I don't know if anyone here has had this experience. But It seems that the days that I am on ALA, I just can't get anything done. I feel so unmotivated and tired. Is this a sign that I should take a week's break or lower the dosage?

I would personally lower the dosage it if interferes with work, however, I would expect to feel at least a little worse on detox days. That is a sign of mercury being mobilized, and that's a good thing.

Thanks, I recently read, towards the ends of Cutler's book, that this is one side effect of ALA. I have been on it for three months and most of this time I have been taking it in doses of 100mm. I seem to tolerate it well. I do it every three hours now with 100mg of DMSA. I think that maybe I need to drink more water. Also, I am thinking of adding Probiotics back to my supplement schedule.

I recently started back up on probiotics and found that they increase my energy some - not a lot - but it is noticeable.

I think that maybe the next several rounds I'll go back to using cilantro and take a break from ala for a while. Ala does take a lot out of you in terms of urinary volume when combined with DMSA.

I feel better on ALA.. Perhaps you moved up in doses way too quickly. I'm on 100mg of ALA, and 25mg of DMSA per dose. 3 hour rounds.. Anything longer than that can be a problem when you're using ALA, because it only lasts 3 hours.

What are your doses, and intervals?

I take 100mg of ALA and 100mg Of DMSA every three hours around the clock over a 72 hour period.

Yeah same here - only i take only 25mg of DMSA, as I literally can't afford to pay for the 100mg for each round. On 100mg of ALA though. I'll probably try to double my DMSA up to 50mg soon. Maybe you've upped your doses too quickly.

Sean, I was actually surprised that you are taking such a low dosage of DMSA. But your explanation about cost explains it. If anything DMSA, taken properly, is practically harmless and there is a large window of toleration so your body can handle more than you think. It is a lot easier to take than ALA. The brand that you take is expensive. That is why I use DMSA synergy which is a Canadian product. If you buy the large bottle 340 caps, it is somewhere in the range of $240. Now, this is much more affordable than the brand that you take, but DMSA, no matter what brand, is not a cheap item. So, I guess on a different level, I am in the same boat as you are. If it was not so expensive, I'd probably be taking 200mg per dose. But I remember Cutler posting somewhere that he did 100mg of DMSA and 100mg of ALA during his chelation rounds.

I found a 50mg bottle of DMSA for the exact same price as what I was paying for my 25mg bottle, so I'm going to move up to 50mg in a round or two I'm in no rush to up my doses.. I do it as I feel ready for it. It's not a sprint, but a test of endurance.

ALA is the key anyways.

I agree, it is a test of indurance. The round I did this week was a slight departure from what I have been doing for the past 4 months. I decided to experiment with a hypbrid protocol. Instead of my usual dose of 100mm of ALA, I did 50mm and mixed it with about 1/2 dropper of Cilantro from source naturals along with the 100mg of DMSA every three hours.. It seems to have gone o.k.