Niccolum Aceticum – Nickel Acetate

The attenuations are prepared from Nickel acetate, C₄H₆NiO₄ · 4H₂O, MW: 248.9.

Characteristic of the symptomatology of nickel and its salts are tearing, contrac- tive pains, itching, burning stinging pains, as if from insect-bites here and there on the body, associated with lassitude and feeling generally unwell, weakness and trem- bling of the limbs, which is ameliorated in fresh air.

Sleep is usually restless, with frequent waking from a sensation of heat and pain in the head and limbs. Not until nearly morning does the patient achieve calm sleep with fantastic, lascivious dreams, and then he feels sleepy during the daytime. He exhibits extremely changeable moods, varying between timidity, despondency, peev- ishness, anger and brawling, as well as cheerfulness.

All over the body there are itching eruptions like herpes, and also pustular acne on the face with swelling of the tissue.

Tearing headaches occur in the morning with vertigo, spasmodic twitching of the eyelids, itching, burning and lachrymation of the eyes with redness and swelling of the rims and slight conjunctivitis. Also there are various neuralgic pains in the neck muscles, dislocated pain in the shoulder joints, pains in the sacrum, stinging pains in the fingers (especially the joints) and toes, pain in the hips, crawling and cramps in the toes, tearing pains in the knee joint and muscle pains in the thigh. These may be replaced by shivering and alternating heat and chill with thirst, a dominating feeling of heat by day and by night with violent thirst, and sweating in the afternoons and after midnight. The picture of Niccolum and its salts may be rounded off by frequent sneezing with dry nasal mucosa, nocturnal nasal congestion and nose-bleeds, laryn- geal catarrh and tickling sensation with bursts of dry coughing, slight expectoration, nocturnal attacks of coughing with a sensation of pressure on the chest and shortness of breath while sitting, and general painfulness of the chest.

Other symptoms include toothache, offensive mouth-odour with dryness of the oral mucosa, swollen gums, tonsillitis, accumulation of mucus in the pharynx with lack of appetite, violent thirst, eructations and hiccups, nausea and a sensation of cramp and pressure in the stomach with burning, stinging pains, plentiful wind with distension in the intestines, and stools which, even when soft, can only be voided with difficulty and with stabbing pains in the rectum. In the genito-urinary organs there is burning at the urethral meatus, increased and frequent urination, particularly unusually copious urination at night, and itching of the genitalia which is not re- lieved by scratching. The menses arrive too early and are then interrupted with a feeling of great weakness and replaced by watery discharge.

The whole picture suggests the presence of impregnation phases, which have the tendency to become inflammations with temporary fevers. There are vertigo and states of weakness as well as spasmodic complaints, particularly hoarseness and at- tacks of coughing with epistaxis, flatulent complaints with diarrhoea or unaccus- tomed spastic constipation, likewise menstrual complaints with leucorrhoea.

Simpson recommends Niccolum Sulphuricum particularly for stubborn, periodic headaches; Hale observed good results in periodic neuralgic pains following malar- ia.