Stramonium

Adapted to: ailments of young plethoric persons ( Acon. , Bell. ); especially children in chorea; mania and fever delirium.

Delirium: loquacious, talks all the time, sings, makes verses, raves; simulates Bell. and Hyos. , yet differs in degree.

The delirium is more furious, the mania more acute, while the congestion, though greater that Hyos. , is much less that Bell. , never approaching a true inflammation.

Disposed to talk continually ( Cic. , Lach. ); incessant and incoherent talking and laughing; praying, beseeching, entreating; with suppressed menses.

Desires light and company; cannot bear to be alone ( Bis. ); worse in the dark and solitude; cannot walk in a dark room.

Awakens with a shrinking look, as if afraid of the first object seen.

Hallucinations which terrify the patient.

Desire to escape, in delirium ( Bell. , Bry. , Op. , Rhus ).

Imagines all sorts of things; that she is double, lying crosswise, etc. ( Petr. ).

Head feels as is scattered about ( Bap. ).

Eyes wide open, prominent, brilliant; pupils widely dilated, insensible; contortion of eyes and eyelids.

Pupils dilate when child is reprimanded.

Face hot and red with cold hands and feet; circumscribed redness of cheeks, blood rushes to face; risus sardonicus.

Stammering; has to exert himself a long time before he can utter a word; makes great effort to speak; distorts the face ( Bov. , Ign. , Spig. ).

Vomiting: as soon as he raises head from pillow; from a bright light.

Convulsions: from consciousness ( Nux – without, Bell. , Cic. , Hyos. , Op. ); renewed by sight of bright light, of mirror or water ( Bell. , Lys. ).

Twitching of single muscle or groups of muscles, especially upper part of body; chorea.

Hydrophobia: fear of water, with excessive aversion to liquids ( Bell. , Lys. ); spasmodic constriction of throat.

No pain with most complaints; painlessness is characteristic ( Op. ).

Sleepy, but cannot sleep ( Bell. , Cham. , Op. ).

Relations. – Stramonium often follows: Bell. , Cup. , Hyos. , Lys.

In metrorrhagia from retained placenta with characteristic delirium, Sec. often acts promptly when Stram. has failed (with fever and septic tendency, Pyr. ).

After overaction, from repeated doses of Bell. , in whooping cough.

Aggravation. – In the dark; when alone; looking at bright or shining objects; after sleep ( Apis , Lach. , Op. , Spong. ); when attempting to swallow.

Amelioration. – From bright light; from company; warmth.