How Repetition of Doses works in Homeopathy?

1. Hahnemann found that in both acute and chronic diseases, the 30th potency of a well-chosen homeopathic remedy is optimal for repetition of doses. It is crucial to allow the administered dose to fully complete its duration of action, especially in chronic cases. During this time, administering a new remedy or repeating the same one is not recommended.
2. Repetition of the remedy is only warranted if the patient’s condition ceases to improve. Continued improvement indicates that further doses are unnecessary.
3. Through extensive experimentation with potencies, Hahnemann determined that in robust individuals, a well-selected homeopathic remedy in the 30th potency can be repeated every several days. However, for weaker and more sensitive individuals, the repetition interval may be extended to every nine, twelve, or fourteen days.
4. Acute diseases respond well to repeated doses, with frequencies ranging from every 4 to 24 hours, depending on the severity and nature of the condition. In severe cases, hourly repetition may even be appropriate.
5. For pure syphilitic cases, a single dose of Mercurius 30 is often sufficient. If necessary, this remedy can be repeated every 6 to 8 days.
6. Repetition of doses can be continued until new symptoms emerge in the patient. The appearance of new symptoms suggests that the current remedy may not be suitable, prompting the selection of a new remedy based on the updated totality of symptoms.

Hahnemann’s View Regarding Repetition of Dose (acc. to 6th Edition)

Hahnemann, in a footnote to § 246, notes that his experiences outlined in the fifth edition of the Organon aimed to prevent adverse reactions of the vital energy. He explains that over the past four or five years, he has developed an improved method to address these issues. With this new method, the same carefully selected homeopathic remedy can be administered daily for months, if necessary. This involves starting with lower potencies for one or two weeks in chronic disease treatment before advancing to higher potencies.

Hahnemann cautions physicians to be careful in three steps when selecting a homeopathic remedy. Firstly, the remedy must be perfectly homeopathic. Secondly, it should be given in highly dynamized form, if necessary dissolved in water and administered in proper small doses. Thirdly, the medicine should be repeated carefully based on requirements and careful observations.

Regarding the mode of repetition of remedies:

1. In acute diseases, the remedy can be repeated frequently based on the intensity of the disease.
2. In chronic diseases, a single dose of a well-selected homeopathic remedy may suffice to complete the cure within a specific timeframe. However, to expedite the cure, the remedy should be dissolved in water and administered in proper small doses at regular intervals. Hahnemann emphasizes that each repeated dose should deviate slightly from the preceding one in potency to continue stimulating the vital force.
3. The unchanged dose of the remedy should not be repeated, as it may no longer be accepted by the vital force. Instead, the potency should be increased slightly with each repetition.
4. This procedure of increasing the dose and potency with every repetition can be followed in acute diseases every 2 to 6 hours, and in chronic diseases, the ever-increasing dose can be repeated either every second day or even daily for months.
5. If new symptoms appear during repetition, it suggests that the remedy may not be truly homeopathic, and a new remedy may need to be selected.
6. Homeopathic aggravation indicates that the administered remedy is producing the desired response. In such cases, the remedy should be reduced in potency and repeated at longer intervals or stopped for several days.
7. Schein Symptome, or apparent symptoms caused by excess of the homeopathic medicine, will disappear upon discontinuation of the medicine. Hahnemann suggests either abruptly withdrawing the medicine or gradually increasing the duration of its repetition until it is stopped completely.
8. In cases where an improperly chosen remedy produces new symptoms, it should be neutralized with an antidote medicine, and a well-chosen remedy for the existing totality should be administered immediately.
9. An astute physician can identify a badly chosen remedy within a few hours of its administration, especially in acute cases, and replace it with the proper one.
10. Certain drugs like Ignatia, Bryonia, Rhus tox, and sometimes Belladonna may produce alternating actions. In such cases, if no improvement follows, the same remedy can be repeated afresh in equally small doses, and sometimes this practice can bring about improvement. In acute cases, a second dose of the same remedy may be administered within a few hours after the first dose.