Poisoned weakness is the systemic cost of a poison’s continued presence in the body — distinct from the poison’s specific acute effects, which are treated under the poison itself. Where the poison’s primary symptoms (paralysis, hallucination, cardiac disruption) describe its action, the weakness it produces is the simple cost of the body fighting it: depleted reserves, impaired organ function, the body diverting energy from everything else to processing the toxin. 5–10 fatigue per active poisoning.
Symptoms
Nausea, sweating, weakness disproportionate to exertion, dulled thinking, tremor, pale or flushed complexion, broken sleep, foul taste in the mouth, persistent thirst. Specific poisons add specific symptoms.
Progression
As long as the poison persists, the weakness persists. Severe poisoning produces severe weakness; mild dosing, mild. Improvement of the poisoning itself (clearance, treatment, antidote) reduces the weakness. Death from severe poisoning often follows from the weakness compounding with the poison’s acute effects.
Treatment
- Treat the specific poison — see the poison’s own entry
- Purge if recent ingestion; antidote if known and available
- Activated charcoal for ingestion; irrigation for contact poisons
- Bed rest, fluids, warmth while the body clears the toxin
Recovery
Weakness fatigue is indefinite, abating only as the underlying source recovers according to its own rules.