Hi all, I have been detoxing for 5 months. Started Dmsa 4 1/2 months ago. Beginning with 25 mgs. After 3 mo's I added ALA. Slowing increased Dmsa as I was able to handle it. Im at 75 mgs plus ALA. Also I have been VERY SLOWLY going off my anti-depressant (celexa). The last decrease was about 3 weeks ago. Im off 57% now. I was doing OK. Ihave been sticking to no sugar, no white flour, no yeast, no caffeine and have been since the get go. Sudenly about 2 weeks ago I started noticing I was waking up at 4:00 am to go pee and having terrible difficulty going back to sleep. My thoughts would race, couldn't turn it off, my heart rate was up and have been experiencing a low to moderate grade of anxiety all day long. Can't fall asleep without CalMg supplement and /or melatonin. The anxiety is really bothering me. Even when I wasn't on antidepressants I never had this kind of anxiety. I've been on SSRI's for 16 yrs and have attempted getting off at least 10 times only to fall in a deep pit. But thats before I knew I was merc poisoned and had candida. Im really wondering if I am peri menopausal and if thats whats causing the anxiety. Ill be 44 next month. I am getting night sweats once or twice a week. Periods are getting unpredictable (Been regular for 30 yeras). And also extreme sensitivity to temperature. Like I get cold real easy and hot real easy. Im OK as long as the temperature is between 71 and 72 degrees. (The supplements I have been taking are as follows but they have been consistent with my whole program. Not changing anything.
Vitc 1000 3x day
Chlorella 2 1/2 gms day
Vit E 1x day (400iu)
Flax oil 1000 mgs 1x day
Algin 2 caps w/ each meal ( 3x day)

And other than my regular multi and probiotic thats it. Everything has remained the same. DMSA is every 3 1/2 -4
hrs for 3 1/2 days including waking up at night to take. I wonder if my body is getting used to getting up at 3 am. The feeling is awful. I feel like Im on Ma Huang or something. I cannot relax. Does anybody have any suggestions or insight. My goal is to be medication free but Im not going any lower at this point. The depressive thoughts are sliding in and its awful. Thanks for any help! Diane P.S. Im on my 18 th round of DMSA.

Diane,
Do you think you body burden is down enough so that you are not redistributing mercury when you use ALA to pull mercury from your brain?
I would do a process of elimination to find what is the culprit. Maybe take a rest from the ALA for a while and keep everything the same and see if that helps. If not take a break from the dmsa and see.
I have never been on SSRI's thank God but I know of people who thought it was impossible to come off those blasted things and went through a horrible time. I'm betting this is what is causing you so much trouble.
When I took a trial of ALA I had terrible feeling of impending doom, like the whole world was going to end any second, after being off the ALA for a couple days, my brain started calming down.

Another thought is...... your mercury level is coming down and other "infections" and rearing their ugly head. Have you heard of the onion analogy? You peel one layer off and other layer is there to deal with.
hth

Maybe you are entering the dumping mercury stage, when the body lets go? 5 months into chelation is about the right timing for that. That’s where the body starts dumping mercury on its own accord, so you have much more mercury coming out now. I have read that you need to adjust downwards the doses of DMSA and ALA because now your body is dumping on its own, AND the DMSA and ALA are also working too…its all too much for the body. So reducing the dosage of ala and/or dmsa lowers the mercury removal rate…and you get less symptoms?

I have not even started chelation yet, so others should also reply/help/advise.

The chlorella pulls mercury too.

when did you have your fillings removed?

Stop the chlorella. It stirs up mercury.

I can understand that you want to be AD free but mercury detox can take years and many people will feel worse for 12 months. I think you will need to be detoxed to get off the celexa.

Once again: Be patient and stop the chlorella. It's not part of cutlers protocol and can be harmful with ALA.

Cod liver oil or fish oil, make sure it's safe and tested free of mercury and PCB's. Protects your brain cells.

B vitamins also helpful for depression or low moody days.

