Aspartame Withdrawal?

[mountainsoft]

I have been addicted to carbonated soft drinks since I was a teenager. Horrible stuff, rots my teeth and God knows what else. But I couldn't tolerate any of the alternatives more than a day or two.

Last December I started having premature heart beats for the first time. I attributed it to the blood pressure medicine I was taking (I'm not a doctor), but the ER doc said it could be caused by the caffeine I was drinking (the only thing the ER vending machines offered at 3am.). So, I tried switching to caffeine free options - root beer, cream soda, sprite, etc. They were okay, but I noticed they were all extremely high in sugar. So, I decided to try the "zero sugar" options for cola and ginger ale. It took a week or two to adapt, but I thought I had found the solution. On the up side, I have lost almost 30 pounds this year just by dropping the sugar intake.

Unfortunately, my premature heart beats have continued on and off over the last year, despite trying the whole range of BP meds, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, etc. It can get really scary, even though every doc says it's nothing to worry about. So I am constantly looking for anything that might be causing it (other than just my old broken body).

I took a closer look at the "zero sugar" beverages I've been drinking, and saw they were all sweetened with aspartame. The FDA and other agencies say it's perfectly fine, but there's a lot of controversy. Anyway, one of the supposed side effects is an irregular heart beat. True or not, I'm grasping at any possible cause these days. I drink about 2 liters each day, so I figured it was worth stopping for a while to see what happens.

It may just be coincidence, but within a day of stopping the aspartame sweetened drinks I had a really bad flare up of premature heart beats. I have also been having bad muscle pains, headaches, and am really tired. I was already caffeine free, so I know it's not it's not caffeine withdrawals. From what I've read, these are common "aspartame withdrawal" symptoms.

It's still way too early to come to any conclusion, and I'm not sure I believe all the health nut conspiracy theories anyway, But, I'm willing to try anything at this point not to have those pounding premature heart beats that drain my energy.

Anyway, I'm just curious if anyone else has stopped aspartame consumption and if so did you experience any withdrawal symptoms?

For now I'm trying stevia sweetened tea and sodas like Zevia. It's supposed to be more "natural" but who knows. I already know what natural sugar does to me, so it's a matter of finding the lesser evil. The "just drink water" thing has never worked for me, no matter what is added to it.

 

[euro]

There are plenty of choices that are sucralose and/or Stevia sweetened. Maybe try slowly switch over to some of those? I don't know if aspartame addiction is a "thing" (I actually rather doubt it), but if it is, a slow transition may lessen the impact.

 

[braumeister]

Could be the caffeine. Most of the zero sugar soft drinks have caffeine in them.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/494533-aspartame-withdrawal/

 

[bloom2708]

I switched to the carbonated flavor waters. There are a ton of brands/flavors. Bubbly, Polar, LaCroix.

I don't think any of the sodas are worth a hoot if you drink them all the time. Just bad stuff.

If I drink the carbonated waters, de-caf tea and de-caf coffee 99% of the time, then I feel I can have a regular Coke or Pepsi on the odd special occasion.

It does take getting used to your taste buds can/will adapt. Similar to getting off of the fat laden/high cholesterol foods most are addicted to. You can switch, but you have to want to.

It is surprising if you want to do something how easy it is.

Your irregular heartbeat should be checked out by a doctor. If you are having AFIB or rhythm issues, that can be very serious.

Alcohol is also wicked bad for AFIB related issues. AFIB is becoming the next ailment that is afflicting millions.

 

[mountainsoft]

There are plenty of choices that are sucralose and/or Stevia sweetened. Maybe try slowly switch over to some of those? I don't know if aspartame addiction is a "thing" (I actually rather doubt it), but if it is, a slow transition may lessen the impact.

For now I'm just drinking decaffeinated tea I'm brewing at home sweetened with a little stevia sweetener. It's not as convenient as opening a bottle, but I can live with it. I've also picked up a couple six packs of Zevia sodas that are sweetened with stevia. At $7 for a six pack they're kind of pricey, so I limit those to one a day for a special treat. Their ginger ale is quite good and caffeine free.

I have my doubts about aspartame addiction too. I'm not even sure I believe the quoted side effects. But I have been consuming a lot of it and it is "artificial". There's no benefit to keep consuming it, and plenty of reasons to avoid sodas entirely if I can.

 

[mountainsoft]

Could be the caffeine. Most of the zero sugar soft drinks have caffeine in them.

I have been very careful to avoid caffeinated beverages, though I'm sure they still contain trace amounts of caffeine.

 

[mountainsoft]

I switched to the carbonated flavor waters. There are a ton of brands/flavors. Bubbly, Polar, LaCroix.

I have tried a couple, with mixed results. It's hard to find individual cans to try, and I don't want to buy a six pack of something I won't like. I really don't like fruit flavors which rules out 90% of what's out there.

