[ledfnzeppelin]

I figured I'd raise the question since aspartame actually increases dopamine production many times more than regular sugar and could be a cause or at least contribute to psychosis or mental health symptoms, specifically over time.

I've been ADDICTED to diet soda for ten years drinking anywhere from 6 or more from McDonald's suffering from issues DAY. It seems to be counter productive to AP's. I'm sure not everyone with mental health issues drinks diet soda or beverages with aspartame/nutra sweet etc., but I'd like to see any posts from people who do (or at least in excessive amount) that are suffering from issues.

Just something to discuss.

-Rob

[Leed]

I drink diet pop all day -- I guess the quantity isn't alot cause I sip on it, but I do drink it all day. I drink coffee in the morning which is sweetened with aspartame, and then the pop in the afternoon, which is diet. So if it causes trouble, I guess I'm a nut case. LOL

But I've suffered from depression since I was a small child, and that's before the sweetener was even thought of! I'm 63 yrs old, and they only had sugar WAY back in the OLD days. LOL So it can't be the culprit in my case.

But it's a good subject to talk about. Lord only knows what these additives can cause. Thanks for the post! Hugs, Lee

[likewater]

Since my brother died, I started drinking about two diet cokes a day. On bad days i'll drink more but on those days, i'll always get a migraine.

[ledfnzeppelin]

For me personally a traumatic event is what triggered my mental illness when I was 22, so I'm not too sure I can blame the diet soda specifically since I was consuming for about 4 years prior to that, but I'm really wondering if now many years later (I'm 29 now) if the additional consumption of it is preventing me from getting stable this time around since I haven't responded to any medications. Again, since aspartame increases dopamine (I can't even begin to imagine how much it increases for me since I drink at least a gallon a day!) it works against AP's. it's definitely worth trying.

i've drank diet sodas, but prefer regular any day

Being glucose intolerant / prediabetic, I used to drink several diet Cokes per day for years. Finally, the acids took their toll on my GI system and I developed IBS.

There have been several scientific studies that prolonged ingestion of aspartame can affect the brain. It's hard to quit diet sodas because they usually contain caffeine which is very addictive. Diet Coke was my happy juice for many years and it was hard to stop drinking it. Finally, I switched to unsweetened ice tea and now drink only that. I no longer have a caffeine addiction and my GI system is better. Do I miss the caffeine? Heck yeah. But, I am better off without it and the other chemicals in diet sodas (all sodas for that matter) that are potentially harmful including artificial colors, acids and the like.

[Hellion]

Why diet soda? I mean I understand if someone has a health condition and cannot consume the sugar in regular soda, but otherwise I hear the false sweetener can be way worse for you health wise so if you don't 'have' to drink diet soda why do you?

Just can't understand because I find it to taste bad and make me nauseous so I don't see why anyone would want to drink diet soda. I personally think if I had a health condition that disallowed me from having regular soda I just wouldn't drink it at all anymore.

[LucyG]

I used to live on diet soda, but stopped drinking it several years ago because if you have any sort of pain disorder like fibromyalgia or myofascial pain, the aspertame amplifies the pain.

Aspertame is stimulates your pancreas just as regular sugar so if you're diabetic, you're not doing yourself any favors. It also causes MS type symptoms--google it--you'll be shocked. You're far better off drinking regular soda than the diet. One other disadvantage to drinking any soda is that the phosphorus binds to magnesium in your blood making it unavailable for use in your body. If you suffer from depression or anxiety, chances are you're already low in magnesium so you might want to think about that as well.

[Hellion]

Best bet is to look for soda made with pure natural sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Even Mountain Dew has a version like that called Mountain Dew Throwback, I do prefer it to the regular kind except I haven't found it canned and boxed yet I think they also have Pepsi Throwback which is the same thing except not mountain dew.

Other then that there are better artificial or calorie free sweetners than what they put in diet soda that aren't nearly as bad for you.

I think even sugar free energy drinks typically use better artificial sweetners, I've gotten them a couple times by accident and figured I'd get nauseous like with diet soda, but I don't seem to have that issue with those so I think it could be they use different sweetners not entirely sure though.

