overdose
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overdose
The taking of an excessively large, potentially life-threatening amount of a medication or drug.
Er wurde mit einer Überdosis Schlaftabletten ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert.
He was admitted to the hospital with an overdose of sleeping pills.
The word is made up of the prefix 'über-' and the noun 'die Dosis' (the dose). Here, 'über-' means 'too much', so the meaning is literally 'a dose that is too high'.
Schon eine kleine Überdosis dieses Medikaments kann gefährlich sein.
Even a small overdose of this medication can be dangerous.
In a medical context, 'Überdosis' (overdose) is often used with the verbs 'nehmen' (to take) and 'sterben' (to die). You 'nimmt' eine Überdosis (take an overdose), and you can 'an' einer Überdosis sterben (die of an overdose).
Der Patient starb an einer Überdosis eines starken Schmerzmittels.
The patient died of an overdose of a strong painkiller.
In the figurative sense, you can have an 'Überdosis' (overdose) of almost anything that becomes too much. The preposition 'an' (+ dative) indicates what you have too much of.
Nach dem langen Meeting hatte ich eine Überdosis an Präsentationen.
After the long meeting, I had an overdose of presentations.
dose
'die Dosis' and 'die Überdosis' both have to do with an amount, especially with medications or drugs. The difference is very important: 'die Dosis' is simply a specific amount, which can be right or wrong. 'die Überdosis' is too large an amount and can be dangerous. Figuratively, 'Dosis' can mean a normal measure, while 'Überdosis' means too much of something. You should not swap the words, because 'Überdosis' always expresses an excess.
Nach einer Überdosis Schmerzmittel musste der Patient sofort ins Krankenhaus.
After an overdose of painkillers, the patient had to go to the hospital immediately.
Bitte nehmen Sie die Dosis genau so ein, wie es auf dem Plan steht.
Please take the dose exactly as written in the plan.