A side note on the sugar alcohols - mannitol, sorbitol, etc - one of the known side effects of those puppies is gastric distress of the very messy kind. They will do it to anyone - it just takes a lot less for some people than for others.
Oh, sugar alcohols are absolutely evil! I definitely get the full side effects of those, but I've never had a problem with Splenda.
I have, however, seen plenty of "anti-Splenda" propaganda online--of course, most are supported by sugar companies (surprise surprise), but they do have stories from many people similar to yours--the flu-like allergic reactions.
I HATE that so many sources (Splend-supported, of course) say that it's harmless because it's made from real sugar. Well, in order to get Splenda from sugar, first they break the sugar into separate parts and then CHLORINATE the calorie-free part--do you KNOW what chlorine does inside the body?! Of course, they tell us it's completely safe because our bodies don't actually absorb the chlorine from the Splenda. Well, if our bodies don't absorb it, then it's got to go somewhere, right? Hence (perhaps) the abdominal distress?
I'm lucky that I don't have reaction to artifical sweeteners (only sugar alcohols), but just because I personally don't have reactions doesn't mean I think they're all 100% safe. I consume foods with artifical sweeteners on a daily basis (particularly diet sodas) simply to save myself the calories, but I do wonder what effects it will have on my body 50 years from now
I use Splenda all the time and it doesn't bother me BUT does anyone know about something that could cause an allergic reaction (itchy, blotchy skin, tingling) in a sugar free energy drink?
I drink Diet Rockstar all the time and certain others but a couple of times I have tried new ones and I have this reaction. It generally lasts 30 minutes or so then clears up. I looked at the ingredients between the two drinks and they looked the same though there was a red dye in the allergy-causing one. My boyfriend said those are pretty inert though. Any clues?
I looked at the ingredients between the two drinks and they looked the same though there was a red dye in the allergy-causing one. My boyfriend said those are pretty inert though. Any clues?
I had an uncle who went to a doctor because of an allergic reaction (hives mostly). He couldn't figure out what on earth it was, so they ran a bunch of tests. WHILE he was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office, he ate a snack-size bag of M&Ms. BAM while he's with the doc, the reaction began! They narrowed it down to one of the colorings used in the M&Ms--I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't witnessed it! He stopped eating that dye (Red 44 or something...I don't really remember), and he never had the reaction again.
I think dye allergies are actually fairly common - people can be allergic to absolutely anything, so even something that seems totally benign can be an allergy trigger for someone.
I guess I just thought it was weird that it's ONLY been associated with those energy drinks but then again I try not to eat much artificially flavored foods/candy.
Maybe it's a dye that's not widely used. There are lots of different reds and yellows and whatever, and maybe they happen to use a less common one.
In any case, I would maybe stick to what you know is okay for you and avoid the others at all costs. Allergic reactions can start out very mild (hives, slight wheezing, itchiness...), but they often get progressively worse with additional exposure. I've been in a full-blown anaphylactic shock (the be all, end all of allergic reactions)--NOT something I would ever wish upon anyone, nor something I'd care to repeat!
i agree jellybean, definately avoid anything that you start to notice a reaction from. that's why i don't ingest much splenda at one time. just a little in a pudding cup every so often. no sense in running the risk of getting too much of it built up in my system.
First of all, a little disclaimer: I am not claiming that splenda is evil or poisonous or that it makes rats have three heads. I am just sharing my personal experience out of curiosity to find anyone else who may have experienced the same thing. That said, I will continue...
I am reasonably certain that I am one of the few (apparently) people who is allergic to splenda (sucralose). A few years ago I did Atkins with some success and used Splenda to satisfy my sweet tooth. I started having incredible headaches and joint pain after a very short time and initially thought I was coming down with the flu. When my symptoms became neither better nor worse but I noticed that they were intermittent, I called up my sister who is a nurse practitioner. She told me that I probably was having a reaction to some food (I had had an allergic reaction to a drug earlier with similar symptoms) and to take careful note of what I was eating before this happened.
