Aspartame and Mania

[Mergath]

So apparently in some bipolar people, high amounts of aspartame can trigger mania. Sure would have been handy to know that a week ago when my bipolar dh decided to try to switch to diet pop to lower his sugar intake.  :glare:  

 

So yeah, an fyi for anyone else, like me, who had no idea. Is there a master list floating around of things bipolar people need to avoid? I'm getting tired of figuring it out through trial and error.

[Guest]

It's never been a trigger for me, but it's good to know the possible culprits nonetheless! If there is a master list I haven't seen it, but I know stress, sleep deprivation, and blood sugar swings mixed with caffeine have pushed me over the edge in years past. Not so much now but I've got it well under control compared to previous decades.

 

Oh yeah, and antidepressants. Obvs.

[Laura Corin]

Aspartame can be nasty stuff.  It irritates my bladder enough to cause the symptoms of urinary infections.  It took years to work that one out.

[AK_Mom4]

Aspartame can have that effect on people who do not have bipolar as well.  I am not bipolar (or even close) and have this issue with too much Aspartame.  I twitch and bounce like an overbred poodle.

 

When I did live with someone who had been diagnosed with bipolar, the Foods To Avoid list was pretty basic: Caffeine, Alcohol, Sugar, Salt and Fat.  My relative felt like that excluded most of what was decent to eat, however she did (and still does) feel better when eating a very clean diet that avoids those 5 in favor of whole grains and dark green veggies.

[Mergath]

Aspartame can have that effect on people who do not have bipolar as well.  I am not bipolar (or even close) and have this issue with too much Aspartame.  I twitch and bounce like an overbred poodle.

 

When I did live with someone who had been diagnosed with bipolar, the Foods To Avoid list was pretty basic: Caffeine, Alcohol, Sugar, Salt and Fat.  My relative felt like that excluded most of what was decent to eat, however she did (and still does) feel better when eating a very clean diet that avoids those 5 in favor of whole grains and dark green veggies.

 

I'm trying to get dh to eat healthier and cut out most of that stuff. This was our attempt to at least cut out sugar, but within literally a day or two of him drinking diet pop (2+ liters a day, which is completely ridiculous) he was severely manic. And that was the only change he's made, after a long period of him being very, very stable, so I'm 99.999% sure it was the aspartame. I've been researching online, and mental health forums are full of stories of people losing their sh** after switching to diet whatever. Oddly, there aren't a lot of scientific papers on it, though the two I found said that aspartame does cause psychological problems including mania.

 

They really need to research this more, though I suppose companies like Pepsi do their best to make sure no one looks too closely. 

 

I know that, years ago, when I used to drink diet Pepsi every day, I had awful headaches and lethargy. I felt so much better when I switched to drinking only water. Dh also has COPD, and the sugar is horrible for his lungs, so I thought diet pop would be the lesser of two evils. Apparently not. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

huh, who knew.  At least he figured that out!

 

 

[meena]

For anyone taking an MAOI, you have to be careful about how much tyramine you consume. I don't take an MAOI, but found this out while researching my issues with migraines. I didn't even know what tyramines were or what foods they are in. I just had to figure out by process of elimination that I can't eat foods with nitrates/nitrites or soy sauce. This confounded me especially because I can eat other forms of soy (edamame, milk) with no problems. It turns out that fermented foods such as soy sauce, along with a bunch of other foods, contain amounts of tyramine which can trigger intense migraines.

 

Unfortunately, food sensitivities (versus straight-up anaphylactic reactions) often have to be found through trial and error. It's also tough because what may work well for one person may be disastrous for another. For example, I've read Nourishing Traditions and have read all kinds of info on how fermented foods are so good for our bodies. For me, I'm glad I never jumped fully on that trend, though, because a steady diet of fermented foods would probably have had my head in a constant state of agony--and at the time, before I knew about tyramine, I wouldn't have understood the connection.

 

It's a constant process of refining what works. All the best to your husband and you as you find what is his best diet.

Edited April 1, 2016 by meena

[angelica]

Bipolar or not aspartame is toxic and most people simply do not care and even more people simply don't know how bad aspartame is! It's in gum too and a hoard of other questionable food items. I think the best thing for all mental health issues is to strive to simply eat a plant based diet and exercise every other day, if not daily. Learning to eat better is part of the challenge for most people though and when you don't eat healthy that is when mental health problems begin to manifest. Thanks for posting about aspartame! This is something that more people need to be aware of!

