📖 11 mins.

DCA doses and how to count them

The usage of DCA powder and capsules

How to store DCA ?

DCA administration schedule

Example

2007 was a huge year for Dichloroacetate and cancer. A group of researchers found out that this old orphan drug could be a promising selective anticancer agent as it significantly shrunk DCA-treated tumors. (Ref.)

Naturally, the next question – what doses of Sodium dichloroacetate could be safe and effective for treatment ?

As luck would have it, the substance, Dichloroacetate, has been used as a medication for treating other conditions for more than several decades. All of the research regarding the dosing size, side effects as well as the long term safety have been already completed. (Ref1.), (Ref2.)

One should bear in mind these two important principles when starting DCA therapy:

1) You should always begin with a smaller dose. After the first DCA cycle (eg. a week or three weeks) when you’re sure that DCA is well tolerated, the dose can be increased to normal.
2) Vit B1. and ALA supplements are a must. They serve brilliantly to decrease the probability of side effects and their intensity. When you use DCA smartly and responsibly, the whole experience is more likely to be safe and sound. In this case, you can even use higher Sodium dichloroacetate doses, avoid discomfort and achieve better results.  

You can read more about the subject on DCA safety and side effects.


DOSAGE

Sodium dichloroacetate can be used in two different ways – intravenously or through oral administration. Depending on the route of administration, there are different rules, doses and usage patterns.

We’ll mainly talk about the more simple alternative, when DCA is taken by mouth (orally).

The formula for counting your daily dose:

A kg x B mg/kg = C mg
(Body weight x Dose size= Daily DCA dose)

A – This is your body weight. It should be counted without the excess body weight
Excess body weight is defined as the amount of weight that is in excess of the ideal body weight (BMI 18,5 – 24,9).
Ideal body weight is conventionally determined by the Metropolitan Life Tables, or as a BMI of <25 kg/m2.

For example, if you‘re 5’11”/ 180 cm tall and you weigh 100 kg (220 lb), then you should enter 81 kg (178,5 lb) to the formula.

To find out your ideal body weight based on your height, visit this site – link.


B – These are the standard dose norms. The ordinary DCA dose is 25 mg/kg, the lowest effective DCA dose is 10 mg/kg, the highest DCA dose is 50 mg/kg a day.
 
C –  
This is your daily DCA dose. You have to take the half of this before breakfast and the other half before dinner.
 
We’ll give you a quick example just to make things clear:

Let’s assume that you weight 75 kg (165 lb):

75 kg x 10 mg/kg = 750 mg (first DCA cycle)
or
75 kg x 25 mg/kg = 1875 (normal dose DCA cycle).

As you already know, you can count this dose quick and easy at our online dosage calculator – here.
Also, you should keep in mind that you have to take it in two parts – at the morning and at the evening (we’ll talk about that a little bit later).

When you initially start DCA for the first time in your life, we recommend beginning with 10 mg/kg doses for your first DCA cycle (one or three weeks). After you try out your first DCA cycle, once you’re sure that Sodium dichloroacetate is well tolerated and you don’t experience side effects at the start, you can increase to a daily dose  of 25 mg/kg.

Normally, the recommended DCA dose is 25 mg/kg because it is effective and well tolerated.
If you have an aggressive cancer form or it is in a more progressed stage, you can try using higher DCA doses.

Adjust your dose size depending on your condition and the intensity of your adverse reactions if you experience them.

• If your cancer is 1st, 2nd or 3rd stage based on TNM classification, we recommend using 25 mg/kg daily.
• If the tumor is in the 4th stage, we recommend increasing the dose to 30 – 40 mg/kg. If you’re interested in palliative cancer treatment, use 25 mg/kg daily to relieve your symptoms, improve your overall well being and slow down the progression of the disease.
• If you experience side effects, decrease the daily dose to 10 – 20 mg/kg or stop taking Sodium dichloroacetate. You can resume the therapy once the adverse reactions have decreased or disappeared completely.
• If you’re feeling good and tolerate side effects well, you can increase the daily dose to 30 – 40 mg/kg.
• You can use 10 mg/kg DCA doses daily to maintain remission.


The usage of DCA powder and capsules

How do you use DCA ? The route of administration is through the mouth, this means you can drink the powder in a water solution or you can use capsules.

If you have DCA capsules – the administration is quite easy, just drink the desired dose in capsules before breakfast and before dinner.

If you have DCA powder – there are two ways to use your medication.

