A while ago, I wrote about my hernia surgery, and how the Colombian private healthcare is wonderful… with the only weak link being the actual PEOPLE, their work ethic and their attention to detail. I also strongly advised that us foreigners need to “trust but verify” details when dealing with said healthcare workers.
Well, guess what? In February, here in Cali, Colombia, I experienced that lack of attention to detail, I trusted but didn’t verify… and I almost expired as a result.
- ER Visit and Erroneous Prescription
- Dosage Shenanigans
- ER Visit and Mini-Detox
- The Aftermath
- Takeaways and Reminders
ER Visit and Erroneous Prescription
On February 24th, 2026 I had gone to the nearby ER of Clinica Imbanaco for a separate issue, with my trusted friend Patty. I was admitted for half the day and given both a strong antibiotic and a pain killer, both intravenously.
When I was being discharged, the doctor gave me the printed prescription document, which said I was to take [Antibiotic Name] at 500mg per pill, twice a day, for 14 days. My companion and I confirmed with the doctor that the dosage of 500mg was correct. It seemed high to me, but the doctor confirmed it twice. So, I was like, OK… she’s a full-on Medical Doctor, and had likely issued this prescription dozens of times, so what could go wrong?
A lot, it turned out.
Dosage Shenanigans
My companion and I left the hospital and went directly to a pharmacy right across the road. We asked for “[Antibiotic Name] 500mg”. That medicine wasn’t available in 500mg pills, only in 100mg pills. We also looked online… that dosage for that medicine simply didn’t exist, anywhere.
My companion – smartly – wanted to go back to the doctor and re-confirm the dosage, but I was too tired and in pain, I just wanted to go home and lie down. So, I bought the medication as-is.
Why did I do that? Well, you see, in the past, both in the USA and in Colombia, I have had doctors tell me that if the medicine didn’t come in the prescribed dosage, that I could take MORE pills, enough to satisfy the prescription dosage. Based on that rational, I assumed that this Imbanaco doctor wanted me to have a higher antibiotic dosage in order to clear the infection more quickly.
In retrospect, I should have remembered that in all those cases where a doctor permitted doubling-up on pills, the medicines were simple painkillers, NOT antibiotics! But I wasn’t thinking clearly at that moment… I bought MANY boxes of this antibiotic, went home, and started taking 5x 100mg pills at a time (500mg) 🫨
Day 1
I felt like shit. Like, horrible. Aside from the pre-existing pain, I was having stomach upset from the medicine. I also had dizziness and very little appetite. I assumed, as happens very often, that I’d feel worse before I started feeling better.
Day 2
Nope. I wasn’t feeling better. I forced down a few bites of food, took the 5 pills, and washed it all down with lots of cold water. Literally a few minutes later, I had to run to the bathroom, where I proceeded to projectile-vomit 🤮 so violently that I low-key sprained my lower abdomen.
I swear, I thought the involuntary super-contraction and ejection had reopened my hernia surgery wound (but thankfully that wasn’t the case). After washing my face and mouth, I lay down on the bed to stretch out my abdomen. I was deeply miserable 😖
Days 3 – 6
My original pain – the reason I went to Imbanaco in the first place – was noticeably subsiding (finally), but the headaches, fever, nausea, gastrointestinal distress and lack of appetite continued. I had diarrhea, though thankfully just twice, on days 3 and 4. I wasn’t able to eat or even drink normally. Everything tasted nasty and awful… EXCEPT ice-cold water and ice-cold orange juice. I must have drank 4 liters of cold water (and maybe 1 liter of orange juice) per day for a week! Peeing like crazy!
As the days went on, I could sense that something was VERY wrong. Eventually, I said “fuck it”, and used the SURA mobile app to make a virtual appointment, so I could get a doctor’s opinion and guidance.
Day 7
As luck would have it, the doctor who saw me was a fully bilingual doctor (American, but relocated to Colombia). I explained my situation and showed him all my documents. The kind doctor – let’s call him “Doctor J”, based in Medellin – explained to me that the prescription dosage was an error in Clinica Imbanaco’s system, and I’d been taking FIVE TIMES the MAXIMUM daily recommended dosage of that antibiotic… which counts as a massive overdose 😱
He advised me to drop everything, go immediately to the nearest emergency room, and pray that the damage wasn’t irreversible.
ER Visit and Mini-Detox
Obviously, I was leery of going back to Clinica Imbanaco (even though it was the closest ER), so I took Uber to the nearest SURA clinic, which was further away, but not too far.
At the SURA facility, they admitted me, took blood and urine, ran tests, and confirmed that my liver was relatively OK. However, the overdose seemed to have accelerated my preexisting chronic kidney disease😔They gave me something intravenously in attempt to “clean” my system.
It’s worth noting that during this unexpected hospital visit, “Doctor J” checked up on me. It was so nice and refreshing to be seen as an actual human being, it made me feel less alone in that difficult time, and I told him as much 🙏🏾
After a few hours, the SURA doctor discharged me, with direct and clear instructions on replenishing my gut flora, avoiding supplements and soda, and seeing a Nephrologist (kidney specialist) as soon as humanly possible. I agreed… saving my kidneys was my new #1 priority in life.
The Aftermath
By the time I got home, “Doctor J” had already reported the bad prescription to the local medical authorities in Cali. He and I had already been communicating via email… he followed up with me a couple of days later. He also provided me with several hints and tips that helped me understand the healthcare system in Colombia, as well as my own kidney situation.
It took me about a week to regain my appetite. I had lost some weight due to poor nutrition, but for 3 days I DID enjoy a slightly flatter abdomen… I could actually see 1.5 more abs peeking through my lordosis-enhanced belly fat 😅 However, I love food… so I was glad when my appetite returned and I could eat normally again.
Takeaways and Reminders
Like I said in the previous article, the private healthcare system in Colombia is Very Good… however the weak links continue to be some careless workers. This means that it’s EXTREMELY important for you to:
- Verify every prescription that the doctors write. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to be direct and “take up room”. If necessary, use a translator app to make sure you understand what the doctor is saying, and vice-versa.
- Scan and save all the documents the hospitals give you. My Google Drive has ALL of mine, so I can pull up documents on my smartphone at any moment (as long as I have a mobile or Wifi signal)
- Take advantage of every tool and feature provided by your health insurance plan. Sorry if I’ve been “glazing” the SURA app a lot 😅 but I feel like using it has indirectly saved my life!
- Optional: If you’re not fully bilingual, make a bilingual friend or find a bilingual local helper, preferably someone who is familiar with the healthcare system in Colombia. When a person is in distress in a hospital – especially a busy hospital – using their 2nd language usually presents a high cognitive load in that moment, making communication difficult. My friend Patty has been extremely helpful to me in Colombia, but she doesn’t know any English. If I had a bilingual companion with me on February 24th, I think we would have sorted out the prescription dosage weirdness more quickly (or it wouldn’t have happened in first place).
Anyway, that’s my first – and hopefully my LAST – drug overdose story… one more in the weird saga that is my life 😆 May YOUR adventures be less stressful, dear reader!
Opara's Journey 