[Guest]

Angelica -

 

Actually aspartame, consumed in normal servings of 2-3 packet equivalents per day, is very safe and the literature backs this up. Individuals vary in their tolerance but toxicity is NOT established in such small quantities. Some people can handle it and some have side effects, just like many other foods and additives.

 

Major pet peeve of mine. Two diet sodas a day is just fine for my mom and gives my husband a headache. That doesn't mean it's inherently toxic because one person reacted to it and the other didn't.

 

Similarly, comparing a hundred serving dose in a bolus to a five serving dose in the same time period just proves that like everything else there is a safety threshold for consumption. The poison is in the dose, not inherent to the substance. The studies over the last few faces do bear this out - it is safe to consume in small quantities and can have side effects in larger doses or for certain individuals, depending on their biology.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[angelica]

Angelica -

 

Actually aspartame, consumed in normal servings of 2-3 packet equivalents per day, is very safe and the literature backs this up. Individuals vary in their tolerance but toxicity is NOT established in such small quantities. Some people can handle it and some have side effects, just like many other foods and additives.

 

Major pet peeve of mine. Two diet sodas a day is just fine for my mom and gives my husband a headache. That doesn't mean it's inherently toxic because one person reacted to it and the other didn't. Similarly comparing a hundred serving dose in a bolus to a five serving dose in the same time period just proves that like everything else there is a safety threshold for consumption. The poison is in the dose, not inherent to the substance. The studies over the last few faces do bear this out - it is safe to consume in small quantities and can have side effects in larger doses or for certain individuals, depending on their biology.

 

You make a point, but everyone is different. It may be "safe" but is it really natural and healthy? Nobody I know who is  of a healthy weight  consumes aspartame, especially on a regular basis because it is not a healthy option.

 

There might be people who suffer from depression and anxiety or any other mental health issue who consume aspartame but I bet you anything they are not "happy" about it, and that they are not "happy".

 

I view aspartame to be as toxic as alcohol and that people should consume at your own risk. There are people who process alcohol fine as there are people who process products with aspartame okay as well. Does that make it okay? Is drinking beer and wine or hard liquor daily okay? Honestly I would love to know.

[meena]

You make a point, but everyone is different. It may be "safe" but is it really natural and healthy? Nobody I know who is of a healthy weight consumes aspartame, especially on a regular basis because it is not a healthy option.

 

There might be people who suffer from depression and anxiety or any other mental health issue who consume aspartame but I bet you anything they are not "happy" about it, and that they are not "happy".

 

I view aspartame to be as toxic as alcohol and that people should consume at your own risk. There are people who process alcohol fine as there are people who process products with aspartame okay as well. Does that make it okay? Is drinking beer and wine or hard liquor daily okay? Honestly I would love to know.

People can eat and drink chemical or processed products and still be healthy, including being at a healthy weight. The key is to not overdo it and to know your own issues and sensitivities, whether they are physically or mentally derived.

 

Honestly, it gets old to have people think every health problem is a direct result of not eating a certain way. I ate a sandwich with store-bought bread/deli meat (minimal tyramines)/American cheese and potato chips for lunch. That probably wouldn't pass your test for "healthy and natural" but I felt great after I ate it. Before I knew about some of my migraine triggers I made my own juice out of fruits and veggies. It was 100% "healthy and natural" yet I felt so sick after drinking it and had an extended migraine episode as a result.

 

To imply that my body being wired to get migraines or that someone's mental health concern is a direct result of eating or drinking a certain way is ignorant and insulting, so I hope that's not what you're trying to say. The way I eat doesn't cause my health issue; instead it can potentially exacerbate an already existing issue.

 

I choose to abstain from alcohol completely (for personal not health reasons) but it is not toxic in moderate quantities and even has benefits of consumption for certain types and amounts. There are many cultural and scientific studies to back that up if you are so inclined to research the subject. It kind of sounds like you are more into your own personal opinions than science, though, but I could be wrong.

[Lara in Colo]

I find that artificial sweeteners make my blood sugar unpredictable.  I think I read somewhere that it triggers the body to release insulin, but there isn't anything to use it up, so it just circulates until some real glucose is added.  This actually reflects my experience.  All the normal things I do to regulate my sugar are just "off", and I cannot get things better until I work it out of my system.