I don't do diet sodas ... About 20 minute after ingesting one, it feels as if someone has stuck an icepick into my kidneys and is wiggling it around ... ... !!!

On another note ... I try to avoid any drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup too, as that tends to make me break out into red itchy splotches all over my body ... ... !!!

[Maven]

I'm addicted to soda, but I drink diet soda because it doesn't have any calories, so I figure I can drink as much as I want (I know this is a false assumption). I don't like to worry about how much I drink--it's hard enough worrying about what I eat--because I need to drink when I'm thirsty, and sometimes it's for something to do.

I much prefer the taste of regular soda, but it seems to make me poop more (at least Cherry Coke does...the diet soda I drink most is Cherry Coke Zero). That might be a good thing, for all I know. When I was a kid and a teen, I drank regular Pepsi all the time. My parents loved me, but started me out on consuming lots of sugary foods and drinks, and so now it's a struggle I'm constantly dealing with. (Slightly off-topic, just to show you the extent of my addiction to sugar, is that earlier, I went into the store looking for a new flavor of Ben & Jerry's to try--which was bad enough--but, not finding it, I bought a bunch of sugary things instead, even as I was telling myself, "Don't get it. Put it back." I got a banana cream pie, four chocolate bars, some new Dove Cookies & Creme candies and, at the drug store, a bag of Godiva chocolates with toffee in them. I keep intending to stop, but when I'm in front of the sugary item, I just remember how it tastes, the texture of the food, and I think, just once more. I DON'T WANT TO GET DIABETES, but I feel like I need a sugar rehab.)

Back to diet soda. I've had my OCD and panic disorder since I was at least 10, when I still drank regular soda, so I don't think diet soda had anything to do with it. That said, for all I know, it's worsening the conditions and maybe causing other things mentally and physically. I find I tolerate the caffeine in sodas pretty well, but if I drink something coffee-based (not that I do, since I don't like the taste of coffee, but I did get into drinking one-shot lattes for a while), it gives me mild diarrhea.

Over the years, I've used aspartame and other artificial sweeteners (Splenda being a favorite, taste-wise), and I've tried Stevia (Truvia and Stevia in the Raw are brand names), which wasn't bad. There's a slight aftertaste to Stevia, but it's not bad. And Stevia is natural--but that doesn't mean it can't harm you (hemlock and arsenic are natural, too). I find it hard to keep up on what's safe and what isn't, and of course, there's always people saying it's safe/no, it's not.

I've tried several sugar-free chocolates, usually made with Splenda, that I recommend as far as taste goes. Sugar-free Reese's tastes almost like the regular Reese's, and Russell Stover's sugar-free products are pretty good, but I find they make me poop more, just like regular soda. (Sorry if that's TMI, but I'm just being honest.)

I was addicted to diet soda for many years. I drank 9-12 a day. I tried and tried several times to get off it and couldnt.
This year i finally got down to 3 a day.
Then in the spring i gave it up cold turkey for three months. After three months, i started letting myself have one a week. So now i am still at one a week, but i am not rigid about it, i might have one if we go out to dinner.
I feel soooo much better without all that stuff in my system.

[LiveThroughThis]

In my opinion, unless one is diabetic or pre-diabetic, drinks/etc. made with sugar are less dangerous than artificial anyday.

As Maven stated, I've heard many ppl say the sugar-free gumdrops/candies cause them to have diarrhea. I don't know what it is--my bf says the sucrose?--but that does not sound healthy to me.

It seems like ultimately it's a matter of moderation, with anything. Obviously many of us have OCD/addiction issues that makes that harder. I can't drink hot chocolates or coffee much because they make me jittery.....but I can drink tea all day long and doesn't affect my energy or sleep.

IMO the artificial sweeteners are just propaganda. I heard one of the ingredients in Splenda is bleach, , but not sure. I used to drink tea w/it and Equal, etc., and always noticed an aftertaste, like I could taste the chemicals.

Food for thought..

[eskielover]

I never liked fizzy drinks or even sweetened drinks like kool-aid that all the parents gave their kids to drink......I would just feel sick after drinking it. From the time I can remember, I always liked ice water, or ice tea.....not sweetened. Any of those fake sweeteners always left a bitter aftertaste that was immediate & I couldn't stand the flavor. If I want something sweet....it's processed sugar, or sugar in the raw.....now I have realy grown to love the Agave sweetener....it's pure & healthy. However for diabetics even with the lower glycemic index it's 90%fructose which ends up causing higher triglicerides.

