The potency of a homeopathic remedy is its strength. Potencies range usually from 3x or 3c progressively up to M, CM, and LM potencies. When self-prescribing without the benefit of professional advice, use lower potencies like 12c.
Remedies are available in tiny round sugar pellets or globules and tablets made of sucrose or lactose. For those oversensitive to a tiny amount of sucrose or lactose, remedies can be ordered in liquid form containing alcohol. For those avoiding even small amounts of alcohol or sugar, LM potencies must be used, but these must be prepared in liquid form by a very knowledgable homeopath.
Try not touch the pellets as they can be antidoted by something you've touched earlier. First, pour them into the cap or the extra cap found inside the tube. Then, pour these into your mouth and under your tongue and allow them to slowly dissolve there.
Adults: Take 4 pellets.
Children: Give 3 pellets under the tongue or crush them in a clean paper and pour into mouth.
Infants: Dissolve 3 pellets in 1/2 glass of water and give two teaspoons as prescribed.
Homeopathic Remedy Antidotes - Homeopathic remedies are essentially vibrational medicine, and they are easily overwhelmed by other strong material vibrations.
Try to avoid anything with coffee flavor, mint, camphor, menthol, large quantities of caffeine, or chamomile externally or internally. For example: avoid mint flavored toothpastes, chewing gums, and mouthwashes (mint and menthol); menthol lozenges and candies; coffee, even decaffeinated or coffee flavored ice cream or candies. If you must have caffeine get it from tea or caffinated soda. Avoid Noxema products and Tiger Balm (camphor); etc. Try also to avoid very strong aromatics or toxic odors like eucalyptus, wintergreen, peppermint, essential oils like patchouli, strong perfumes, strong after-shave and soap, smelly chemicals, moth-balls. If you drink alcohol, avoid extremes. If you smoke marijuana, try to avoid it during treatment because it is a high and aromatic. Do not place your remedies in close contact with magnets. It is best to avoid drugging of any kind, but especially steroids and opiates. These can overpower and antidote your remedy. If you will not or cannot avoid these factors, it is best to use LM potencies.
Much to my amazement very few homeopathic practitioners or the pharmacies that sell homoeopathic remedies give patients correct or thorough information for taking homeopathic remedies. This leaves most homeopathic users unaware that they may be unknowingly blowing their remedies, that is stopping their action by antidoting them with common substances without even knowing it.
Whenever possible take a remedy at bedtime, as the body is at rest. During the day try to take the remedy away from meals, at least 1/2 hour before eating, and at least one hour after eating because while the body is busy digesting food there can be a digestive upset with certain remedies. In an acute case, such as an injury, take the remedy immediately no matter when you have eaten. The mouth should also be free of any strong tastes. You may drink liquids shortly before and after taking a remedy. If you are taking a remedy several times a day, try to schedule some of the doses before bed, upon waking and during the day.
According to Hering's homeopathic "law of cure," in the course of cure during homeopathic treatment, the symptoms improve from the inside outward, from above downwards, from the most vital to the less vital organs, and in the reverse order of their original onset of appearance. The vital force, energy, and the most commonplace symptoms such as general emotions, improve before physical symptoms. It is common during homeopathic treatment for the earlier suppressed symptoms to reappear briefly. This is actually beneficial because the re-emergence of old symptoms shows that they are no longer suppressed and can indicate the original factors of the recent illness and be treated. The chronic longstanding symptoms take longer to cure than recent and acute maladies.
As long as the symptoms persist the remedy should be taken providing that some changes are beginning to happen.
While the remedy is acting on your symptoms, you do not repeat the dosage. You must wait to take the next dose until the remedy has stopped acting (that is, when you experience the dip). If your symptoms disappear, you do not need the remedy any longer. If the symptoms change, you may need a different remedy. You must therefore become aware of what is going on in your body. So, be more aware than usual. This is not the usual pill-popping.
When the symptoms are cured, stop taking the remedy. If the symptoms change, change to another remedy according to the new symptoms. If a remedy doesn't help your symptoms it will not hurt you, but if within a day or two there is no improvement at all try a different appropriate remedy.
Source: http://www.homeoint.org/site/price/guidelines.htm#Homeopathic Remedy Antidotes