Hi I'm new

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone, thought I would share a little of my story and where I'm

at now. The main question I have at the moment is: has anyone here

ever presented with SAD as one of their major symptoms?

In autumn 2004 I got 4 amalgams put in, after previously being

amalgam-free. Two months later I started coming down with the

symptoms of clinical depression: sluggishness, a flu-like feeling,

tearfulness, brain fog, and evening tiredness/early morning waking.

At first I thought I had SAD and I pursued treatment options for

that, which weren't very successful -- and the depression persisted

in the summer, though it wasn't as severe. Then, in despair, I tried

antidepressants. The did not help, and when I came off them I

developed withdrawal issues, some of which still persist now, a year

and a half later. This was my ticket into the world of natural

healing and alt med, because I found a Yahoo group that used these

methods for psych med recovery. Unfortunately, the diet and

supplement approach didn't lift the depression either, though they

made some symptoms more bearable. The early-morning waking

disappeared.

I eventually arrived at the possibility of poisoning from my

amalgams, and had them removed over a period of 3 weeks last June,

without precautions. I looked at going to a biological dentist but

couldn't afford it and decided to take the risk. I had some

troublesome symptoms after that initially, including the sudden

return of the early-morning waking.

After a few weeks of tinkering around, I found my way to another

mercury forum where I was introduced to Andy's protocol. Having been

burned by medication, taking something like DMSA was the last thing I

wanted to do. But chlorella, cilantro/coriander etc only made me feel

foggy. I started on 12.5mg DMSA every 4 hours, gradually increasing

the dose every 2 or 3 rounds. After about 2 months I started ALA in a

similar way. I also take something called Algin, which is supposed to

help prevent redistribution.

The DMSA helped with the increased symptoms I got upon amalgam

removal. The ALA helped lift the brain fog. I was beginning to think

that I might finally have hit upon the solution to the unrelenting

depression after 3 years.

Unfortunately, as this autumn has advanced, so have the SAD symptoms.

I know that mercury affects the hypothalamus, which is where the body

clock is, and body clock irregularities seem to be a part of SAD. I

know mercury interferes with melatonin too. All this could explain

why the sleep problems seem to keep threatening. When they occur I

feel very jet-lagged and fogged and it makes life difficult. I feel

like I've spent the past few months fighting them off. At first they

only came if I spent more than several days off chelation. Then they

started to appear as soon as I came off chelation, so I tried doing a

few rounds back-to-back. Now I'm getting them during chelation.

Increasing my ALA dose seemed to help a bit but really I feel like

someone who is drowning. I'm afraid my relationship with my husband

is going to crumble beyond repair, and that my symptoms will

interfere with the job I am starting after Christmas. Some days I

feel like I'm literally fighting for my life.

At the moment I am at 50mg DMSA and 100mg ALA every 3 hours round the

clock. I only just increased from 75 to 100mg ALA this round and it's

a bit of a knuckle-biter; I've been quite irritable, feeling hopeless

and low. I always get symptoms like these when I increase a dose, and

they taper off over a few rounds, though I probably would have taken

a bit more time in this case. I've been hoping I can chelate enough

mercury to stop the sleep problems from getting worse, and all the

accompanying creeping SAD symptoms, but at the end of the day I can't

force my body to do anything, and I may just have to learn how to

settle back and cope as best I can.

It's this SAD business that led me here I guess. I wouldn't feel such

an urgency to get well if it weren't for that. In past winters I've

ended up feeling suicidal, and so unmotivated and tired that I

couldn't even get out of my chair. I had a baby to look after.

I'm very keen to learn what I can here, and discuss with others who

have experienced the effects of this awful poison. I'm still not 100%

sure that it is the cause of my depression, but judging by the way my

symptoms have come and gone depending on what I've done, I'd say it's

the likeliest possibility right now.

Thanks for listening,

Lou.