Speaking of high fructose....all the processed foods have such a high amount of fructose in them......if's scary what the food processing companies are stuffing down us & we go ahead & eat or drink without any thought to what it's doing to our bodies. I hate going to the store & shopping because I look at the labels of everything just to make sure it's as natural as possible. I was trying to find sausage to make my stuffed banana peppers with......only found 1 brand that didn't contain MSG......& MSG & many of the other additives have been linked to alzheimers, dementia, & parkinsons diseases. Have only found one brand of BBQ potato chips that does NOT contain MSG. Health foods are so expensive but unhealthy foods are going to cost in medical bills later on.......& we just go one blindly eating & drinking these things without any care to our future.

[Little Me]

Love diet soda. Tab is my favorite and have only 1/day now. But love fizzy drinks. Have a Fresca or Diet Ginger Ale or something. I've heard that sugar is so bad for you too. Many diets now propose cutting out all sugar. I know artificial sweeteners aren't good for you but only a little bit of something probably is ok? I like beer too but that's started to add some blob around the middle. This past year has been brutal. All the things I love seem to do something to me. I exercise too, must be even hard for those who don't like to exercise.... I love it -unless I'm exhausted, which is all the time because I'm not sleeping.

[ledfnzeppelin]

Originally Posted by Hellion

Why diet soda? I mean I understand if someone has a health condition and cannot consume the sugar in regular soda, but otherwise I hear the false sweetener can be way worse for you health wise so if you don't 'have' to drink diet soda why do you?

Just can't understand because I find it to taste bad and make me nauseous so I don't see why anyone would want to drink diet soda. I personally think if I had a health condition that disallowed me from having regular soda I just wouldn't drink it at all anymore.

I started drinking diet soda when I started working out so I didn't have to worry about the calories and sugar from regular soda. And I slowly became addicted to it!

[-jimi-]

OK, here is the deal. It's not going to sound nice. Soda is bad for so many reasons. It is very stuffed with calories without making you feel full. Not a good idea. It has bubbles, that are totally unnatural to the body, and even that can harm you in the long run. It is acidic with its own set of problems. Aspartame is actually poison. It is an excitotoxin which is just fact. The high fructose stuff is unnatural and predisposes to diabetes. Cane or beet sugar is slightly better, but refined sugar is not what the body needs at all.

When you are thirsty, drink water. If you get bored of water, drink water with something natural added to it, like cucumber slices. Save the bad stuff for special occasions. If we get treats all the time every day, they stop being treats and we think they are normal food stuffs, and then they will slowly and safely destroy our bodies. You will be unwell at the same time that you loose the kick of getting something extra.

When I was a kid, you didn't get anything unhealthy unless it was Saturday. That was just the deal and you accepted it. Sounding old and grumpy, but I think that was an excellent take on things. You didn't go health nut, but at the same time you let your body have the good things most of the time.

[LucyG]

I agree with jimrat.

While I drank diet soda for years, I knew it was bad for me as it contained chemicals made in a lab, not something you would find in nature.

He's exactly right about aspertame. The company that produces it couldn't get the FDA to pass it so they hired Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense to head the company and force it through. Aspertame is now referred to as the Rumsfeld Plugue in the alternative health community as it causes MS-type symptoms. To add to the yuck factor, aspertame is made from e-coli feces!!

[Odee]

Doesn't caffeine already increase dopamine transmission? (Thus indicating its very addictive side)

I'm doubtful that the artificial sweetener in diet sodas can really contribute all that much to mental disorders. Everything you do alters neurotransmitter production/activity in the brain. Food especially is very mind altering -- such as the surge of serotonin you receive after eating a lot of carbs.

I think that caffeine and sodium would be the worst ingredients to look out for. Sodium is linked to bipolar disorder and blood pressure. I've heard that MSG -- a flavoring found in a lot of highly processed foods -- can also act like a neurotransmitter in the brain. MSG is just another form of sodium.

