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General health

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Original poster

Could Diet Coke be giving DH constant headaches??

17 replies

superloopy · 07/08/2008 14:01

My DH almost always has headaches. It make him moody and grumpy. I am over being sympathetic now and it annoys me to be honest.

Anyway although he is very fit (ran the London marathon last year) and goes to the gym everyday. Has a healthy diet. He does drink at least 2 cans of Diet coke each day.

Could the artificial sweeteners in this be the cause of his headaches? I remember reading ages ago the evils of aspartame (sp?) but I am unsure if this is the sweetener in DC.

Does anyone know anything for sure and confirm my hunch? TIA

OP posts:

Simply · 07/08/2008 14:05

I know of a few people who felt much better after giving up drinking Coke and one of those used to have headaches which then disappeared.

FluffyMummy123 · 07/08/2008 14:06

Message withdrawn

TrinityRhino · 07/08/2008 14:07

I would have thought it was the massive amounts of caffeine

just dont drink it, it sucks

StellaWasADiver · 07/08/2008 14:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cocolepew · 07/08/2008 14:09

I wouldn't have thought 2 would, but tell him to stop for a few weeks to try it. Does he take painkillers for his headaches? If you take them everyday they can give you headaches.

Original poster

superloopy · 07/08/2008 14:10

Thank you all!
Just as I thought. I will present this as medical evidence and nag him to give it up.

OP posts:

Original poster

superloopy · 07/08/2008 14:12

Yes he does take painkillers but not everyday.
I think it is silly that he is drinking one chemical then having to take another to counter the effects...

OP posts:

StellaDallas · 07/08/2008 14:18

There is not a lot of caffeine in Diet Coke - only equivalent to about a third of a cup of coffee - so two cans a day is less than a cup of coffee.
He may be sensitive to aspartame, he may not be. Only one way to find out obviously - rather than nag him to give up completely why don't you suggest he give it up for two weeks as a controlled experiment and see if the headaches go?
Another possibility is that his headaches actually being caused by the painkillers he is taking to combat them - this is quite common apparently.
Has he been to the doctor or is that a silly question?

StellaDallas · 07/08/2008 14:18

Oh sorry, xpost with Coco there.

wannaBe · 07/08/2008 14:21

coke/diet coke contains the cafeen content of two cups of coffee.

I gave up drinking coke after I started having palpitations, and although I drink it occasionally now I don't drink it as regularly.

The only difference between diet/normal coke is that diet coke contains aspartame which is the nectar of the devil.

flowerybeanbag · 07/08/2008 14:22

I drink a fair bit of Diet Coke, I get headaches for a couple of days if I stop, but not otherwise.

That's quite alarming really isn't it?

StellaDallas · 07/08/2008 14:31

Caffeine content of various drinks and chocolate
? 1 mug of instant coffee = 100mg
? 1 cup of instant coffee = 75mg
? 1 cup of brewed coffee = 100mg
? 1 cup of tea = 50mg
? 1 can of cola = 40mg
? 1 can of "energy" drink = 80mg
? 1 x 50g bar of plain chocolate = up to 50mg
? 1 x 50g bar of milk chocolate = up to 25mg

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 07/08/2008 14:33

aspartamane (sp?) is the sweetner used in diet coke it is a poison and one of the side effects is migranes. so yes it could definately be the diet coke.

Original poster

superloopy · 07/08/2008 14:34

I don't think it is the caffeine causing the problems as he always drank coke but switched to diet coke a couple of years ago to lose weight.

I am quite certain it is the aspartame but just wanted to confirm my theory.

I will try and get him to stop drinking it for a couple of weeks and see how he feels.

No he has not been to the doctor, not a silly question. Getting him to go to the doctor is a whole other thread...

OP posts:

meemar · 07/08/2008 14:40

I don't know the science of artificial sweetners but I know that I can't drink them because they give me a headache too.

Have you considered whether he drinks enough water? Dehydration can be a major cause of headaches. He might not be drinking enough, especially if he exercises a lot.

Original poster

superloopy · 07/08/2008 14:52

He probably doesn't drink enough water, I'll suggest that too. Thanks!

OP posts:

InLoveWithSweeneyTodd · 07/08/2008 15:07

i don't know the science behind, but i know that in my case one of the migraine triggers is caffeine and the other is aspartame. If I drank 2 cans of diet coke everyday I'd have gone literally insane with headaches by now. It's just the worst thing you can give to people with chronic migrains.
If he is the migrainy type like me, maybe he'll feel better after giving up both. The effect won't be immediate. In fact, it will get worse before it gets better as the caffeine withdrawal symptoms are terrible -one full week feeling like shit-, but it is worth doing.

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