The first way. Every time you decide to take your DCA, dissolve the preferred quantity of SodiumDCA in room temperature water. To do this:

1. Count your daily DCA dose and use the half of it before breakfast and the other half before dinner.
2. Use a digital scale to weigh the desired amount of powder (the scale should at least count to the tenth of the gram – 0,1g).
3. Put the weighted powder in a cup and dissolve it with room temperature water.
4. That was it. Your DCA solution is ready for use. If you can‘t use it now, keep it in a dark place to avoid direct sunlight and keep it somewhere cool till you decide to drink it.

The second way. Dissolve your whole Sodium dichloroacetate powder in a bottle and make a solution which can be used for a longer period of time. Once you have a solution which is 1 ml / 100 mg DCA, you can easily take it everywhere you go and measure a desired amount with a 10 ml syringe.
This is the most convenient and accurate method.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Firstly, decide what amount of DCA you’re going to mix with water.

For that goal you can pick one of the three different size DCA bottles.

• 250 ml / 25 g DCA solution – use 245 ml of water and 25 g DCA.
• 500 ml / 50 g DCA solution – use 490 ml of water and 50 g DCA.
• 1000 ml / 100 g DCA solution – use 980 ml of water and 100 g DCA.

2. Take a measuring cup and fill it with a whole DCA bottle and the approximate amount of room temperature water  we just listed above.

3. Mix everything till there are no traces of undissolved material and the solution is clear.
 
4. Use a funnel to help you pour your freshly made solution from the measuring cup into a plastic or a glass bottle (glass is recommended because the solution can maintain its quality for longer periods of time)

5. Mark your bottle with a marker pen or with a sticker for easier use in the future – write the concentration of your solution (e.g. DCA 50 g/ 500ml or DCA 100 mg – 1 ml). This way you protect others from drinking your solution. Also, this can be helpful in case you forget the contents of the bottle.
 
6. Once you have everything done, you can now take a 10 milliliter (cc/cm³) syringe and take the desired dose of Sodium dichloroacetate. Afterwards, you can mix this dose with a glass of water for the sake of convenience. Below you can see a table which illustrates how to dose DCA with a syringe.

Solution volume, ml / cc12345678910
DCA quantity, milligrams1002003004005006007008009001000

7. To make the whole picture clearer – we will give you an example. Let’s say you weight 78 kgs / 171.9 lbs and choose 25 mg/kg doses. This means you have to consume a 1 950 mg of DCA or a 19.5 ml/cc of your DCA solution daily. Drink 9.5 ml before breakfast and drink 10 ml before dinner. It is simple as that.

This is how the process looks illustrated.

How to store DCA?

• DCA capsules should be stored in a closed bottle with the silica gel packets inside (they capture moisture and keep your product fresh, don‘t throw them away).
Keep the bottle in a dark place to avoid direct sunlight. Also, it is preferable that the place is cool (~ 4℃ / 39.2 °F) but room temperature is also okay (~23℃ / 73.4 °F ).

Don’t store DCA capsules in the fridge as the moisture inside might damage them.

• DCA powder should be kept in the closed original bottle with the silica packet inside. Keep the bottle in a place which has no direct sunlight and has cool (~ 4℃ / 39.2 °F) or room temperature (~23℃ / 73.4 °F ).

• DCA solution (water and DCA mix) can be kept in the same conditions as the powder.
We recommend keeping the premade DCA solution in the refrigerator.


DCA administration schedule


The timing and usage intervals appear to be an important factor in Sodium dichloroacetate therapy. If you continuously use DCA without any breaks, the material can gradually start accumulating inside. This is because the body needs additional breaks and enough time to excrete it out.
If you take DCA without any pauses, side effects can develop and start increasing in their intensity.

To avoid this problem you should periodically take breaks.
This is why special DCA administration schedules are recommended. They reduce the occurrence of side effects and increase the overall anticancer effect.

Currently there are two most popular DCA administration schemes:

The newer one: A. 2 weeks of DCA intake + a week break from DCA.
The older one: B. 5 days of DCA intake + a 2 day break from DCA.

Based on the newest research, it is recommended to pick the 2 weeks on DCA + 1 week off DCA scheme. It has a better anticancer effect. (Ref1), (Ref2).

Despite that, it is okay to pick the older usage scheme if it feels more comfortable for you. A lot of people continue doing so and feel perfectly fine. We’ll leave this decision up to you.

