Whey Protein side effects?

I wasn't too sure whether to post this here or undert he Food forum, but I reasoned that probably more people here are familiar with Whey... so I hope you all will bear with me.

I used Optimum Nutrition 100% gold standard Whey (Vanilla) for the first time this morning after a heavy lifting workout, and had a pretty severe reaction, to say the least. (i.e. I had to come home early from work as I was puking/use-your-imagination in the bathroom and have felt sick for almost five hours now.) I'm sorry. I don't mean to gross anyone out, but I'm pretty confused by this.

I did some research on the net to see if anyone had had a similar reaction, and the only information I found had to do with people who were severely lactose intolerant, which I'm not. I get a little bloated sometimes if I consume too much milk (hence I drink soy, which is what I mixed the whey with) but I eat the usual bit of cheese/yogurt on a daily basis.

I used a little less than one scoop of whey and mixed it with the soy milk I've been drinking for the past couple of weeks.

So I suppose my question is, has anyone else experienced this? Does Whey protein have this side effect in some rare cases?

*Editing to say that I am unable to keep any food down at the moment either... still =/ around 7 hrs have passed at this point since I ingested the protein shake. Been sipping on Pocari which is all I can manage, and am still having abdominal cramping.

oh wow that sounds bad. i've drank that particular brand before & it was fine for me. maybe a little bloat. promax brand was actually ok on my stomach, even when i had a hangover, but its not the best quality or bang-for-your-buck. i just hope you didn't get a 'bad batch' & that no other bad batches are floating around out there. it is a manufactured-processed type of food, so who knows. drink lots & lots of water if you can keep it down..

what's pocari?

Huh, that's the first I've heard of it happening too, but it's not inconceivable that you're mildly lactose intolerant (the slight bloating from milk indicates low tolerance at any rate) and that the amount in your post-workout shake passed your tolerance limit.

 Still seems odd though, especially with violent cramping and long-duration nausea - you might want to get an allergy test done to identify the reason, because this isn't an experience you want a repeat of.

 ON's generally one of the premier brands out there and they've got posibly the best-dissolving powder out there, but that does you no good if you're allergic to their vanilla extract or the lactose levels in the finished products.

If you're not lactose intolerant the only thing that makes sense is you probably had way more than your body could handle. At most, a human body conditioned over years to process protein quickly (i.e: people who consume a TON of protein) can absorb approximately 32 grams per hour.

Protein left over in the stomach that your body cannot process is converted to gas. Before I learned that lesson I once consumed about 50 grams of whey protein in about 15 minutes and was literally brought to my knees by the most debilitating cramps of my life.

I also use ON 100% Whey before and after work outs but keep my intake at any one time to below 35 grams per hour. As you've said this was one of your first times using this type of extraordinarily pure protein, it leads me to believe that your body wasn't ready to process however much protein you put into it.

Cut way back on the amount you use next time (try to estimate about 25  grams worth) and see if that doesn't solve the problem.

Good luck,

Eric

Have you called the company and asked them if they have heard any complaints?  Maybe the batch you have was contaminated?? I'd give them a call it's worth a try.

I use this same brand and I never had any kind of negative effect. It's also the best-tasting whey protein I've ever had.

I know that it's harder for me to drink a protein shake in the morning on an empty stomach, so the first few weeks I only had a shake in the afternoon or in the evening, and I used more milk than they recommend on the package.

I hope you'll be fine.

Maybe you have a whey allergy?  Have you used whey protein shakes before?

i think you might be lactose intollerant...  but if you're not, maybe it's totally unrelated.  even if it IS lactose or not, you should see your doctor.

Hi my DH  recently discovered that he is extremely sensitive to whey protein, he bought a protein supplement, I can't remember the brand but he got really sick diarrhea vomiting and bloating, and now if he eats any thing that has whey added he gets very sick, and he is not lactose intolerant, he can eat cheese, ice cream etc.??

so you are not alone.

Thanks a bunch for all the responses guys... I just woke up after a straight 12-hr sleep, my body was just completely depleted after yesterday. Literally. Am chugging down some water to replace some liquids as I type this.

rnjt - Pocari is an electrolyte drink here in asia similar to gatorade, but without the fruit taste

melkor - It didn't occur to me that the vanilla extract was what I might've been allergic to. I generally don't eat anything vanilla flavored, but that was all they had left in the shop... I think later today I'll pay a visit to the doctor and figure it out. You're right, definitely do not want yesterday repeated... it scared me because it's the most severe reaction I've had to any kind of food.

ncxcrnnr - The thing is, I consumed only three quarters of a scoop, which according to the nutritional panel was only around 25g. I would try it again at maybe 1/2 a scoop, only that I'm really scared of having a repeat experience. I've never had my body revolt against me like that before.

girlfighting27 - I might try that later today, it's just hard to call during the specified work hours as I live in asia. I really hope it's not a bad batch!

(I thought maybe I'd just pass it onto my brother when he comes back from college this christmas, he's the one who recommended ON to me)

milliejolie - thanks, but I'm feeling much better this morning so I'll probably live off pocari and porridge for another day till I'm sure my stomach's completely settled :)

cassrd05 - first time using whey protein shakes. Sucks because I was really excited about it too!

Juleroo - going to for sure. :)

gterv - that's a relief to know... not that your DH has to go through the same thing, but that I'm not the only case. It strikes me as so odd, as I've often read whey to be a by-product of milk. Kind of makes me wonder if anything else is added to it that might set off a reaction.

Can anyone recommend any protein supplements other than Whey? I know that Whey protein isolate is the most effective, but I've heard there's been some controversy over soy and that... it doesn't absorb into the body properly? What about egg-protein supplement?

