It all started in my early 20's when I developed urinary pain, brain fog, and food intolerances /tearing feelings in my stomach. Leading up to this was many courses of augmentin and other Antibiotics , and a huge list of recreational drug abuse. The big ones were opioids and dxm, but I experimented with everything until I was 24. I'm 27 and sober now. When I got sober, I got very sick with full blown candida. Shooting pains, weakness, confusion, dizziness, severe rashes, headaches, huge reactions to most foods besides veggies and proteins, testicular pain, intestinal bleeding, poor coordination and concentration, blood blisters in mouth, thrush etc. I fought it for over a year without making progress. Tons of supplements, antifungals and probiotics, but no overall progress. Always one step forward with treatment and two steps back with food mistakes. It was a vicious cycle of toxicity. In the end of my fight, antifungals weren't doing anything but giving me chest pains and feelings of blockage.

A little over 2 years ago my endocrine system crashed, and I became affected neurologically. My TSH was at 17 at one point. Feelings of extreme lethargy, feeling worse upon waking than I did before sleep, joint pains, overreaction to stimuli, all the adrenal and hypoT stuff. I became dissociated, suicidal, depressed, obsessed with recovery, started having panic attacks and bizzare/paranoid thoughts. I was hospitalized for 10 days and put on an antipsychotic and an antidepressant. They gave me nystatin for the candida and it seemed to clear up dramatically. I was eating cake the last day in the hospital. They resolved my hypoglycemia that I caused with a candida diet by having me see a dietician and forcing complex carbs into my diet. They told me my hypothyroidism had resolved itself. (I was tried on levothyroxine briefly and I got manic and worse thyroid symptoms from it.)

Once I got out of the hospital I got into the gym and gained tons of weight. My battle remained with my neurology for a while and I started feeling better physically. I put physical recovery on hold for a long time because I was so traumatized and scarred mentally.

Since then, it's always felt like the job wasn't finished when I went into this state of near remission. I still have rashes, muscle weakness, brain fog and other symptoms that are made worse by most food. I was worried about my liver for a long time because of the blockage/pressure/drainage feelings I was getting. For at least a year I got a feeling of being dragged down and heavy in my chest with physical activity. That is mostly better now.

I lost my job last October and a girlfriend in Feb and went into a Depression and started sleeping 12-14 hours a day, barely being able to accomplish anything. I had probably been on lithium for 6 months by then. It's stretched on since then and the more I try to get back to normal functioning, the more run down and tired and sick I feel. I'm the best I've been in a long time mentally, but physically I'm crashing.

I've been on every type of psych med there is in the last 2 years trying to find the right cocktail. Finally done switching now.

I did have swine flu right before I got sick with everything.

I have horrible seasonal allergies that can be debilitating.

I'm male so no pill.

I'm not sure on vaccines.

I was always very healthy before all of this, everything happened at once without warning.

My sleep and diet are extremely erratic, I know those are 2 big things that need to be resolved.

I've never stuck with a detox which I'm sure I desperately need because my detox symptoms are severe.

That's about everything I can think of. Sorry it's so long, but you wanted the whole story lol. Thanks.

oops sorry, looks like you've already cross-posted.

the Iodine support forum isnt much of a forum. the true Iodine info is at the VWT.

"There are typically no Iodine experts on this forum."

dont worry. i am here now.

I posted in response further up with info on my background and how I got into this mess if you want to check it out.

I ordered some Lugols last night because the stuff I have I have to take like 24 droppers full.

I'm desperate for something that will help and I know I definitely feel the way I did when my thyroid crashed before.

Is it possible that Iodine could cause more problems since I was on lithium? I read a study concluding that it could.

I read the feelings of worse symptoms, swollen neck, and neck pain are related to detox. Is this what I should attribute them to and not worsening thyroid function? I always get scared with so called "healing crisis" reactions because I almost killed myself with candida die off.

What kind of dose should I be shooting for as a middle of the road approach? 50mg was a little intense.

I'm basically looking for sound reasoning to try this out so I can have some peace of mind as I move forward. I find as much info for Iodine supplementation as I do against it.

What else should I be looking at given my symptoms and history? I don't want to go all in on this Iodine thing and be missing something (granted I am doing a lot of other stuff for everything I have going on.)

If the general consensus is that it couldn't hurt to try I'm definitely willing to give it a shot.

2 bad tooth infections and removals, severe periodontitis, not sure on vaccinations. As for meds: every type of psych med besides add meds tried in the last 2 years, hard recreational drug use of every type for 8 years.