Artifical Sweetner and Fibromyalgia

BevP123
BevP123 Posts: 58 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All,

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) just under a year ago after 15 years of believing, and being told, I had lower and referred back pain. I have had several tests to rule out other conditions but with 16/18 trigger points the decision was made that it was definately FMS.

I have always been overweight and have been advised that this is not necessarily a cause of the FMS; however, my general health has been deteriorating for many years and I'm pretty sure this has led to an increase in the FMS symptoms. Although I have been advised that losing weight may not help, and previous weight loss successes have made little difference to the pain, surely it has to be worth another try?

I've been doing alot of research into FMS and weight loss recently and frequently come across articles that refer to the "dangers" of artificial sweetners. The symptoms of "Aspartame Poisoning" are almost identical to those of FMS and MS and, as such, there are alot of topics stating that artificial sweetners could be the cause. Some of the reports are actually very scary, even on here, so it's hard to know what to think.

I'm not on here to ask for people to tell me if I should or shouldn't use artificial sweetners as part of my diet, I know this has to be personal to me and I can see that views differ greatly, for and against. I have been trying for a few days now to cut out Aspartame from my diet just to see and it's much harder than just not having sweetners in your tea as I'm discovering that it is in so much, including cold & flu remedies, vitamins and almost all diet drinks and products.

What I would like to know is if anyone on here with Fibromyalgia has had any success with their syptoms by reducing their intake of artificial sweetners. I am also open to any other suggestions that may help with weight loss, specifically related to FMS. I am based in the UK.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Bev
x

Replies

  • keeponkickin
    keeponkickin Posts: 1,520 Member
    Hi there,

    I don't have Fibro, but I have horrible joint pain and inflammation. I have been eating and drinking way too many foods with artificial sweeteners (I'm a type 1 diabetic). I started doing research and found alarming things about artificial sweeteners and joint pain, fibromyalgia, MS symptoms, etc. I stopped cold turkey a week ago and also started following an anti inflammatory diet and taking natural supplements for inflammation. I'm happy to report that I haven't taken any of my prescription anti inflammatory medicine and I'm doing so much better. I can only imagine how much better I'll feel as time goes on and I continue to detox and eat this way.
  • Limath
    Limath Posts: 89 Member
    A few years ago, my doctor suggested that I give up artificial sweeteners, to see if it relieved some symptoms I was dealing with. She told me that she had other patients that had similar symptoms, and had seen improvements by cutting them out. I have developed pain & stiffness in my hands & feet, and loss of dexterity. Along with this, I had non stop twitching in my hands & spasms in my legs & feet.

    I thought she was crazy, but figured I'd try anything. I quit cold turkey, and was shocked at how much I was actually consuming. Within a month, I started noticing that my hair was growing back (I also had unexplained alopecia, and had lost a significant amount of hair at the front of my head). Within 6 months, I no longer needed my hair piece. This wasn't even what I was trying to 'fix', but was very exciting for me.

    Within a few months, the non stop twitching stopped. I still have small twitches in my hands on occasion, but nothing like before. I also still have occasional leg spasms, but again it is much improved. The pain & stiffness in my hands and feet still persists though.

