No worries Linda, I've heard of people getting well on DMSA alone, even without ALA. So there's some further reassurance for you I hope. I'm of the same thinking as Pgm, in the respect of - if something suppresses symptoms and in doing so slows down healing, there would be no way I'd do it unless I was desperate..... but in all honestly, most of the time I got detox effects from using DMSA and sometimes it was still very hard, even on andy's protocol.

But usually once I got through it? I knew I was on the right track because of the improvements I got after the detox. I think the frequent dosing definitely helps to keep things a little more tolerable. And yes sometimes it did actually help the symptoms too, but there was always progress then (when it was mercury). I think the proof of the pudding is in the eating and you will know in yourself if things are happening.

DMSA can cause horrendous detox effects if it is not used in a controlled manner, so bad it can move mercury into the nervous system/brain and make a bad situation much worse, as can using any other chelator in the wrong way or using mobilising agents, which can do the same thing.

Some people have been nearly crippled by detoxing mercury in a way that has not suited them. Scary stuff. I consider DMSA pretty powerful personally, which is why I think it's crucial to stick to a more even protocol.

I know one guy that did not use andy's protocol, but still got well with DMSA. He chose to do it in his way and recovered regardless, as have others he knows.

I know that it can cause neutropenia, which andy mentions in his book, but it is rare and it is reversible. I think this is lowering of the white blood cell count. And this is most likely caused by high long term dosing.

one website I read believes that DMSA should always be used with ALA. They feel that the ALA is very good for pulling mercury out of the brain and organs, but not so great in holding onto it after that, which is why they think it's good to have the DMSA there to grab it once it's been pulled into the blood by ALA....not sure what to believe there, but whatever the case, they seem to work well together.

Unfortunately some people just don't respond well to DMSA no matter how they take it, or how low the dose, which "can" be too many mercury detox symptoms, but could be the DMSA itself.....I'm glad you tolerate it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> And if things are moving along, if it aint broke, don't fix it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />