Was wondering

[susie59]

if anyone knew about the supposed link between the Aspartame sweetener

and fibromyalgia, i have only just come across this, i would like to know what your views are. xx

[trisha64]

hard one to answer ,, i have used sweetners for years , but its only last few months been wondering about them ,, i have had fibro since i was 16 or so ,,, so all the usual and unusaual symptoms that come with that could be attributed to them ...... but on the other hand if i used sugar instead of them i would have more problems with my weight ,, so itts a bit of a sticky subject x

[susie59 in reply to trisha64]

I know what you mean Trisha, i have only had Fibro about 18 mths to 2 years, not that long compared to a lot of people on here, i have used sweetners for years too, but they used to be just saccharine (sorry about spelling).not the aspartame or nutrisweet, the only coincidences i have are being diagnosed with underactive thyroid and eating loads of sugar free sweets, from giving up smoking. i suppose i am clutching at straws a bit, Lol at "sticky" subject, it was "sweet" of you to answer. x

[trisha64]

my mum used to buy hermesetas .. showing my age now lol ....ive got an underative thyroid an am being tested for lupus and diabetes ,, but im really craving sweets and starchy stuff , now given i hardly touched choclate for three years im sure that is the thyroid ,, but i cant afford to gain more weight as i lost two stone an have got it back now x

[gracies-faces]

I remember my Mum banging on about this a few years ago (well, 9 years - wow, how time flies!) I was suffering with temporary dystonia at the time and she was determined to find fault in my lifestyle SOMEWHERE!

She found this identical kind of info on some American websites and at the same time found as many websites that disputed it.

I just left her to believe whatever she wanted to believe because she wasn't listening to me when I said I don't have any kind of sweeteners in my diet...

I'm interested to hear that there's still talk of it, and maybe Mother wasn't so batty after all?

[LindseyMid]

The jury is out on this afaik. Artificial sweeteners are not really good for anyone though, so it makes sense to avoid them when possible with Fibro, especially because they are a common IBS trigger as well.

[jazher]

Hi sue, I have never had artificial sweetners so i am not sure about this.

My friends have told me all about it but i got fibro due to a traumatic birth not through sweetners etc..

I am quite bad with pain and walking etc and i dont take them.

would like to see what evryone else says.

hugs, kel xxx

[Hidden]

oh thatsall very interesting i have neber heard of a link between weetners and fibro is that a known fact then? i have never really used sweetner i am afraid i am the one who gets my porridge and pours the sugar cannister over it and same with pancakes lol but dont have any sugar or sweetner in tea/coffeee i wiill keep a eye out for blogs on that one very strange link that isnt it ?? love diddle x

[LindseyMid in reply to Hidden]

No, it isn't a proven fact. But too much of artificial sweeteners is bad for anyone and that is a proven fact. After all, they are designed to be indigestible!

[gypsycrafter]

i have been on sweetners for many years, but recently my body has been saying sugar, sugar. when i have had sweetners, i get ibs pain and fibro pain. but if i stay on sugar i will put on weight. gotta have at least one vice!!

[LindseyMid in reply to gypsycrafter]

Are you any medications that could be causing sweet cravings? Amitriptyline is especially bad for this.

Alternatively, systemic Candida infection would cause sweet cravings. This could also seem to worsen Fibro or be masked by the Fibro as many of the symptoms overlap.

Even if nothing else is going on, reactive hypoglycamia (a medical way of describing the blood sugar crash you get after the blood sugar high with sugars) can be a problem for people with Fibro, so you want to watch out for this.

[gypsycrafter in reply to LindseyMid]

i have had this in the past but regulate better now. Since i had to give up smoking, alcohol, chocolate and anything else used to ease stress, i have had a sugar craving (cake) but try to use fruit where possible. i have also had candida. i try to use small amounts of sugar instead of sweeteners now but tea is essential in my diet and cannot drink it without being sweetened

[susie59]

thanks for all your answers, is a hard one, if gave it up,is in all sorts of things!

even a tin of soup in the cupboard!lol hugs.xxx

[jayjay]

I have also used sweetners in my tea/coffee and canderell sugar on my cerial, i have used the sweetners for roughly 27/28yrs xxx

[trisha64]

me too jayjay but nowdays i crave the sugar and i cant cave in as i have gained so much weifgt with the thyroid thing x

[susie59 in reply to trisha64]

i am the same as you , I crave sweet tea and sweet things , i also read saccharine may be less risky than aspartame, i would try anything to stop this pain though, x

[fibropixie]

HI all, personally I believe that sweeteners are EVIL for the body. They're totally artificial and have no function in the body other than to damage it. I've posted about this before but can't remember where, lol fibro brain! There's been lots of talk about saccharin being carcinogenic for years, and more recently aspartame, which actually turns into wood alcohol in the body!! No good for the liver. I'll try and find some of the links from when I was researching these evil substances.

I recently asked my doctor to change my AdCal chewable tablets to ones that do not contain aspartame or saccharin. Pharmaceutical companies know these sweeenters are no good, so why do they put them in our meds? Medication is meant to ease our pain not compound it or damage us. I get a bit neurotic about it but I don't want this stuff being sneaked into my food so I always check the label. I reckon a spoonful of sugar is far less damaging than any artificial sweetener.