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Diet Coke Aspartame Seizure Link?
Mon, 08/24/2009 - 17:12Hi,
I am new to the site today and have been doing my own research to try and help myself understand what is going on with my epilepsy. I am 26 and have had seizures since 18 years old. Sometimes I go a year, two years without a seizure. The doctors give me the yeah yeah you had a breakthrough seizure, not sure whats causing my seizures. I'm sure you all know what I mean.... Anyway I had been seizure free for 2 1/2 years until last week when I had a breakthrough seizure. I am currently on Lamictal 500mg/day and this has been way better than the dilantin and other meds I had before. While talking about this most recent seizure somebody suggested to me that aspartame could be causing my seizures. I wasn't sure what aspartame was. So I looked it up and it is an artificial sweetener used in Diet Soda's etc. I drink Diet Coke like a drug addict !!! At least until last week that is..... Nobody ever said anything to me like this, and I figured I may have started drinking Diet Coke around the age when I started having seizures. Does this mean anything to anyone?
Re: Diet Coke Aspartame Seizure Link?
Submitted by sperkins on Tue, 2009-08-25 - 09:38
S.Perkins
My son is 6 years old and out of nowhere started having seizures last year in July. I took him to a neurologist and he was diagnosed with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, something he should outgrow. The last seizure he had was last year in October, then suddenly in June he started having them almost every other day. It scared me to death and when I spoke with the nurse she recommended this website. I have been looking for triggers that could cause him to have a seizure, like not getting enough rest, playing video games for a long period of time, changes in his routine. I was not told about aspartame either. I am somewhat of a health freak when it comes to feeding my kids especially when it comes to sugar. I was giving him Crystal Lite to drink with dinner and some times with lunch. I didn't realize that was a trigger until I had been making sure he was going to bed earlier, limiting his time on his Wi, and keeping a normal routine for him. I had been doing everything right, well the night before he had the last seizure, he drank about three cups of Crystal Lite, lemonade flavor. Then it hit me, what if aspartame had some connection to triggering his seizures. Well, I did some reasearch online and found out it does. People who have seizures rather they have epilepsy of have diabetic seizures, I read that aspartame and Splenda could trigger the seizures. Since I stopped giving him anything with artificial sweeteners in it, he hasn't had a seizure since. Try to eliminate this ingredient from your diet. Good luck.
S.Perkins
My son is 6 years old and out of nowhere started having seizures last year in July. I took him to a neurologist and he was diagnosed with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy, something he should outgrow. The last seizure he had was last year in October, then suddenly in June he started having them almost every other day. It scared me to death and when I spoke with the nurse she recommended this website. I have been looking for triggers that could cause him to have a seizure, like not getting enough rest, playing video games for a long period of time, changes in his routine. I was not told about aspartame either. I am somewhat of a health freak when it comes to feeding my kids especially when it comes to sugar. I was giving him Crystal Lite to drink with dinner and some times with lunch. I didn't realize that was a trigger until I had been making sure he was going to bed earlier, limiting his time on his Wi, and keeping a normal routine for him. I had been doing everything right, well the night before he had the last seizure, he drank about three cups of Crystal Lite, lemonade flavor. Then it hit me, what if aspartame had some connection to triggering his seizures. Well, I did some reasearch online and found out it does. People who have seizures rather they have epilepsy of have diabetic seizures, I read that aspartame and Splenda could trigger the seizures. Since I stopped giving him anything with artificial sweeteners in it, he hasn't had a seizure since. Try to eliminate this ingredient from your diet. Good luck.