Originally Posted by Gina

Vide the aphorism 242 of the 4th Organon.

"As long, therefore, as the progressive improvement continues from the medicine administered, so long we can take for granted that the duration of the action of the helpful medicine, in this case at least, continues, and hence all repetition of any dose of medicine is forbidden [DL]. "

The same point is also stressed in Aphorism 245.

"Even one dose of the same medicine which has up to now proved beneficial, if repeated before the improvement has begun to stand still in every direction, [DL] will, like an untimely interference, only aggravate the state..."

Hahnemann again reminds us at the end of this paragraph:

"In one word, we disturb the amelioration affected, and still to be expected from the first dose, if we give a second dose of the same originally well chosen remedy before the expiry of the period of action of the first; at all events, we thereby delay the recovery [DL]. "

The Single Dose Wait and Watch Method
These aphorisms introduce the "wait and watch" philosophy which is a manifestation of the principle of minimal intervention, another important aspect of the maxim of the minimal dose. If the sufferer is improving after the administration of the first dose of a remedy, all repetitions of the dose are completely counter indicated. It is only when there is a clear relapse of the symptoms that a second dose of a remedy may be administered. This injunction was introduced to prevent disruption of the healing process by the premature repetition of the remedy.
Hahnemann noticed that premature repetition of a dose often caused a relapse of symptoms as well as accessory symptoms (side-actions) of the remedy to appear. This mixture of natural and remedial symptoms confuses the picture and slows down the cure. This is why classical homoeopaths are very conservative about the repetition of the remedy before there is a definite relapse of the symptoms. This demands great patience because even during a slow amelioration the sufferer must wait for a relapse of symptoms before they may take another dose.