I've gotten to be pretty bad about drinking diet soda these past few months -- I used to never be a soda drinker. Luckily I've been switching it out with crystal lite lately. It's still an artificial sweetener, but no caffeine, no sodium, and all hydration!

[-jimi-]

Aspartate (in aspartame) has a similar effect as MSG.

[Maven]

I just wish I could drink something sweet and SAFE without calories or other consequences. I am so addicted to soda and sweet drinks, I can't imagine drinking (sugarless) coffee or anything non-sweet with meals. I have tried to get into plain water, and for a while it worked, but I never totally got into it, and went back to diet soda. The flavored waters (that don't have artificial sweeteners) are a good choice, but I don't like them for two reasons: 1. They taste like what they are...watered-down juice, and 2. A lot of them feel funny in my mouth and throat. Don't know how to describe it, but it feels a little dry and just weird.

On a related topic...I'm also quite concerned about Frankenfoods, or genetically modified foods. The food companies don't want to label the food because people will avoid the foods. They say they're safe. Well, excuse me, but if I'm putting it into my body, I am entitled to the full information, and I will make my own choice. Just because businesses don't like it doesn't mean they get to decide what I eat.

[-jimi-]

I suggest a drink with stevia as a cold drink, and coffee with saccharine.

Now people are going... but saccharine is also unnatural and bad. But... no ill effects in humans have been found! The rat studies do not translate to humans. Saccharine is a type of sweet salt. It is pretty much harmless unless you overdo it, then it will be like overdoing salt.

I know exactly how easy it is being addicted to sweet tastes, but I also know, once you're detoxed you will appreciate the sweetness in less sweet foods because you will get more sensitive to the taste. And then, normal sweet stuff will be repulsively sweet.... So it is worth fighting for.

[krisakira]

I grew up on aspartame. Ever since I can remember, I was drinking several cans of diet coke every day, even as a young child. It is all my parents drank too. I never really learned to drink much else. When I got into high school and college, I added a variety of more sugary drinks such as mountain dew and dr. pepper. While they did not have aspartame, I don't think it was ever good for me to drink only soda for all my liquid intake. Since then, I started drinking diet caffeine free dr. pepper. I thought it was better for me, because it had no calories or caffeine. I was wrong. Although caffeine is bad for me, since I have tourette's syndrome, and going off it did me a world of good, I think the aspartame really affected me. I read somewhere that it can actually spike your blood sugar more than real sugar. I have insulin resistance, so this is not good. So, lately I have been drinking Dr. thunder (which is a knock off brand of dr. pepper), but it is not diet. I am also drinking less of it, and adding juice and water. I feel a lot better than when I drank all that aspartame. I don't know what it is, exactly. Just feel better. No more aspartame for me. That stuff is worse than sugar itself.

Oh, one drink I found at walmart a couple weeks ago was called Honest Aid. It contains organic pomegranate and blueberry juice, and also organic sugar cane. It tasted great. Half the sugar content of other drinks like it. I will be getting that drink more often. Every ingredient had the word organic in front of it.

I have never been one to drink soda or sugary type drinks. I do love me some coffee, though

Fizzy, bubbly drinks create misery for my stomach.

When I drink or eat anything with aspartame, within a few minutes, I start feeling quite ill, so no incentive really. I really try to avoid it.

I also have high sensitivity to msg so I have to be careful about what I consume, in general

I dont think artificial sweets contribute to my feelings of depression because I avoid it. Although, if I have low blood sugar, I feel very grumpy and not well.

Good times.

[Maven]

Jimrat, are there commercial drinks with Stevia in them, or do you mean to add Stevia to them? I can't drink saccharine because it has a bitter aftertaste. But you're absolutely right that, once you get over a sugar addiction, you don't have to add much (if any) sugar to some foods that are already sweet. I remember eating Rice Krispies without adding anything to it (besides milk) when I broke my sugar addiction. However, you have to be careful not to START adding sugar and then more sugar, because you can build up a sugar addiction all over again, like I did.

And Rose, I know the news is always saying coffee's good for you, coffee's bad for you, back and forth, back and forth. But the last thing I heard is that people who drink coffee tend to live longer! I don't like coffee, except for dipping cookies in, or in tiramisu (which contains espresso).