    I can't say if this is all coincidence or not, but I will never intentionally consume artificial sweeteners again. You can tell me they are safe all day, and maybe they are, but no thank you! :)
  • BevP123
    BevP123 Posts: 58 Member
    Thank you ladies, that is already very reassuring, at least makes trying worthwhile. I hope you continue to see improvements. Will report back if I have a success story too.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Good luck. I was dx'd with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I freed my self from chemicals like artificial sweeteners as well as dyes and scents in household and personal products. I buy organic when I can based on the "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen" lists. I am doing much much better but still react to those household and personal products and have not had any artificial sweeteners (that I know about) in almost 10 years.
  • yxlr8
    yxlr8 Posts: 67 Member
    I have found when I tried gluten free, preservative free and dairy free my symptoms eased but I don't know if that was just because at the same time I was eating well or that I had cut out all the stuff that triggered symptoms as now the 'cleaner' I eat the better I feel. As far as research goes I mentioned fluoride to my dr as it has been added to the water in the last 3 years about the same time that my symptoms became apparent, he was going to do some research on it as he can look up medical journals which are a reputable source of info instead of what you can find online. Any info I find I go directly to the bottom to check out there resources, if there are no resources I refuse to read it as it could of come from any nut job. I try ensure the resources are from reputable journal articles and not just Wikipedia or something like that. Definitely worth researching though, I have cut out most diet stuff and try to eat as clean as possible and I seem to crave less sugar and feel more satisfied because of it
  • Workinonit123
    Workinonit123 Posts: 38 Member
    Was diagnosed.with fms, cfs, ra, oa, as well as continuing phn. Doctor said really no magic cure, just deal with the symptoms. Quit artificial sweeteners, started trying different things to help with sleep. Felt enough to start eating healthier (cooking versus Fast food). Soon felt we'll enough to start walking.a little. Phn pain is now almost completely gone, after 8 years of extreme pain. I'm sure artificial sweetener wasn't the only problem, but was a BiIG part of it,
  • lhopex3
    lhopex3 Posts: 12
    My mom was diagnosed 7 years ago, and I watched her suffer for many years before getting her diet in order. She skips artificial sugars and processed foods completely, eats seafood with great omega-3 benefits, stop with the caffeine - now! put down that coffee, and absolutely load up on vegetables and vitamin D. I watched her heal herself with a combination of diet and natural healing (reflexology, meditation, general positive living). She was once taking a myriad of pain medicine to manage both ulcerative colitis and fibromyalgia, but now she is fibromyalgia free and successful managing the UC. Diet is everything! Best of luck.
  • BevP123
    BevP123 Posts: 58 Member
    Thanks all.
    I am a week on and although I don't feel any difference pain wise just yet, I am certainly looking at everything I eat and checking for sweeteners, additives and such like which is making me more conscious of what I consume. I am also weirdly craving diet drinks which must be a sign that my body is cold turkying from something. A slow road but I feel more positive. Thank you all again for taking time to reply.
    Best wishes to all x
  • daniellek30
    daniellek30 Posts: 171 Member
    I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a little over a year ago. I am constantly dealing with pain depending on my diet and lifestyle, but I have made some changes to try and fix that (one including moving from where I was living.)

    - Stopped drinking diet soda. I love diet coke! One might say I am addicted. I had to put that all to a stop and voila - the pain reduced. BY A LOT! At one point, I even said hm... it probably has nothing to do with the pain, drank it again for a few days, and oh jeez... in pain. That is really the only artificial sweetener I had in my diet, but just by removing that worked wonders.

    - I've also found that by exercising constantly, even if it's small helps. My doctor told me straight up... either work out... or don't. It's going to hurt when you start for a few days, but it will be worth it, and it is!

    Best of luck to you.
  • origwvgirl
    origwvgirl Posts: 90 Member
    Hi there,

    I don't have Fibro, but I have horrible joint pain and inflammation. I have been eating and drinking way too many foods with artificial sweeteners (I'm a type 1 diabetic). I started doing research and found alarming things about artificial sweeteners and joint pain, fibromyalgia, MS symptoms, etc. I stopped cold turkey a week ago and also started following an anti inflammatory diet and taking natural supplements for inflammation. I'm happy to report that I haven't taken any of my prescription anti inflammatory medicine and I'm doing so much better. I can only imagine how much better I'll feel as time goes on and I continue to detox and eat this way.

    What anti-inflammatory diet are you following and what supplements are you taking? I have inflammation (and the blood markers of high hs-CRP and white blood cell counts, joint paint) and often feel better if I'm more vigilent about what I eat. No soda, no corn (which seems to be a big trigger for me), and reduced grains.
  • chrisloters
    chrisloters Posts: 5
    origwvgirl wrote: »
    Hi there,

    I don't have Fibro, but I have horrible joint pain and inflammation. I have been eating and drinking way too many foods with artificial sweeteners (I'm a type 1 diabetic). I started doing research and found alarming things about artificial sweeteners and joint pain, fibromyalgia, MS symptoms, etc. I stopped cold turkey a week ago and also started following an anti inflammatory diet and taking natural supplements for inflammation. I'm happy to report that I haven't taken any of my prescription anti inflammatory medicine and I'm doing so much better. I can only imagine how much better I'll feel as time goes on and I continue to detox and eat this way.

    What anti-inflammatory diet are you following and what supplements are you taking? I have inflammation (and the blood markers of high hs-CRP and white blood cell counts, joint paint) and often feel better if I'm more vigilent about what I eat. No soda, no corn (which seems to be a big trigger for me), and reduced grains.

    Well balanced diets helps reduce pain in Rheumatoid arthritis, you have to eat more food that are rich in Omega-3. Fish diets such as mackerel, anchovy, tuna, salmon, herring, etc. these are cold water fish that feeds on plankton rich omega-3 from open sea and not the commercially breed fishes. Eat more fruits and veggies, eggs, shrimp and use of extra virgin olive oil instead of saturated oils. Avoid corn meals, less whites (wheat meals), nuts, dark meat, and Saturated fats.
    You may also take Omega 3 supplement, either fish oil or mussels oil that are rich in Omega 3. This is what I've been using and I highly recommend this supplement -
    visiongroupcorp.com/omega3.html

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