Thanks again for all the replies and support everyone... this gal really appreciates it :)

If you're looking for strictly the "safest" type of protein while maybe disregarding maximum efficiency, you might want to try hemp protein. I've yet to find a clinical study where any negative side effects are mentioned. It's not nearly as efficient as whey but you clearly don't want to have that reaction ever again.

Hey Katya,

       Did you try the Aria weight control for women? You just mix it with water and drink away. However it is alittle chacky but I have already started to lose weight with it.

I've been doing carb cycling and let me tell you. Protein shakes plus lots of Benefiber give you the worlds smelliest farts. I'm almost voted out of the house.

Just wanted to throw that out there

Original Post by spirochete:

I've been doing carb cycling and let me tell you. Protein shakes plus lots of Benefiber give you the worlds smelliest farts. I'm almost voted out of the house.

 

Just wanted to throw that out there

 hmm, sounds like a friendly bacteria imbalance to. too much fermentation in the gut.

I have used the GNC whey protein several times, all with the same effect.  I mix with water and ice because I am fairly lactose intolerant.  I have horrible bloating, gas and then I spend the rest of my day sitting on the potty.  I have the same reaction if I try to use regular, whole milk in anything that I don't cook.  There must be something in the whey that mimics lactose.

Eric - What are your thoughts on egg protein? I was asking around my gym and a buddy of mine said that he had some I could try it out... I asked if anyone used hemp but sadly noone had any. The nutrition stores here don't allow you to sample protein powders or return them (for obvious reasons, I understand but it makes trying to figure out which to buy a b*tch) so I'm waiting for the weekend to run its course before maybe attempting the egg protein on monday.

Visited the doctor's for some food allergy tests. Nothing like seeing five vials of your blood first thing in the morning... and I still have abdominal cramps two days into it. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. I can only look back on this and laugh.

sabre - thanks for the tip, but at the moment I'm trying to gain muscle :) not really looking for weight controllers.

betsy - I'll let you know how the alternatives work... you don't want to spend the rest of your trainning being that discomfitted by what you're eating =/

Original Post by katya185:

Eric - What are your thoughts on egg protein? I was asking around my gym and a buddy of mine said that he had some I could try it out... I asked if anyone used hemp but sadly noone had any. The nutrition stores here don't allow you to sample protein powders or return them (for obvious reasons, I understand but it makes trying to figure out which to buy a b*tch) so I'm waiting for the weekend to run its course before maybe attempting the egg protein on monday.

Visited the doctor's for some food allergy tests. Nothing like seeing five vials of your blood first thing in the morning... and I still have abdominal cramps two days into it. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. I can only look back on this and laugh.

sabre - thanks for the tip, but at the moment I'm trying to gain muscle :) not really looking for weight controllers.

betsy - I'll let you know how the alternatives work... you don't want to spend the rest of your trainning being that discomfitted by what you're eating =/

In the interest of full disclosure, I've never tried egg protein so I can't speak to any personal experiences. I did examine the nutritional contents of a few different egg protein products after you asked and was quite honestly very very surprised to find that every egg protein powder I encountered had a lower calorie:protein ratio. 

Obviously I can't reccomend or not reccomend egg protein given that I've never tried it as a supplement (I've only used liquid egg whites as such); but I can safely say given the information I found, I will more likely than not be trying egg protein at some point in the near future.

The only downside is that this form of protein is noticiably more expensive than whey (approximately 2 pounds of egg protein for every 5 pounds of whey). Needless to say however, if whey protein sets off such a violent reaction in your body, you should certainly consider spending the extra bucks.

Hope this helps!

I'm accostomed to using caesin protein for it's slow release but since iv been abroad and teaching more iv gone wit whey since caesin is a lot harder to find. Well, all i can say is iv never been so gassy in my life. So bad in fact that my friends are refusing ti hang out with me untill it passes! True

/deleted

Original Post by ncxcrnnr:

In the interest of full disclosure, I've never tried egg protein so I can't speak to any personal experiences. I did examine the nutritional contents of a few different egg protein products after you asked and was quite honestly very very surprised to find that every egg protein powder I encountered had a lower calorie:protein ratio. 

Obviously I can't reccomend or not reccomend egg protein given that I've never tried it as a supplement (I've only used liquid egg whites as such); but I can safely say given the information I found, I will more likely than not be trying egg protein at some point in the near future.

The only downside is that this form of protein is noticiably more expensive than whey (approximately 2 pounds of egg protein for every 5 pounds of whey). Needless to say however, if whey protein sets off such a violent reaction in your body, you should certainly consider spending the extra bucks.

Hope this helps!

Much much thanks for all the input, Eric :)

Guess I'm gonna have to pay for whey intolerance... I did try to look for hemp when I passed by the store today, but apparently they don't even carry it at all. Random note - it's amusing trying to talk to the store manager... I guess he's not used to small asian girls coming in and asking about protein supplements, heh. He kept asking if I was making the purchase for someone else, and gave me a 'wtf' look when I asked for a more in-depth explanation of BCAA's.

On the plus side, feeling SO much better today. Quantum of Solace tomorrow with the ladies and the gents, then hitting the gym before cocktail hour =D

Bumping this just as a word of caution to anyone feeling bloated/queasy from any of the protein powders out there.

I got back my blood report yesterday, and as it turns out I have stomach allergies to cow's milk. Stomach allergies tend to go undiagnosed from what my doctor told me, and although you're born with it, it can severely worsen over time... consider getting tested for food allergies if you haven't already.

I guess my threshold of feeling bloated/icky was quite high because apparently my blood reacted quite severely. =/