So far I have done 5 rounds in a row of 3 days on and 4 days off of 50mg ALA every 3 hours. I think I need a break though, and don't want to do chelation next week. I am afraid if I take a week off though, it might grow to a few weeks off. The ALA is making me feel sick physically, but does improve my mood. It gives me muscle ache and muscle weakness. It reminds me of how I felt years ago when my illness was at its worst. Is this due to the elevation of my blood mercury levels while taking ALA? Would using something else with the ALA help with the muscle ache? I can't imagine going through many months or years of this. Will the symptoms fade with time, or will I need to keep raising the dosage of ALA and keep the symptoms?

I think you should take that break and then monitor yourself and what happens during that time you have off from ALA. It'll give you a chance to re-evaluate and see where you're at. You can always resume it at anytime. Sometimes your body does need a break from chelating mercury. It needs a rest. If ALA is pulling mercury out of your organs/tissues, that can be quite stressful and make you sick.

Epsom salts can be helpful in hot baths (and even take orally, though they taste foul) for muscle aches. Makes sure you include enough magnesium in your diet and you wil get this from epsom salts and/or another magnesium supplement. All vitamins/minerals recommended by Cutler maybe necessary and in enough amounts to make a difference and help with certain side effects during chelation (and even inbetween).

I know that muscle ache and muscle weakness can happen in healing crisis of one sort or another, but may also be too high a dose and pushing the chelation too far for your body to handle over long periods of time. You may need to start on half that dose, even if it does improve your mood, it is still affecting other areas and making you feel sick and weak too.

I'd take the break and do some replenishing with diet and supplements and whatever else you think will help. I took many breaks from chelation during my years of recovery from mercury. I chelated if/when I felt like it. I just could not keep it going for too long. I took, like yourself, suffered for it. General overall body aches and weakness and also severe tiredness and I'd feel sick too. That was just DMSA, so I can't imagine what ALA would do, seeing as it's a more thorough and powerful chelator of mercury apparently.

Be careful about taking epsom salts internally. Some aren't pure enough, and might contain slight heavy metal contamination(the last thing we need). Taking epsom salts in a large enough dose to be a laxative is especially dangerous. There are even reports of some people dying from this. Perhaps they had kidney or other problems, but even so, huge amounts of magnesium intake at one time is a great stress on the body.

Thanks for the caution. I don't take epsom salts, I take a mix of calcium and magnesium in a tablet (equal ratios). I dislike the taste of epsom salts intensely anyway. But didn't know about the risks you've informed me of. Glad to find out!

Though, I noticed they were a help to me when I used to use them in my bath when I had mercury toxicity....they aided sweating and seemed to help with detoxing the metals via the skin. I also used sea salt and baking soda together, which worked I think even better. About a cup or more of each.