I traced the symptoms to my morning sugar-free hazelnut breve (latte made with 1/2 and 1/2), and the only thing unusual in it was the splenda-sweetened hazelnut syrup. I did some snooping on the internet, but everything I found said "splenda is just like sugar. If you can eat sugar you can eat splenda." i certainly have no problem eating sugar, but I decided to stop eating splenda anyway, just as an experiment. I felt sooooo much better without the splenda!
I thought surely this must be some kind of placebo effect or coincidence, so a few weeks later I tried splenda again - headache and joint pain were back. I figured it must be a psychological thing, since who on the planet is allergic to splenda? Then I got stealth-splenda'd a few times and learned that yes, it really does honest to god make me sick as a dog.
How wierd is that??! I can't eat freaking splenda, which nowadays is in practically every diet food on the planet! I'm not entirely surprised that I have this wierdo allergy as I have really sensetive skin and some strange drug allergiew, as well - but I have to say that it STINKS! Has anyone else out there had a similar splenda-related allergic experience? I was just wondering if I'm all alone in the weight loss world or not.
Keep on Truckin!
Erin
PS I just want to reiterate that I am not trying to cause alarm or malign splenda in any way - This is totally a product of my own body's wierd sensitivity and not because artificial sweeteners are evil. I love artificial sweeteners. Coke Zero is my best friend!
Just so ya know, that is not a sign of allergies, and if you symptoms like that with a drug, that has nothing to do with allergic reactions.
Allergic reactions present themselves in the form of hives, itching, and rashes and/or respiratory issues, breathing difficulties, asthma attacks, and anaphylactic shock. It can be from medications, food, animals, dust, etc etc.
Joint pain and headaches are NOT symptoms of an ALLERGIC reaction.
Some mentioned gastric distress like lactose intolerance is an allergy... its not. Lactose intolerance is the result of the body lacking a specific enzyme to breakdown lactose and can be rectified by taking over-the-counter meds like Lac-taid which provide the enzyme.
If you use the alcohol based sweetners like sorbitol and mannitol, having the runs and an upset stomach is a side effect NOT an allergic reaction.
Here is a good description of symptoms pertaining to a food allergy:
"All of the symptoms of food allergy occur within a few minutes to an hour of eating. A food allergy can initially be experienced as an itching in the mouth and difficulty swallowing and breathing. Then, during digestion of the food in the stomach and intestines, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain can start. Incidentally, gastrointestinal symptoms are those that are most often confused with the symptoms of different types of food intolerance.
As mentioned previously, the allergens are absorbed and enter the blood stream. When they reach the skin, allergens can induce hives or eczema, and when they reach the lungs, they can cause asthma. As the allergens travel through the blood vessels, they can cause lightheadedness, weakness, and anaphylaxis, which is a sudden drop in blood pressure. Anaphylactic reactions are severe even when they start off with mild symptoms, such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or discomfort in the abdomen. They can be fatal if not treated quickly. "
Well, whether it's "technically" an allergy or not, I would still steer clear. The name given to the reaction isn't really what's important--that fact that something gives you an unpleasant reaction is, so if you can avoid that something, then all the better!
well whether it's an allergic reaction or not, it makes me feel like dog-poo. When I talked to my healthcare provider about it, I was advised to steer clear of both splenda and the drug that made me sick, as well as all drugs of that type in order to avoid have a potentially more serious reaction (whatever type of reaction that may be) in the future.
I use Splenda all the time and it doesn't bother me BUT does anyone know about something that could cause an allergic reaction (itchy, blotchy skin, tingling) in a sugar free energy drink?
Some of those things have some pretty potent herbs in them. For example, I can't eat or drink anything that has ginko biloba in it or I break out in teeny tiny hives.
Nutrasweet gives me headaches, so I avoid all fake sugars and have never tried Splenda.
Hmm interesting about the ginko...I figure it's something in the "energy blend" since they don't generally break down all the ingredients. I am sticking to diet rockstar and Lo-Carb Monster from now on. I know those are safe for me.