I've noticed a lot of people using lots of DMSA mention anxiety. Maybe there is a connection. I use it too but only once or twice a week, never more than two doses 50-75 mgs) in a row, rarely more than twice per week, just one dose now and then, when and if I hear the sound of mercury/heavy metal rushing through my head. The heavy whirring sound...

Cilantro, basil and garlic pesto never made me moody, quite the opposite but not sure that's for you at this point.

You aren't taking magnesium and calcium supplements? Imo you should be taking those. If you eat plenty of yogurt and other sources of calcium then you might just need the magnesium. Some of the symptoms you mention might be due to some B vitamin deficiencies. I suggest that you take a strong supplent(50 mg of each?). Also use a good sublingual B12 supplement. Just my opinion.

Diane hon, it sounds like you are taking the Celexa withdrawal too quickly. The symptoms you are experiencing are very likely due to that. My advice to you is to go back up to a dosage where you are no longer suffering like this; the relief should be almost instantaneous. Then give your body some time to stabilise. When you are again ready to make reductions, do 5 or 10% of the previous dose at a time, waiting at least 2 weeks between reductions until your body stabilises again.

NB I came off Celexa very quickly a year and a half ago and weathered the withdrawal. However, I have been left with lingering problems that have been severe enough to make it difficult for me to work. The gradual approach really is worth it, and you'll be good at that anyway because of the mercury chelation you've been doing -- slow and steady, yes?

Take care.
Linda.

Checkout Page 52 of andy cutlers book

Also

http://onibasu.com/archives/am/2941.html

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/message/34169

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/message/19250

http://onibasu.com/archives/am/1705.html

http://onibasu.com/archives/am/512.html

I cannot find where he discusses which to lower, dmsa or the ala. Can someone else remember? (I assume you lower the ALA….but someone will know what to do)

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/16357

this is a good read too:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/16265

Diane

I would echo Linda about withdrawing from the Celexa too quickly. I tried coming off my sleeping meds too quickly and got into all sorts of problems - mainly adrenal-related (even though I take adrenal support) horrid depression and fatigue. I would say stabilise on the ADs, go much slower, and lpossibly look into adrenal support to help get you through the withdrawal and while chelating. Chelating is stressful to the body, and many people need adrenal support while chelating alone, never mind while withdrawing as well.

Having read some withdrawal forums, my take on all this to go very slowly on the withdrawal, if need be taking a year to get off the antidepressants, and keep chelating ...

Best
Nicola

hi diane : sorry for your hell , I was on 5 diffrent types of antidepressants over a one year period and know what you are going through ,it is shear hell , then to top it off with mercury poisoning "what a mess" my only advise is that you take it very slowly on the withdrawl of the antidepressants ,that is a battle in its self , I went cold turkey with mine and do not recomend it to any one ,and can be very dangerous, as for the chelation you may want to lower the dosage of dmsa and ala ,chelation is good but the body can only handle so much before it will cause problems like you are seeing ( hope this helps )

Sounds like a candida problem to me. In that case supplementing with C and E vit in large doses isn't a very good idea, at least reduce the dosage. I found the B-vit complex to be helpful. From the beginning I was just on B-12 and folic acid, but the entire B-complex appears essential, didn't get very much benefits from only those two.. Also don't use too much B12 (stay below 100 micrograms per day), it can punch you through the whole fog curtain the candida causes, and leave you in a weird state, where your brains works perfectly, but your adrenals are messed up. Zinc is also good for adrenals, and I would also leave out the chorella. And also stop chelating before your body is in a better shape.

I disagree about limiting the B12. B12 supplements are poorly absorbed. especially for those with a candida problem. Sublingual B12 supplements are absorbed better than pills that you swallow.

I was reading about canker sores and they said that some major causes of those are a deficiency of iron, folic acid, B12, or zinc. If you have a problem with candida in your mouth, then rinsing your mouth with peroxide and zinc will help. I think I have both canker sores and candida in my mouth. Prevention mouth rinse(it has both peroxide and zinc) has been helping me with my mouth problems.

