arthritis and artificial sweeteners....

 Ah, the double-edged sword.......   I just have come through a debilitating osteo. arthritis flare and, like most WLS people, I have used all types of artificial sweeteners.  In exploring arthritis on the 'net, i have discovered some articles, blogs and sites suggesting a link between artificial sweeteners and arthritis.  My holistic chiropractor firmly believes that artificial sweeteners are about one molecule away from rat poison!  I was wondering if anybody on this board have experienced any problems using 'fake' sugar... I did a non-scientific experiment and did not use any artificial sweeteners for a two week period and felt much better.  I then drank some artificially sweetened peach tea--about 64 oz. over the course of a day and the next morning my hands and wrists were swollen and my arms ached badly...I repeated the 'experiment' a couple weeks later with a different artificial sweetener and the same result (although a bit less severe).  What, if any, are your experiences?

Not sure if this is true but I heard Slenda is ok, but nutrasweet is bad. I would like to hear from others too.

I use Splender all the time. Everyday I drink my sweet tea with Splender for my sweetner.

I have oster. and have not had any affects. I know if I didn't take some type of anti-inflamatory med. I might hurt worse. Try takeing some Aleve is nothing else....they help too.

I have kepy my 130 lbs off for over three years and splender has not hurt me at all.

 Alleve is an NSAID and forbidden with my surgeon's program.   It's really tough to find something that works.  Tylenol might as well be TicTacs in that they don't work really well.  I keep searching and please, readers, keep suggesting......

I use prescription pain patches called Lidoderm. Not as good as NSAIDs, but better than nothing. And just today I learned that there's something called bromelain that's a 'natural' anti-inflammatory that's NOT an NSAID. Might want to Google that one.

When I eat artificial sweeteners my joints ache more. So I use stevia. It is difficult finding proteins without the artificial stuff but I did. I even made my own jello and popsicles.

Don't know if artificial sweeteners have affected my arthritis, but I do know Aspartame  turns into formaldehyde in the body.  I stay away from it.   I have started using Stevia and it tastes and works much better.  I even bake with it. 
Apparently, Aspartame is banned in Japan and 40% use Stevia as a sweetener.  It's completely natural.
I am happy with Lidocaine patches.  They have helped stop the pain on the joint where  they are placed.

I totally feel ya!! I cannot take any "fake sugar" without having joint pain. I haven't had  Stevia yet. I performed the same experiment as yourself and found the same results.

Right now, I'm experimenting with sugar and my 9 day old pouch. So far so good, I do keep it low.

 The plural form of "anecdote" is not data. I would be reading peer-reviewed journals to see if there is any research done into this subject. 

I've never seen any correlation between using Splenda and my knee pain. But that's just me. If it seems to bother you, then avoid it, but I can't imagine why artificial sweetners would affect things one way or another. 

If you find  any correlation between Splenda and arthritis pain please lety me know. I'm experiencing terrible pain in my left knee. The doctor wants to do a total knee replacement. I'm scared  I'm 61   now. I've gain about 12 pounds back  I don't know if that has something to do with the severe pain or not I have always had the knee pain I don't know what to do. I'm a teacher  and might have to retire because of the severe pain. If you have any suggestions  or hear about some relief for knee pain let me know. Thanks