
Have You Had an MRI with Contrast?
In the United States, there are approximately 40 million MRI’s conducted per year, with 30-45% of the procedures using gadolinium, according to the National Institutes of Health (source). Gadolinium is a toxic heavy metal used in contrast agents to improve the clarity of MRI images, making it easier for doctors to diagnose different conditions.
Gadolinium Accumulates in the Brain, Bones, & Tissues
Research has shown that gadolinium accumulates in the brain, bones, and other tissues. The long-term impact of gadolinum in the body is unclear, but, there are endless accounts and stories of people being injured by it, including numerous lawsuits.
It’s concerning that many patients are not informed about these risks before their scans. Discussions around informed consent often focus on immediate side effects, with little to no mention of the potential for long-term gadolinium side effects. People need to have information and safe alternatives available, but oftentimes the alternatives are risky as well.
Why Aren’t Patients Always Informed About these Risks?
A report from the FDA on 5-16-2018, addressed the topic of distributing medication guides for patients receiving gadolinium-based constrast agents. The guide is intended to point out potential risks associated with gadolinium retention. But, according to the FDA, doctors can withhold this from certain patients.
Their report states, “In general, hospital inpatients are not required to receive a Medication Guide unless the patient or caregiver requests it. A health care professional who determines that it is not in a patient’s best interest to receive a Medication Guide because of significant concerns about its effects may direct that it not be provided to that patient; however, the Medication Guide should be provided to any patient who requests the information.” (source)

Medication Guides & Lack of Communication About Risks
The FDA recommends that doctors share the medication guide with patients prior to their MRI with gadolinium. If you weren’t given this, you can search the FDA website for it. You’ll need to search for the brand of gadolinium you were given, and mine was Multihance. I never received this prior to my scan, and I have a feeling if it is given out, it’s probably given as you arrive for the scan.
A couple years ago I was supposed to have an MRI with contrast gadolinium, so I drove an hour away for my appointment. I got there and informed them that I would like to decline the gadolinium contrast material and I only wanted the MRI. Even at that point, I had not been given a medication guide and I ended up being turned away because they refused to do the scan without gadolinium.
Lack of Human Safety Studies
The number of adult subjects involved in clinical studies for Multihance was only 4,967. When you think about it, this is a relatively small sample size for a product that is used widely in the public. Sometimes, people don’t realize that products are often not tested on large, diverse groups before they are released for public use.
This lack of research is really concerning. People tend to place a lot of trust in the medical system, assuming that care and safety are guaranteed. But I believe it’s time to rethink that assumption, considering medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
According to the Multihance medication guide, “Long-term animal studies have not been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of MultiHance.” Most of the studies cited in the medication guide pertained to how using the contrast agent helped with visualization, yet I didn’t see many human safety studies. Gadolinium’s safety in humans, especially in terms of long-term exposure and carcinogenic potential, has not been extensively studied in large, long-term clinical trials.

