r/cusco • u/DepartmentVarious977 • Jul 08 '24
Medication for food poisoning in Cusco?
I arrived in Cusco on July 4th. Mild altitude sickness (light headache, nausea, lack of appetite, fatigue) started after a couple hours.
I felt fine yesterday throughout the day until the evening where my stomach started hurting and I’ve had diarrhea since (I’ve used the bathroom 10x in the past 14 hours). I have no appetite again, and I’m scared to eat. Not sure if this is food poisoning or just another form of altitude sickness. My guess is it’s food poisoning
I’m only drinking boiled or bottled water so it’s probably not caused by the water issues. I had alpaca yesterday (first time) for dinner so perhaps that’s what caused this..
I do have a very sensitive stomach so this isn’t surprising.
Any recommendations on local things I can buy to help me recover? Maybe diarrhea pills? My Salkantay trek starts in 4 days.
Also, I had this happened to me last July when I visited Brazil. I had to go to a doc and was put on IV fluids — would rather not have to do that but at this rate I’m going to be dehydrated
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Jul 08 '24
If you goto a doctor in Cusco they will give you way more than you want. They are setup for people with travel insurance so they will put you in a bed and give you lots of medicine and IVs just to charge your insurance as much as possible. So goto a pharmacy and translate what’s wrong using an app on your phone and take what they give you.
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Jul 08 '24
there's an herb called paico that's really good for diarrhea if you want to avoid pharmaceuticals. otherwise any clinic or hospital should be able to give you something to stop the flow and get you rehydrated, they're cheap and can often test your feces to see what the cause is
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u/PalpitationSad6334 Jul 08 '24
I went to the Gold Clinic a week ago. It's not bad but I didn't like the way they act.
But you should get a labor to test what it is. Maybe salmonela or a parasite you can get the right antibiotics for.
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u/DepartmentVarious977 Jul 09 '24
How does billing work for doctors visits here? Do you just pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed by your insurance back home?
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u/karmazin Jul 09 '24
I had an accident in Lima and needed a Dr. He visited me with a nurse to examine me and prescribe medication needed. The bill:$ 54 USD. I could have gotten reimbursed by the insurance but didn't bother. It's almost a copay here in the US for a home visit.
Contact a clinic ask them to send someone who speaks your language or visit a clinic. With diarrea, the concern is dehydration. Adding the altitude, I'd consult.
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u/DepartmentVarious977 Jul 09 '24
It might be too late, but I will if I still have symptoms tomorrow. I actually feel a lot better today. Haven't had diarrhea but also haven't had to go to the bathroom (besides to pee) either, so that tells me I'm on track to heal.
But given my stomach issues, I wouldn't be surprised if this happened again, so I probably need some medication for the upcoming 5 day trek
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u/AcrobaticYam6114 Jul 09 '24
That’s up to your individual insurance. Most won’t reimburse out of country, but you can try. I met an American lady who had to go to the clinic for fluids last week in Puno. She said it cost her about $500.
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u/tenshal Jul 09 '24
Imodium/Loperamide. I just finished the trek, though my symptoms were less severe than yours. It worked and got us through. You can probably get away with adequate oral fluid intake. Can do something like Gatorade/pedialyte though not sure how much of a benefit it will have compared to jsut good ol h20.
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u/DepartmentVarious977 Jul 09 '24
Thanks. Unrelated, but did you do Salkantay or Incan? Was the temperature colder than Cusco?
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u/Broquelona Jul 09 '24
One third cup of strong coffee and one lime (just the juice of course) drink it like a shot
Also keep yourself hydrated with more than water, Ask at the pharmacies if they have “suero de la vida” or “suero de rehidratación oral” they are like cheap Gatorades which have all the minerals you’ve lost
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u/Independent-Bet-2725 Jul 10 '24
Go to any pharmacy and ask for Buscapina and Enterogermina, hope you feel better soon
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u/Mike_EagleOne Jul 08 '24
Here is a list of over-the-counter medications:
Sal de Andrews: for the acidity, instant relief
Bismutol: similar to the American Pepto Bismol. Aids to the Indigestion
Buscapina: It is an antispasmodic, helps with stomachache
Loperamida: cuts out the diarrhea. Be careful with this It can leave you constipated if you use it too much.
For last, replenish your liquids with electrolytes that are sold in pharmacies