Sodium dichloroacetate is a relatively safe alternative cancer treatment. There have been no reports of DCA being a cause of death.
Before we begin, it is important to remember that sodium dicholoroacetate has long been used to treat "Lactic acidosis in children with congenital mitochondrial defects." The first scientific studies and applications of the drug date back more than 40 years. (Ref.)
Throughout this time, DCA has been used as a treatment for congenital mitochondrial diseases. Peter Stacpoole and his colleagues' research demonstrated that when used for therapy, sodium dichloroacetate can cause no, mild, or moderate side effects. (Ref.)
The likelihood of adverse reactions is determined by the dose and the patient's age. Larger DCA doses and older patient age (over 40 years) are associated with a higher occurrence of side effects. (Ref.)
On extremely rare occasions, a small subset of the population can metabolize DCA more slowly than the general population. As a result, even standard DCA doses can cause adverse reactions to manifest faster and more prominently in this population. In this case, lowering the DCA dose should resolve the problem.
Almost all of the side effects go away in less than a week if you stop taking DCA. Reversible peripheral neuropathy can take up to 7 or 14 days (rarely) to completely resolve. (Ref.)
According to one of the most well-known DCA clinics and their observational data, 44 percent of DCA patients did not experience side effects.
https://www.dcaguide.org/dca-information/dca-safety-and-side-effects/