I still noticed that there are others who had the same problem as I with the B12. It feels like you go major hyperthyroid for some days, and it isn't pleasant. It isn't a thyroid problem however, but some affected thought it was. It is an adrenal problem. I had by my B12 values measured, and there was a significant rise after taking some 10-15 mg B12 doses in tablet form over a month. I have candida, but I appear to absorb it well. It could also be the cyanide in the cyanocobalamin form that kills off some fungi?

large amounts of B12 can make you hyper, it happened to me, i think it was T4 converting to T3 more efficiently, and it can give you proper hyperthyroid symptoms. 100mg wouldnt touch you if you are low, more like 500-1000mg sublingualy might do it, or injections.
Diane, your symptoms are all in the Andy cutler book,its your hormones being messed up,adrenal/thyroid, i think nicola mentioned this.
im suffering with this at he moment,im on support but i had to cut down on thyroid treatment, so now all my hormones are all over the place.
Dawn.

Dear Diane

In your post you mentioned taking Algin 2 caps w/meals x 3 per day. Do you mean you take Algin WITH your meals? My understanding is Algin should be taken on its own on an empty stomach with some water (1-2 glasses). That is take it between meals . This is to avoid affecting your absorption of nutrients & supplements you are taking. Possibly you are not getting the full benefit of your good supplements and healthy diet if you are taking Algin this way?

Here's a quote from an earlier post by Laura

"As far as adding Algin to Cutler's detox protocol, or any others for that matter, you would want to take Algin about 1 hour away from the time you take any other supplements or detox products. The reason for this is that because Algin is very absorptive, you don't want to take it at the same time as other supplements and run the risk of decreasing their effectiveness.

I typically take Algin at night before bed, first thing in the morning when I get up, and if needed, in the middle of the day in between meals (which is when I take most of my supplements).

However, if you know you're going to be eating something that either might contain mercury or promote the chelation of mercury (such as cilantro), then you could take Algin with this food, to help reduce any mercury-induced side effects. For example, once in a great while I will have a small amount of salmon. If I take Algin before and after eating the salmon, I'll experience little to no mercury-induced symptoms afterwards. However, if I don't take Algin, then I'll experience anywhere from mild-to-moderate symptoms for the next 24 to 48 hours or so".

Dawn, I think you're right about this with B12 and hyperthyroid symptoms. However, its extremely difficult to get any proof for it, as it doesn't show in blood tests (not for me at least) and I haven't seen anybody mentioning these symptoms with B12. The figures you mentioned are micrograms, not milligrams.
Therefore, be cautious at least with B12, don't use too much of it, it can mess up your thyroid for some days. I think this brain fog is caused by thyroid & adrenal problems, not only the adrenals. It's not helpful to say its caused by mercury or candida, one has to know it precisely in order to be able to address the problem. That said, I believe everyone who has a real mercury poisoning has some problems with the thyroid even if it appears normal. I see it so that it tries to readjust itself according to the current situation, any wins with chelation leaves it in a state that needs it to be redjusted, and you need to wait for it to readjust, before you continue to chelate. This advice goes only to those who hasn't got a major problem with thyroid that shows up in a blood test, I dont know about the rest.

This is very true, my thyroid always tested at the bottom of the "normal" range, but since I have been on Gerson, and using the iodine, my thyroid numbers have tripled and I am so much warmer, more energy and my mercury is not showing anymore, but aluminum is. I guess the metals do settle in layers.

Sandi
xoxo

Hi and Thanks for all of your responses and help. About the algin, yes I do take it right before I eat with tons of othr supllements. Nice insight , I would have never thought.

Abiut the anxiety I was eperiencing, I found out it was the Flax Oil that was making me so anxious. I was reading in "mood cure" on supplemntaltion that said, "a word on flax oil, if you find yourself waking up at 4 am and cannot go back to sleep you may have to reduce or cut out the flax oil. Well, this was it! Thanks everyone! Diane