The Artificial Sweetener Found in Sugar-free LifeSavers Causes Violent Diarrhea

Consider Yourself Warned

I can almost hear a resounding, "Duh," coming from experienced diabetics and dieters reading the title of this article, but unfortunately for me, I had to learn the hard way. The artificial sweetener sorbitol can cause laxative effects if taken in excessive quantities. In other words, if you have more than the recommended serving of candy or other food or drink in one day, you could suffer from frequent explosive diarrhea and violent stomach cramps for a couple days following consumption.

I'm not a diabetic, nor am I a dieter, but I have been under the weather for the past month. I haven't had much more than Saltine crackers, broth and toast since April 10^th due to a chronic kidney disease. For some reason, about a week ago, I started craving wintergreen, so I sent my husband out for some regular Wint-O-Green LifeSavers. The drugstore was out, so he returned with a small bag of the sugar-free variety.

I've never tried sugar-free candy before but the taste was surprisingly good, so I ate five of them (which happened to be the serving size, though I didn't know this until days later). The next morning, as soon as my alarm clock went off, I was faced with severe stomach cramps and watery diarrhea every five minutes. Luckily my daughter's school is only five minutes away so I made it home just in time. I spent the rest of the day on the toilet writhing in pain. My old stand-by Gas-X didn't even work, and that stuff always worked for me in the past. I apologize for the graphic nature of my description, but I think it's important to get across the intensity of the side-effects.

It lasted for two days straight. Ironically, the same day I first consumed the candy, I stopped taking valium, which I had been on for two weeks post-operatively. Always wary of narcotics (I'm not even sure if valium is classified as a narcotic) I Googled, "valium withdrawal symptoms," and diarrhea was included. The site also said the effects could last up to "8.5 days" as it has a long half-life.