The supplements should be taken constantly without any pauses. This way you’ll achieve the most effective and safe DCA therapy experience.

A) Scheme. 2 weeks on DCA + 1 week off DCA.

First two weeks

TimeMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
BreakfastDCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
LunchVitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DinnerDCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements

Third week

TimeMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
BreakfastVitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
LunchVitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Dinnerα-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements

1 full cycle – three weeks. Repeat.

B) Scheme. 5 days on DCA + 2 days off DCA.

One week

TimeMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
BreakfastDCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
LunchVitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
Vitamin B1
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DinnerDCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
DCA
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements
α-Lipoic acid
±other supplements

1 full cycle – one week. Repeat.


Example

Let’s say you’re someone who weights 70 kg / 154.3 lb and you decide to take 25 mg/kg DCA daily.
Your daily DCA dose should be 1 750 mg or six 333 mg capsules per day.
 
We‘ll demonstrate three different examples on how an ordinary day should look like when taking DCA.

A – you take DCA capsules.
B  – you take DCA powder.
C  – you take a premade solution of DCA 1ml/100mg.
 
Taking DCA capsules

Time8 0010 0012 0015 0018 0021 0023 00
 DCA
Three 333 mg caps

Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Breakfast
           Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs  

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule


Other supplements ±

Lunch
           

 
           DCA
Three 333 mg caps

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Dinner
           


Taking DCA powder

Time8 0010 0012 0015 0018 0021 0023 00
 DCA
850 mg powder

Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Breakfast
           Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs  

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule


Other supplements ±

Lunch
                       DCA
900 mg powder

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Dinner
              


Taking a premade DCA solution

Time8 0010 0012 0015 0018 0021 0023 00
 DCA
8.5 ml DCA solution

Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Breakfast
           Vit.B1- Benfotiamine
Three 50 mg tabs

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Lunch
                      DCA
9 ml DCA solution

α-Lipoic acid
One 150mg (R+) or
one 300mg Racetame capsule

Other supplements ±

Dinner
              

You can learn more about the supplements and their doses in Methods and supplements for preventing DCA side effects.

Things to keep in mind

While you’re taking Sodium dichloroacetate, we recommend regulary taking blood tests and observing (at least every 4 weeks):

• Full blood exam / Complete blood count,
• Basic metabolic panel,

• Tumor markers. These biomarkers are helpful at following the effectiveness of the therapy. Their elevated or reduced levels can help you follow the changes of your cancer.

Also, when on anticancer therapy it is helpful to have a Computed tomography or a Magnetic resonance imaging scan at least once in 3 months. Sonography can also provide information. These imaging tests should provide information about the size changes of the tumor.

This Post Has 9 Comments

  1. Cameron Henderson

    I beat cancer because of your guide I used DCA for 6 months for my stage 2 prostate cancer. Just a piece of advice for anyone looking into this make sure that you follow the guidelines as are in this guide, there can be seriuos consiquences if taken incorrectly. Thank you.

  2. Anthony Brooks

    What about Cannabis oil? I have a friend who is using DCA and cannabis oil. Her tummy is flat again and I think she’s beat it. Scans coming soon.

  3. Melissa S

    My husband has stage 4 terminal non small cell lung cancer which has spread to 3 lymph nodes. I recently started him on DCA 330 mg capsules. His body weight is 99.4lbs.he is very weak as well. at current time im giving him only 1 of the 330mg capsules a day. PLEASE HELP is this the correct dosage for him according to his condition and body weight or if I should even continue with a regimen.

  4. Fred Long

    Are there any success stories of using DCA? Let me know please!

  5. Donald Brown

    Is it okay to take DCA with Fenben? Do I need to space out dosage (of DCA) or can I take it all together?

  6. Deane Faust

    Great info, couldn’t find a guide on using DCA anywhere

  7. parthiban

    nice explanation

  8. Ave Hurley

    Thankyou for your services to those with cancer and autoimmune diseases, using DCA as their/our treatments.
    The information you provide to all has been very beneficial and you were sorely missed when the site was down temporarily.
    We are so grateful you have been able to restore the site’s functions once again.
    Best of luck to you and all who are fighting this battle against cancer and other diseases using the DCA and supplements.

    1. dcaguide.org

      Dear Ave. Thank you for the encouraging words, we are really happy to hear that the information on this site is valuable. We will do our best to keep this site online so that the people can reach the useful information at all times!

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