Your irregular heartbeat should be checked out by a doctor. If you are having AFIB or rhythm issues, that can be very serious.

I have been to numerous doctors, worn heart monitors, had X-rays, ultrasounds, stress tests, blood tests, and more ECG tests than I can count. Everything checks out great, but the premature heart beats continue.

I've been prescribed just about every blood pressure med that is supposed to help heart rhythm, none of which has really helped, and all have caused even worse side effects.

I'm told repeatedly it's nothing to worry about so go home. But it's a miserable thing to live with. When I have a bad episode it sure feels like I'm going to die.

Alcohol is also wicked bad for AFIB related issues.

I have never been a big drinker anyway, but we have tried to cut back to just special occasions.

While caffeine and alcohol are both common causes of irregular heartbeats, I personally have never found any correlation. I get PAC's regardless of whether I have those or not. Still, I'm trying to reduce the best I can.

 

[Telly]

Just a quick question. What is a "premature heart beat?" Is there a medical name/term that describes it?

 

[mountainsoft]

Just a quick question. What is a "premature heart beat?" Is there a medical name/term that describes it?

PAC's, PVC's, Palpitations, or Ectopic Beats.

I've been told I have Premature Atrial Contractions (PAC's). These start in the upper atrium part of the heart. PVC's are similar except they start in the lower ventricle part of the heart:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21700-premature-atrial-contractions

Basically, I have a normal heart rhythm that is interrupted by a beat that fires early. Then my heart pauses until the next beat that would have continued the normal rhythm. Since the heart if full of blood during that pause, the next normal beat hits with a thump. That's especially bothersome when laying on my left side at night. When it goes on for a while it makes me feel really tired and weak. My wife says I turn white. There's no chest pain or difficulty breathing, it just makes me feel miserable.

I'll attach one of my ECG readings from a few days ago as an example.

 

[mystang52]

I am not a doctor.

• "FWIW":
  1) ETA: Deleted my original comment, here.
  
  2) I don't drink a lot of soda, but the only soda I do drink is diet soda. My soda of choice is IBC Diet Root Beer, and I drink about half of one of their single-serving bottles every other day. No known side effects for me. However, the amount I drink is a lot less than your stated 2 liters.
  
  3) I tried a "natural" diet soda years ago, sweetened with Stevia. It didn't take long before I started getting very severe headaches. Turns out that this is a side effect for many people. It took time, but the headaches stopped after I stopped drinking Stevia-sweetened soda.

 

[mountainsoft]

It sounds like that "premature heartbeat" is AFib. There's more to treating AFib than "blood pressure" meds. AFib can be a cause of stroke, so Elliquis or similar blood thinning meds are prescribed for AFib. OP, I saw your prior comments but if I were you I'd pursue this further, as it sounds like you might have AFib.

See the FAQ section near the bottom of the link I posted above.

Technically I think PAC's are a type of Afib, but generally the fast heart beat is the type that most often leads to stroke. My mom has afib, did have a stroke, and takes Eliquis.

Trust me, I have been pushing the docs on this for the last year and they keep reassuring me all is well. It sure doesn't feel well when it's happening.

I tried a "natural" diet soda years ago, sweetened with Stevia. It didn't take long before I started getting very severe headaches.

I haven't noticed any headaches while drinking the aspartame sweetened beverages, only after I stopped and even then it was just one day. I haven't been drinking Stevia sweetened beverages long enough to know what effect they will have.

 

[Freedom56]

Drink San Pellegrino, Perrier, or club soda. It's just carbonated water. You can drop slices of orange, lemons or strawberries in the glass, if you want flavoring.

 

[marko]

I have tried a couple, with mixed results. It's hard to find individual cans to try, and I don't want to buy a six pack of something I won't like. I really don't like fruit flavors which rules out 90% of what's out there.



I have been to numerous doctors, worn heart monitors, had X-rays, ultrasounds, stress tests, blood tests, and more ECG tests than I can count. Everything checks out great, but the premature heart beats continue.

I've been prescribed just about every blood pressure med that is supposed to help heart rhythm, none of which has really helped, and all have caused even worse side effects.

I'm told repeatedly it's nothing to worry about so go home. But it's a miserable thing to live with. When I have a bad episode it sure feels like I'm going to die.



I have never been a big drinker anyway, but we have tried to cut back to just special occasions.

While caffeine and alcohol are both common causes of irregular heartbeats, I personally have never found any correlation. I get PAC's regardless of whether I have those or not. Still, I'm trying to reduce the best I can.

I could have written all of the above. I've had PVCs since about 6th grade. Funny, I just looked up a connection between PVCs and saccharine last month.

Now, six months ago I ended up in the hospital when my pulse went from 72 to 175 for absolutely no reason. Lasted four hours. Not afib, not a heart attack...they don't know what it was, although the ER doctor's first question was when was my most recent Covid shot. (?)

