Arsenicum Album

Generalities

General irritability, with extreme weakness.

Emaciation.

Dropsical swellings.

Startings, tremblings, spasms.

Pains, mostly of a fine, burning sort ; seem intolerable.

The pains return at regular intervals, aggravated soon after midnight ; ameliorated by general warmth.

Great restlessness.

General aggravation during rest (especially following exercise), after eating, after lying down, after midnight ; ameliorated by external warmth and moderate motion.

Extreme prostration of mind and body.

Mind

Anxiety permits no rest, especially at night ; complains of the distress, dreads the future, afraid of ghosts or thieves.

Inclined to complain of those about her : Suicidal mania.

Head

General confusion and heaviness in the house ; amelioration in open air.

Pulsating in the forehead, with nausea.

Brain seems to be loose on moving the head.

Hair falls out.

White dandruff forms, with burning.

(Neuralgic headaches, recur periodically.)

Eyes

General inflammation, with burning ; either with dryness or with corrosive lachrymation.

Oedema of the lids and adjacent parts, not inflammatory.

The inner surface of the lids dry and burning ; seem to rub against the ball.

Pains beneath the left eye, stitching.

Photophobia.

Ears

Otalgia ; sticking pains, from within outward ; aggravated evening and night.

Hearing difficult (for the human voice only).

Nose

Swollen, externally and internally, with burning.

Ulceration.

Acute fluent coryza, with acrid, burning, watery discharge ; ameliorated in open air.

Sneezing.

Smell very sensitive.

Face

Swollen, especially about the eyes.

Face seems sunken, pinched (with the abdominal symptoms).

Unnatural redness.

Tearing, burning, fine pains.

Lips sore, cracked or ulcerated, with burning pains.

Formications on lips.

Mouth

Grinding of the teeth, in sleep.

The teeth become loose and painful.

Toothache at night, ameliorated by external warmth.

Gums bleed and are swollen.

Whole mouth, aphthous.

Tongue brown and dry, cracked, tip red, edges red, sore, blistered.

Neuralgia of tongue, burning pain.

Taste bitter.

Throat

Inflamed.

Ulcerated (diphtheritic), with swollen sub-maxillary glands.

Sense of constriction.

Pharynx paralyzed ; swallowing difficult or impossible.

Burning extending to the stomach.

Spasmodic stricture in oesophagus.

Stomach

Craving for acids and brandy.

Constant desire to drink, but takes very little at a time.

Eructations.

Hiccough.

Nausea.

Vomiting of food and drink as soon as they reach the stomach.

The distress in the stomach is not relieved by vomiting, but the extreme irritability, burning and indescribable distress continue.

Inflammation and ulceration, with terrible distress.

In the pit of stomach, anxiety, soreness, burning or internal chilliness.

Abdomen

Inflammation of the abdominal viscera, enteritis, etc.

Swelling ; soreness ; burning pains.

The region of the liver is sore.

The spleen is enlarged.

Rectum and Anus :

Burning.

Tenesmus.

Protusion.

Haemorrhage.

Piles, with burning pain like fire, ameliorated by heat.

Stool

Diarrhoea, thin, watery, generally scanty, acrid, burning, with vomiting, coldness, prostration.

Evacuations frequent, small, preceded by intestinal pains.

Stools may be blackish and putrid, often inodorous, rarely dysentery-like.

Stool rarely involuntary.

Urinary Organs

Burning when urinating, during micturition ; micturition rarely involuntary.

Urine, as a rule, scanty and hot, sometimes copious.

Haematuria.

Glycosuria.

(Inflammation of the kidneys, with scanty urine, burning micturition, dropsy, and many associated symptoms of arsenic.)

Sexual organs, Male :

Painful swelling of the sexual organs, erysipelatous.

Inflammation of the scrotum.

Sexual organs, Female :

Menstruation too early and too profuse, rarely scanty and suppressed.

Dark haemorrhages between the menses.

Leucorrhoea copious, yellowish, thick and corrosive.

(Neuralgia of the right ovary, with burning pains.)

Respiratory organs :

Attacks of suffocation after lying down.

Oppressed breathing from going up stairs, and also in cold air.

Dyspnoea when walking, or even after turning over in bed.

In the larynx a feeling of dryness.

Voice tremulous, uneven ; at times strong, at others weak.

Cough usually dry, < in evening after lying down ; has to sit up, with contractive pain in the region of the stomach and perspiration.

Cough in the evening caused by sensation of smoke or sulphur fumes in the larynx, < at night, has to sit up.

Paroxysms of coughing in the night, with suffocation.

Cough on going into the open air, particularly tickling in the larynx, as of suffocative fumes, < by drinking.

Dry, short cough in the evening, especially worse soon after midnight.

Haemoptysis.

Asthma soon after midnight.

Must spring up out of bed, with very short, difficult breathing, anguish, moaning.

Cough generally < by lying on back.

Heart and Pulse :

Palpitation worse at night, with great anguish, tremulous weakness.

Palpitation after a stool ; must lie down.

Heart's action irregular, irritable ; pulse rapid, irregular and weak.

Neck and Back :

Nape of the neck feels bruised or sprained.

The whole back is weak.

Burning in the back.

Tearing pains, worse at night.

Drawing pains from the nape of the neck to the sacrum.

Extremities

Extreme weariness, or complete loss of power.

Twitching, convulsions of muscles, starting on falling asleep.

Contractions of muscles, both upper and lower extremities.

Tremblings.

The pains in the extremities are usually > by motion.

The weakness, by lying down.

Tingling and numbness of the hands and feet.

Lower Extremities :

Unsteadiness when walking.

Uneasiness ; cannot keep the legs still.

Must move all the time to get relief.

Tearing pains at night, especially towards morning.

Stiffness, numbness, paralysis.

Cramps in the calves, worse at night in bed.

Oedema of the feet, with general exhaustion.

The balls of the toes are painful when walking.

Swollen veins in lower extremities, with oedema.

Skin

Eruptions of arsenic are generally dry, white and scaly, painful with burning.

Itching < by scratching.

Ulcers, painful and burning ; the scanty secretion is generally offensive.

A general tendency to pick at roughened places in the skin until they bleed.

Sleep

Sleeplessness till 3 A. M., afterwards a disturbed sleep, with dreams and startings in fright.

When lying awake at night, great restlessness and tossing about.

When asleep, frequent jerking and starting up.

When waking out of sleep finds it difficult for a long time to fall asleep again.

Fever

The febrile paroxysm is generally characterized by a short chilly stage, prolonged fever, and very little or no perspiration.

Shivering without thirst.

Wants to hover over the fire.

Coldness of the surface, with cold, clammy sweat.

Shivering in the evening, with tearing pains in the limbs and great restlessness.

Fever at night, as if dashed with hot water, with burning through blood vessels.

With the fever, extreme restlessness.

Frequent drinking of small quantities of water.

Weakness.

Persistent internal heat, worse after midnight, with restlessness and anxiety ; skin hot and dry.

Sweat, especially of the lower extremities, often cold.

Cold sweat on the face.

Sweat sometimes offensive.