[AbiDrew85]

My Mom thinks that Truvia may be causing us problems. I don't think it really fits perfectly what I went through, but... I suppose we can give switching to a different, purer, stevia brand a try. And no, that doesn't mean switching to PepsiCo's offering from Coke's... They're basically identical. It means switching to a stevia being offered by a well-regarded supplement brand: NOW Foods.

Of course, she doesn't know EVERYTHING I was going through, and she doesn't really know anything about my supplement schedule cause she chooses to remain purposely ignorant of that. So, hopefully with any luck in timing, we'll be using a different stevia by the time my next first 5 days come up to see if things are any different.

Now, what SHE's been experiencing recently, and the timing, and everything... it DOES fit, for her, that she's having a reaction to Truvia.

She linked me to an article she found on the subject, and I did some additional research, and it seems that depending on the specific reactions, there are certain additive ingredients in Truvia that some people may be allergic to.

One of these is erythritol and one of the biggest reactions is an increase in yeast production, which she has noted in herself. It can also cause moderate to severe diarrhea.

There are also "natural" flavors (actually quite artificial, but whatever.) Which can cause problems, among them are diarrhea and mild to moderate cramping...

However, there's two things that DON'T fit this diagnosis, for me. First, timing. I've been using Truvia nonstop for months now. And I only react during the first 5 days of a simulated cycle? And I am STILL using it, and I'm NOT reacting anymore days 6+? Second is my having responded so well to the ibuprofen treatment. The ibuprofen treatment would have eased the cramping, but NOT the diarrhea from a Truvia allergy. Truvia allergic diarrhea comes from a different cause that would not have been responsive to ibuprofen.

But anyways... NOW Foods has a stevia offering that's extracted with water and alcohol and then the alcohol is mostly evaporated out so there's only less than 11% alcohol left and very highly concentrated stevia extract in deionized water... No other additives. So we'll be trying that once the Truvia runs out. I'm really not having any bad reaction to it AFAIK, so there's no sense in wasting this crazy expensive stuff.

Oh. And for those who aren't familiar with stevia (shame on you!) it's aka "Sweet Leaf", it's a plant that's naturally super sweet without any calories AT ALL. And I do mean super sweet. It's waaaaaay sweeter than sugar. Just one teaspoon of NOW's extract will be equivalent to one cup of sugar.

Truvia is mixed with other stuff to make it taste more like sugar, because believe it or not, sugar isn't JUST "pure sweet" but actually has a unique flavor to it.

NOW's extract is pure sweet otoh... So I dunno how my mom'll react to it... She doesn't realize it, but she's quite addicted to that unique sugar flavor. Any time she has something that's sweet without having sugar she responds with a "don't like that as much as sugar".