Artificial sweeteners

[Boldgirl45]

Someone just posted on here about Stevia, and that got me thinking....do artificial sweeteners tend to be pretty bad for RLS?

[Birdland]

Yes they do but stevia is not an artificial sweetener. It is derived from the stevia plant. Completely natural. Still may effect some negativity I suppose.

[JuneRose19988]

Hi! It is baffling to me! Stevia is natural, but to my legs, it is a neurotoxin just like artificial sweeteners are. It must be something to do with how they process it? I can have a little, like one drink, but then I will avoid it for a week or so after that.

[bill54321 in reply to JuneRose19988]

Not all Stevia are the same. Each brand has something that goes withit. just started Stevia , so let us keep up this dial0g

[Boldgirl45]

Thanks both. I think my mum is consuming some (not stevia) and her restless legs are bad!

[Davidbaldbloke]

Hmmm, interesting. I have a lot of stevia everyday and v bad RL. Stevia is natural so I have assumed it is ok. I wonder if there is any evidence that Stevia liquid (which is what I have) accelerates RL?

[WideBody]

I am going to say no. But then I think with enough people even a placebo will cause RLS. (I must be cynical this morning. No sleep last night.)

[BeachGolfer]

I was the person who posted about Stevia. I’d like to add that I found online an abstract regarding Stevia and RLS in a 2020 clinical sleep journal. I couldn’t read the whole article because I’m not a subscriber.

[Boldgirl45 in reply to BeachGolfer]

Ok thank you

[Flamingofleaflo]

I've always been sure artificial sweeteners must make my RL worse but after many decades I've absolutely no evidence to support this. I love a diet coke, stopped it for long periods, didn't stop it RL just seem to be around for years then stop completely irrespectively. I now have them every night but family members did too long before artificial sweeteners were accidentally discovered. I've given up most things and for me alcohol was a tricky but definitive link, even then I did get some sleep before they took hold.

I don't mean to sound remotely dismissive as I have always hoped my next deprivation experiment would hold the answer. It never did. I take the supplements and always check in with the amazing information shared here. I've suffered even financially from the poorly thought out medication I've been prescribed (shopping addiction) from which I won't recover before I'm six foot under so please don't think I'm flippant. Just don't give up too much of what brings you joy, deprivation can pave a resentful path. This thing robs us enough.

[Boldgirl45 in reply to Flamingofleaflo]

I agree with that. Thank you for your reply!