Who Is Most At Risk for Negative Side Effects from Gadolinium?
Those at a higher risk for adverse side effects from gadolinium include: caucasian women, caucasian men, people with poor renal function, and people with autoimmune disorders. According to Dr. Richard Semelka, a gadolinium toxicity expert, 1-in-10,000 people will get gadolinium deposition disease from an MRI with gadolinium. F
rom what I’ve learned, it seems that many people won’t experience significant side effects from gadolinium, but there are still a lot of unknowns. Identifying the source of health issues can be challenging, especially in a world where we are exposed to so many toxins, and many people are living with compromised health. This makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly where issues are stemming from, which is why I think it’s so important to raise awareness about these risks.
In my opinion, you need to a good deal of personal research to understand the risks and benefits of each screening method available before getting a scan done. Sometimes the alternatives offered are more risky than you might think. If you’d like to learn more about gadolinium toxicity, symptoms, and gadolinium deposition disease, I recommend checking out Dr. Semelka’s website, blog, and videos. I also recommend checking out the articles and research on the gadolinium toxicity website.
Gadolinium Retention in the Brain: Macrocyclic vs. Linear Agents
There are two types of gadolinium used in MRI scans: macrocyclic and linear agents. A 2019 systematic review that included 10 studies: 2 systematic reviews, 6 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and 2 non-randomized clinical studies – concluded that both agents lead to gadolinium retention in the brain. (source)
The findings revealed that:
- Retention was present with both macrocyclic and linear agents.
- Linear agents showed significantly higher retention levels, especially after repeated administrations, due to their less stable chemical structure.
“Gadolinium deposits have been found in samples of bone tissues of humans at higher concentrations than in brain tissue after administration of linear and macrocyclic GBCA, whereby linear GBCA deposit 4 to 25 times more than macrocyclic GBCA,” according to Aart J. van der Molen, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands. (source)
What is Gadolinium Deposition Disease?
Gadolinium Deposition Disease (GDD) is a condition that occurs for some people when gadolinium remains in the body after injection, causing a variety of symptoms:
- Skin: Discoloration, rashes, thickening, or unusual sensations.
- Bones: Pain in bones.
- Brain: Symptoms like brain fog, headaches, difficulty concentrating, or changes in vision and hearing.
- Muscles & Joints: Twitching, muscle loss, fatigue, loss of mobility, pain in joints.
- Other Symptoms: Fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, or a “pins and needles” sensation, and tinnitus.
The problem is that even if someone experiences these symptoms and brings it to their doctor’s attention, they’ll likely be told that it will pass. There’s very little awareness or communication about the potential risks and side effects of gadolinium. Most people will suffer in silence, or assume their issues are related to something else.
My Gadolinium Experience from 2017
In 2017, I went to UW Madison, Wisconsin for a breast MRI with gadolinium as the contrast agent. The scan that I had done used a contrast material called Multihance, which is Linear, and I was given 11 mL of it. I recall being there and trying to decline administration of the gadolinium, but I was informed that it was safe and that it was very necessary. Honestly I felt very pressured and I gave into that pressure, which was a horrible mistake on my part. It felt like there were no alternative options that they would provide for me, and they made it seem very serious that I get this done, to ensure that I didn’t have breast cancer.
The mammogram and MRI with contrast are the go-to options for standard breast cancer screening. If you want something else, something safe like an ultrasound – they’ll only allow it if you’ve already done one or two of the other scans. Most radiologists in the U.S. will refuse to allow you to get an ultrasound if you don’t go through the other methods first.
More recently I spent years without proper screening, battling radiologists for a simple and effective ultrasound. I finally, by some miracle, had one radiologist who initially adamantly refused and then gave in, allowing it. In the end my ultrasound scan was completely normal and she was very confident in the scan’s efficacy and clarity. So I was right to stand my ground.
In that situation, I wanted individualized medical care – but it seemed like their default was the opposite. I had good reasons for wanting the ultrasound first. If you want to know the full story, check out my video here – Warning About MRIs with Contrast.
Life Before and After
In 2017, I remember this time in my life very clearly because it’s right before I moved out of state. My health was better than it’s been in years and at that time I was able to get off of all thyroid medications and the one other medication that I was on. I worked hard to clean up my diet and it really paid off. I don’t want to make assumptions because truly I do not know. But, looking back, I can say that ever since the MRI, I’ve been struggling with a variety of health issues. I don’t want to get into a lot of details here, but I can say it’s been really challenging. I try to keep the problems to myself, but I’ll share more in the future.
I’m not sure if this is related, but within three months of the MRI with gadolinium, I ended up at the ER with severe lower stomach pain. My lipase levels were quite elevated and they didn’t seem to know what was wrong – so they mentioned it could be my ovary or something else, though the ovary is unrelated to elevated lipase. I know that months later I had my lipase retested and it was still elevated. I’ve also had worsening G.I. issues.
I’ve heard that many people injured by gadolinium experience side effects right away or shortly after. But, I do wonder if this could have been related to the gadolinium. After that second elevated blood test, it was never looked at again. In addition to that, I was dealing with pretty bad lower back pain and a resurgence of fatigue and other issues. I can say that I’ve done everything in my power to clean up all aspects of my life, health and diet – but it’s not enough.
Labwork Showing Gadolinium Retention Almost 8 Years Later
This is a urine test that is supposed to reflect things that I’ve consumed (food, supplements, drinks) in the 48 hours prior to the test. This is part of an incredibly comprehensive test called Metabolomix, by Genova Labs. It’s the most detailed health test I’ve ever done – and it involved a blood test, urine, and saliva swab.
There are many more pages of results, but here I just wanted to share the Toxic Elements. For it to show up with high levels in my urine, it’s possible that it’s releasing from my tissues or circulating around. I don’t understand it, which is why I need a professional to get help with this. Not all tests are sensitive enough to detect this kind of long-term retention, making it easy for these toxins to go unnoticed if they remain deep in your tissues.

Where Can You Heavy Metal Testing at Home?
There are numerous options available for at-home heavy metal testing, ranging from hair tests to urine samples. Personally, I recommend the Doctor’s Data 24-hour urine heavy metals test. This at-home test allows you to collect your urine over a full 24-hour period and measure the levels of heavy metals in your system. Based on several gadolinium-related studies I’ve reviewed, I’ve found that 24-hour urine collections are commonly used in heavy metal testing for these types of studies.
By using this test, you can compare your results to those from the research, which may provide some helpful insights. The test costs around $130, and you can easily order it through services like Walkinlab. The next time I do a heavy metals test, I’ll be ordering it from here.
Here you can see a sample lab report.

Chelation Therapy to Remove Gadolinium
Chelation therapy is used to help remove heavy metals like gadolinium from the body. If you decide to go through chelation therapy for Gadolinium or other heavy metals, I think it’s important to find an experienced physician to help you with it.
EDTA is a commonly used chelating agent, but I’ve read that it’s not ideal for chelating gadolinum. Instead, a more powerful agent, DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid), is often recommended. DTPA is specifically designed to bind with gadolinium more effectively, helping to flush it out of the body through urine. From what I’ve read, if you use an agent that isn’t strong enough to remove it from your body, then the re-mobilization could cause you more issues. There are risks and side effects, and many treatments may be needed.
Where Can You Get Chelation with DTPA?
I noticed it was difficult to find places in the U.S. that offer chelation with DPTA, until I came across Dr. Richard Semelka‘s website. He specializes in gadolinium toxicity and chelation services, in addition to his work in medical consulting in Radiology, body MRI image interpretation, and medicolegal work. I included one of his videos below here. He has many more videos available if you’d like to learn more about gadolinium toxicity.
You can also check out GadTrac, a nonprofit founded by Dr. Semelka, dedicated to supporting patients with gadolinium deposition disease. The organization provides care, education, and research for individuals affected by GDD. You can also find a list of all the gadolinium chelation treatment centers in the U.S. and internationally here.
Gadolinium Chelation Costs with DTPA
The cost for the treatments vary, but tend to be around $1000/two day treatment. Most people will need to undergo multiple treatments, and they’ll have to pay for flights and accommodation too. I am considering going through chelation to remove the gadolinum and I will share my experiences here and on my youtube channel, Life & DIY if I do that. I think it’s important to work with an experienced doctor because there’s a risk of mineral depletion or kidney stress. Many providers will test your levels and other labs before and after treatments to monitor your health and progress.