In the end, after a battery of tests, like you, they said don't worry about it.

Of course, I'm quite concerned because afib put my dear brother into a wheelchair.

 

[jollystomper]

I drink zero sugar sodas (for me they do not have the aftertaste of the diet sodas), but 2 liters seems a lot to me. I drink between 16-32 ounces. I have gone periods of about a week or so without drinking, but never any "withdrawal" type issues.

If the tea is not decaf, you are still taking in caffeine. I make my own sweet tea, using decaf teabags and erythritol as a sweetener. Erythritol to me takes the most like sugar with no aftertaste.

Maybe you are still not hydrated enough? One thing I follow that was suggested to me from my brother, a doctor: for each soda you drink, drink an equivalent amount of water (plain or flavored, I also do as mentioned and add pineapple or strawberry to flavor it).

 

[6miths]

Sorry you are having issues but glad that you have been getting lots of care and opinions that are saying that your condition is benign.

PAC's or APC's (atrial premature contractions - can pick your order!) are quite common and are not a type of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). People with very frequent PACs are likely at increased risk of subsequently developing AF but most people with PACs do not develop AF. I am sure that this is what you have been told by those who have been trying to reassure you. Most common associations are caffeine, stress, and alcohol.

I drink a fair amount of diet cola and aspartame has always been the least of my concerns when drinking it. Caffeine is a concern but I never took to coffee so Diet Coke became my stimulant beverage of choice. One can has about a third as much as a coffee so even 2 L would be well under the recommended safe levels for caffeine. Occasionally I switched to the caffeine free version but it has been much harder to find last few years. And more expensive. After caffeine the next worry is phosphates which can affect one's bones negatively and in theory even blood electrolyte levels - mainly Calcium and magnesium and, again in theory, could have effects if someone were very sensitive to such changes. Third thing is the acidity of Diet Coke - 1000x more acidic than water but 10x less than regular Coke - this can be hard on tooth enamel. As far as aspartame goes, it is not really that 'unnatural' it is simply two amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) coupled together and is quickly broken down into these - aspartic acid and phenylalanine - and methanol. Because aspartame is so good at stimulating human 'sweet' receptors, the amount ingested is very small and the amounts of the breakdown products are very small compared to the amounts of these substances from other sources in the diet. (Only is a worry in children or pregnant women who had the relatively rare enzyme defect that causes PKU - hence the warning label). Sometimes I switch to 7-Up 'The Uncola - crisp and clear and no caffeine!' - less acidic, no phosporous, no caffeine.

 

[Aerides]

2 litres is quite a lot. I drink a fair amount of diet coke, but still under a litre each day. The rest is water mainly. Maybe just try dialing back.

Oh and if you can find a single lacroix can, you'll be paying way too much, splurge on a few packs to try different things. Spindrift is very good, not fizzy though.

I have PVC's, but very mild - they show up on a test but I never feel them. My Dad has them too. No other stuff wrong (full cardio work up).

I don't worry about aspartame. I figure it's better than for me than all that sugar.

 

[mountainsoft]

If the tea is not decaf, you are still taking in caffeine. I make my own sweet tea, using decaf teabags and erythritol as a sweetener. Erythritol to me takes the most like sugar with no aftertaste.

Yes, I make my own tea using decaf teabags. I prefer the "family size" bags as they work better in a pitcher, but normal size bags work too. Like I said, the time to brew and cool is a hassle, but not a deal breaker.

Stevia is my first venture into the so called natural alternatives. I grew a stevia plant once, so I'm familiar with the source, but I'm sure the processing is questionable. It works great for making my tea, sweetens without any noticeable aftertaste. I tried making brownies with it and that was a big fail. They "boiled" in the oven and turned into inedible bitter chocolate crackers. So despite the package promise, it seems restricted to beverages only. That's okay.

I may try the Erythritol, though the chemical sounding name didn't sound very appetizing in the store. Allulose and monk fruit are two other possible options. We'll see, it's all new to me.

Maybe you are still not hydrated enough?

Doubtful. I'm constantly drinking something, and urinating just as much.

 

[mountainsoft]

As far as aspartame goes, it is not really that 'unnatural'

I have my doubts about the claims against aspartame, but when you're desperate for relief you'll try about anything. If anything, getting away from sugary acidic soft drinks will be better for my health and teeth anyway. I've just never been able to stick with it long term.

 

[tmm99]

Didn't you say in another post a while back that you quit taking BP meds and your PACs stopped? That made me think that the cause of your PVCs was the BP meds... Has something changed since?

 

[mountainsoft]

Didn't you say in another post a while back that you quit taking BP meds and your PACs stopped? That made me think that the cause of your PVCs was the BP meds... Has something changed since?

