I posted this on the Aspartame Support Group on Yahoo. I didn’t know if you kept up with it or not. I am a 40 year old woman with 3 children ages 17, 4 1/2 and 2 1/2. Here is my story.
I have been a heavy diet soda drinker ever since it came out on the market. I was drinking 6-8 cans a day not including stops here and there for a super-sized diet drink at the local fast food restaurant when I was out and about. I also have been consuming foods containing Aspartame to try and lose weight forever. About 2 years ago after the birth of my 3rd child I began having heart palpitations, dizziness, chest pains and numbness and tingling going down the left side of my body. I have been to the ER multiple times; I have had EKGs, heart stress tests, MRIs, CTs, ultrasounds, blood tests, etc. I have seen a Neurologist, ENT, Gastrointestinal doctor, Chiropractor, Physical Therapists, Massage Therapists, dentist. No one could every find anything wrong with me.
Oh, wait I did find out I have Reflux, Anxiety Attacks (ya, over worrying about what is wrong with me!) and I am overweight!!!
A month ago I decided to start over with a new Family Practice doctor, he told me that I had already been through the “million dollar work up” and that I should feel good to know that there was nothing seriously wrong with me. He said I was having Anxiety Attacks and prescribed Zoloft. I was elated! I finally could blame my symptoms on something! I was willing to accept that this was my problem, because my mother had suffered from depression and anxiety her entire life and it is hereditary. After time, I began to deal with daily life much better, however the tingling and numbness continued in fact it started to get worse, I still would get dizzy out of nowhere. I would get this pins and needle tingling that started at the top of my head and would cover my entire face and down both sides of my body all the way to my feet. I had been told by friends that it sounded like I had MS. I looked up MS symptoms on the internet and was convinced that I had it. I called my doctor and told him that I wasn’t convinced that Anxiety was my problem, he told me to give it time. That same day I went back on the internet and searched for Anxiety Attacks to see if anyone else diagnosed with Anxiety Attacks experienced the same symptoms as I had. I came across the Aspartame articles and read down the 92 symptoms and could not believe how many of them I had and then I found that Aspartame Poisoning mimics many diseases including MS!!!!! I was appalled as I read on and the word “self-embalming” was used.
I immediately stopped all Aspartame products. It has been almost 3 weeks and my symptoms have not completely gone away, however they are less severe. I am also now finding out that the pains in my neck and shoulder have started to be almost nonexistent. I always thought I was getting arthritis. I have been taking minerals and antioxidants to help my body rid of this awful poison I have been shoving down my throat for more years than I care to say. I am also horrified to find out that I have been doing the same thing to my children. Antibiotics, Tylenol, Benadryl, Vitamins. They all contain Aspartame!! What are we supposed to give our children!!!!
My teenage son has always chewed gum, ate mints, etc. Now I think about every time he complained about stomach aches and headaches and I would just tell him to “wear a hat”, “get more sleep”, “eat better”. He was probably suffering from the same thing!! I drank tons of caffeine free diet soda while I was pregnant with my last 2 children, they were both born severely anemic and the doctors could not come up with an answer why. I wonder if it was the Aspartame.
I am angry that I have spent all this time worrying and not being the best mom and wife because I have had such terrible mood swings, I’ve been so tired that it was hard for me to get up and play, I was yelling all of the time and frustrated with life in general when there was no reason to be frustrated. I am most angry about all the money I have spent on doctors trying to find out what was wrong with me.
I will tell the world how awful this poison is!!!
How can they keep this on the market? I don’t understand why it continues when it is obvious so many people are having these symptoms!!!
Update
Thank you for the information, it is greatly appreciated. I have been Aspartame free for almost 6 weeks and my symptoms have subsided greatly. I do have some bad days still. I am on day 2 of being off of Zoloft and am finding that my symptoms are subsiding even more. I was told by someone from the Support Group that methylcellulose is in Zoloft. I don’t know what that is, but it may be why since I am not taking it anymore I am feeling even better! Do you have any information on methylcellulose??