, I was using Splenda and I started getting withdrawn, had trouble focusing, and started to have problems with frustration. Gradually, I became more and more depressed. I thought it was stress or my job, something like that.

Well, last Thursday I completely fell apart! My girlfriend came over and found me crying uncontrollably for no reason, and all I could say was, "I'll be OK." She couldn’t get me to move, she couldn’t talk me down and I could not tell her what was wrong!

She was shocked as I had never done anything even remotely like this before and so she made me go to the hospital. The doctors there we so concerned about my condition they wanted to check me into the mental-health ward.

Being the way I am I refused but agreed to come back the next day and see a psychiatrist, which I did and he put me on a huge dose of Effexor. That night I was on the Web and for some unknown reason I did a search for Splenda and found the www.mercola.com Web site.

When I read your information on Splenda I was shocked--I simply had no clue! I am now 99.9 percent convinced that my mental health issues were a direct result of using Splenda. I even had the stomach cramps and chest pains that other people have mentioned after using Splenda, but I dismissed them as panic attacks and stress.

So the next morning I got up and had some more Splenda and, low and behold, I started feeling the symptoms of a deepening depression again! It was clearly due to the Splenda, so I tossed it out.

I just want to say thank you. I would love to help get this product off the market! By the way, I missed work because of my ordeal, so I had to tell my boss about my problems and now I have to explain to him that I’m not nuts or having a break down--how embarrassing!

Thanks again!
Steve G.

I am so grateful that I am not alone in my experience with Splenda. I started the Atkins approach back in December 2003 with seemingly decent success, at least in terms of weight loss. But I also noticed that I wasn't "me." I even had other family members take notice of the "new" me. I never made a connection with the evil sweetener. My sister e-mailed me with your site and an article about the perils of sucralose. I was amazed that Dr. Atkins would embrace such an awful product (God rest his soul). So I switched to a different sweetener until I discovered I was pregnant in January.

Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a molar pregnancy and am now undergoing weekly blood draws to rule out cancer. Any correlation to these terrible artificial products? I don't know. But I do know that I am sad for a whole host of reasons. I am taking comfort in new knowledge and for the brave souls who dare to share their stories.

Thanks Dr. Mercola and everyone!
Brenda Ulmer

I am subscribed to your twice weekly newsletter and the other day up comes Splenda and its many complications. I was surprised about the information, as I am in my fourth week of intermittent diarrhea for no apparent reason. So you can see that I was surprised, and pleased in a way, to find what I believe is the cause of my diarrhea, and it is Splenda.

I have never had a problem of this nature for such an extended length of time, and now I know the reason. I just hope that my stopping the use of Splenda will do the trick for me, and it will probably take some time. I dumped the remaining packets that I had on hand.

I have read the other possible side effects of using Splenda and hope that I do not have any of them, however I have noticed lately that I have had an excessive amount of depression. I am hoping that there is a way to put out some sort of bulletin to the outlets that sell Splenda, like Costco where I bought it. I may go to their Web site and tell my story.

Thanks for the information and love your bi-weekly newsletters.

Douglas Gaines