Here it is...

http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_testimonials.htm

 

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).

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

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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.

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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

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Dr. Mercola:

I have had a terrible ordeal of having horrible stomach problems, indigestion, continual pain, constipation then diarrhea. I traced it back to diet RC cola, which has Splenda in it. I had tried to switch off of other diet drinks and went to this drink. For four weeks I have had terrible, terrible abdominal pain, etc. I stopped drinking this and the pain has left. Amazing how this product can have such a profound effect on people. Thought you should know.

Greg Clore
Plano, Texas

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Some time ago I tried Splenda in a packet of hot chocolate. I knew I was allergic to aspartame (made me dizzy), but thought maybe Splenda would be a good alternative. It made my lips itch! This was the oddest thing. I drank about one-third of a cup of this hot chocolate and found that my lips stopped itching, but they felt numb. I swore off Splenda. About a year later I accidentally purchased a drink with Splenda (labeled as sucralose) and could not endure the strong chemical flavor, undoubtedly from the chlorine. I read all labels carefully and stick with natural sugars in my foods. I'm a runner and figure I'll run off any extra calories, but will be hard pressed to endure another allergic reaction.

--Patricia Brown

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About four months ago, I started drinking Diet Rite cola. I drank it for about two weeks and then one day at work I got laryngitis as I finished my second drink that morning. My face and sides of my neck broke out in red itchy hives of varying sizes, some had a red streak running up from them. I didn't realize the Diet Rite was the culprit until the next afternoon when I drank another cola and again broke out in hives, this time more widespread. No more Splenda for me.

--Yvette

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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

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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.

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I picked out what seemed to be a "to-good-to-be-true" Edy's ice cream … no fat, no added sugar but plenty of Splenda. I ate a moderate amount after dinner and almost immediately an incredibly uncomfortable, ongoing bout of stomach distress began--complete liquification of my insides. I'll spare you the gory details.

The next morning I awoke with a terrible headache and very tired after being awoken in the night with continued stomach cramps. So I did some research on the Internet and confirmed my suspicions about what is apparently not at all an innocuous sugar substitute. As much as I love chocolate, this is my first and last exposure to Splenda, if I have a choice!

--Nina Weiss

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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

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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

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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

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Joint and body stiffness … difficulty walking because of the pain … eating low-carb bars with Splenda … feel that this is the problem's origin.

--Lily

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I was shocked to read your stories on Splenda and other low-calorie sweeteners. I also have had reactions to this product but never made the connection. My coworker somehow found your Web site and told me to read it. I would come to work after drinking coffee with low-calorie sweeteners and started breaking out in hives and my stomach would get upset. I noticed also when I would drink diet drinks that I had the same problem. Not all the time but most of the time. And I would have no energy and want to sleep all the time. I quit drinking and eating anything with Nutrasweet or Splenda. I just thank my coworker for finding this article. There is no telling what I was doing to my body.

--Rhea S Plemmons
Whitmire, SC

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I have worked in a Baltimore hospital for 25yrs. I am in no way an alarmist or one to jump on conspiracy theories. But I strongly believe that Splenda is fatal if used over a period of time. My symptoms were/are:

 

• weight gain (30 lbs in last few years)
• edema-severe
• diet pepsi addiction and extreme carb cravings
• sexual dysfunction
• eye flashes
• marked hearing impairment
• headaches
• memory loss
• drowsiness
• numbing of limbs
• depression
• anxiety
• shortness of breath'
• recent high blood pressure

 

I stopped using Splenda products and half of these symptoms after 2 weeks decreased or disappeared

 

--Michelle Stromberg

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