@ Home Sick: Medicine in Colombia

I'm home sick today, and so I thought I'd give you a short guide and some tips to medicine in Colombia.

1. My number one tip is to know the scientific or medical name of all the medications you would normally use at home (look on the ingredients list). That way, words like acetaminofen will be easy to recognize as the Spanish equivalent to acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Usually you can look these up online. A good thing to try before heading to a pharmacy (drogueria) is to look up the ingredients in the medication you would normally take and then try to translate them into Spanish.
2. My number two tip is learning enough Spanish (even right before you use it) to explain your symptoms. Try to be specific. If you have a stomach ache, be able to describe exact symptoms and where it is. That will help a pharmacist locate the correct medication. It might not always be as effective as you hope, but it's better than nothing.
3. Don't assume Colombian medications, or any international medications, aren't as good as American ones. When I lived in Denmark I got a horrible cold and desperately needed Sudafed, but they didn't sell it or anything like it. Instead the pharmacist gave me a medicated nasal spray. It worked so much better than Sudafed that I miss that stuff! In June I got a horrible cold in Colombia, and they gave me a shot in my butt, which is a common treatment here. I thought it was odd, but I felt better in just a few hours.
4. When in doubt, go to the doctor (or have one come to you), have him or her figure out what you need, and ask him/her to call the pharmacy for you. Most pharmacies will deliver, and a great deal are even 24 hours.
5. Finally, the easiest tip of all is to bring medication with you from home. Some things are easy to find here (Colombian Tylenol), but other things you'll probably never find. If there's something you can't survive without, or simply always depend on, bring it with you. Make sure it's allowed on planes and you can bring it into the country, of course. Also, if you are bringing prescription medication, definitely bring the prescription with you!

Okay, here's a simple guide to get you started...
1. You can find generic acetaminofen (Tylenol( at any supermarket. The brand name here for it is Dolex, and just like Tylenol, Dolex makes versions for flu (gripa) and colds/sinuses (sinus).
2. Ibuprofen is almost exactly the same word--Ibuprofeno, and is also available everywhere. Don't take it if you are having stomach problems. Ibuprofen needs to be taken with food--take Tylenol when you have a stomach issue.
3. Smecta is the closest thing Colombia has to Pepto-Bismol. It is a powder you buy in packets and mix into water. It has a chalky-orange flavor. Sometimes it takes a few tries for it to work--you are supposed to drink two glasses every eight hours. If you get sick, try this. Colombians might recommend it, but I do not recommend Buscapina. It's a muscle relaxer. I do recommend Pedialyte or Gatorade(they've got the same stuff here) if you have traveler's diarrhea.
4. For congestion problems, it is possible to get oseudoephedrine (Sudafed), but it is hard to find. The only time I've managed to get it was when a SER doctor ordered it for me. Not all pharmacies carry it, either. If you can find it, the medication I got with it is called "Antiss-D". Instead, you can try a few different medications. Descongel Gripa and Sinutab both have Phenylephrine, which is the ingredient in most over-the-counter Sudafed now. It's not as effective, but it will certainly help.
5. Although weird, for sunburn relief, you can try milk of magnesia (leche de magnesia or crema de magnesia), or you could just buy an Aloe leaf at the supermarket, cut it up, and lay it on your skin. I've done both. They work well and are very cheap.
6. Mosquitoes bites here are always treated with alcohol. I'm not sure if that's because it helps dry the bite out or if it is because they are worried about diseases that mosquitoes carry, but it works. Just give it a few hours and don't scratch. Alcohol goes by the same word here.
7. Mosquito repellent is called "repelente de insectos". You can find all sorts of stuff here. I like the roll-on sticks, but we also used a brand called Bacterion, and it was just fine.
8. Contact solution in Colombia... this one is easy! Use Wasser. They have one called Multi 20/20 that you can use for hard and rigid gas permeable contacts (gas permeables) and they have another one called Multi Solution that works for soft contacts. The word for contacts is lentes de contacto. I also bought a contact lens here that I am definitely happy with, so don't be afraid of them if you need them!

Women only:
1. If it matters, tampons with applicators aren't super easy to find, and I'd definitely recommend going for the American brands if you find them. I don't know why, but they just aren't super popular here. They are also EXPENSIVE, so bring generic brand ones (like Target) from home if you can plan for it.
2. I've never found anything like Midol here, but when I'm desperate I just take Tylenol and each chocolate or have something else with caffeine, which is basically what Midol does. You can also do some specific yoga positions when you have cramps/bloating. Buscapina advertises that it helps menstrual cramp pain. It's a muscle relaxer. I've taken it for other things and don't recommend it.
3. Birth control is available over-the-counter here. Just go to the store and ask for it. Mini-Pill seems to be popular. It's a low-dose one. There are other types available, check the ProFamilia website if you have questions. It's helpful. If you don't speak Spanish, don't whine, just translate it using an online translator.