Yep, I stopped taking ALL pills and had no issues for about three weeks. BP remained about the same, felt great, and heart rhythm was normal. Then a few days ago I had a bad flare up of PAC's that lasted about three days (longest so far). I hadn't consumed any caffeine, no alcohol in over a week, no stress, plenty of sleep. They just seem to occur at random with no obvious trigger.

As usual, it scares me when they flare up and I started taking the diltiazen and magnesium oxide again. I also start reviewing everything I eat or drink to see what else could possibly trigger them. Aspartame seemed like a real long shot, but I consume a lot of it and figured it was worth trying to avoid.

 

[tmm99]

Yep, I stopped taking ALL pills and had no issues for about three weeks. BP remained about the same, felt great, and heart rhythm was normal. Then a few days ago I had a bad flare up of PAC's that lasted about three days (longest so far). I hadn't consumed any caffeine, no alcohol in over a week, no stress, plenty of sleep. They just seem to occur at random with no obvious trigger.

As usual, it scares me when they flare up and I started taking the diltiazen and magnesium oxide again. I also start reviewing everything I eat or drink to see what else could possibly trigger them. Aspartame seemed like a real long shot, but I consume a lot of it and figured it was worth trying to avoid.

Thanks for the explanation.

I have PVC's. I have had it since my mid-30s. It was much worse then, for whatever reason. Magnesium orotate was my go-to supplement for a long time to lower the frequency of PVC's when I experienced more. (I would never take magnesium oxide as I think that's the least bio-available form of magnesium. Magnesium citrate worked fairly well as well.) I have a feeling the cause of my PVC's is electrolyte imbalance, but not particularly magnesium, however. I say this because once I started taking Hydrolyte when I exercised, my PVCs kind of stopped altogether. I at one point switched from Hydralyte to Pocari Sweat (a Japanese brand of hydration powder which was sold in bulk on amazon.ca and it was cheaper) and my PVC's came back, so I went back to Hydralyte. I just put two tablets or one packet in a big water bottle (32oz or 40oz, so I put much less than recommended) and drink it while I exercise. I sometimes take the same amount during the day when I'm not exercising. Someone told me Hydralyte worked great for his cramps and even hangovers.

You may want to give Hydralyte a try (maybe two packets during the day in place of your other drinks like decaf tea? Tea can be dehydrating as it contains tannins) as Hydrate is not hugely expensive and I don't think it's particularly harmful (but I'm not a doctor.) The kind of Hydrate I take is a stripped-down version with not much in it (Not the kind with tons of other stuff added) but it works for me. Like these ones. https://hydralyte.com/products/all-natural-electrolyte-powder-variety-pack

It barely has any taste as I use so much water per packet, but it works for me.

Good luck!

 

[ncbill]

I also switched to unsweetened but flavored seltzer waters...I agree some flavors sound good but taste pretty strange.

OP might try plain club soda and add their own flavorings.

 

[jollystomper]

Yes, I make my own tea using decaf teabags. I prefer the "family size" bags as they work better in a pitcher, but normal size bags work too. Like I said, the time to brew and cool is a hassle, but not a deal breaker.

Stevia is my first venture into the so called natural alternatives. I grew a stevia plant once, so I'm familiar with the source, but I'm sure the processing is questionable. It works great for making my tea, sweetens without any noticeable aftertaste. I tried making brownies with it and that was a big fail. They "boiled" in the oven and turned into inedible bitter chocolate crackers. So despite the package promise, it seems restricted to beverages only. That's okay.

I may try the Erythritol, though the chemical sounding name didn't sound very appetizing in the store. Allulose and monk fruit are two other possible options. We'll see, it's all new to me.


Doubtful. I'm constantly drinking something, and urinating just as much.

I use the "family size" decaf tea bags as well. I always make large pitchers at a time. I do not find the brewing/cooling time an issue, as the electric kettle can heat a lot of water quickly, and I make it late at night and stick it in the fridge before I go to sleep. By morning it is nice and chill .

I bake with Erythritol as well, no issues using it as a sugar substitute.

 

[mountainsoft]

Magnesium orotate was my go-to supplement for a long time to lower the frequency of PVC's when I experienced more. (I would never take magnesium oxide as I think that's the least bio-available form of magnesium. Magnesium citrate worked fairly well as well.)

I just grabbed the first magnesium I could find when I first started having PAC's last year. At the time I didn't know there were different kinds and mag oxide seems to be the standard on the shelves. And no, I can't see that it does anything, at least it hasn't had any benefit for me.

I'll see if I can find the other magnesium varieties.
[/QUOTE]

 

[swakyaby]

That’s an interesting rhythm strip, mountainsoft. I assume you are under the care of a cardiologist? How often does the cardiologist check your heart rhythm? Does he/she understand how you feel when the PACs go on for awhile, beyond just feeling anxious? Hearing a patient describe “feeling like I’m dying” would get the attention of any physician, I would think.