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.
overdose
In a figurative sense, an excessive and barely tolerable amount of something, for example information or emotions.
Nach drei Stunden Social Media hatte ich eine Überdosis an schlechten Nachrichten.
After three hours of social media, I had an overdose of bad news.
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.
poisoning
An Überdosis occurs when someone takes too large an amount of a medication or drug. Vergiftung refers to the harmful condition this causes in the body. An Überdosis can therefore lead to Vergiftung, but the two words do not refer to the same part of the process.
Sie hatte versehentlich eine Überdosis der Tabletten eingenommen.
She had accidentally taken an overdose of the tablets.
Nach der Einnahme der vielen Tabletten musste ihre Vergiftung im Krankenhaus behandelt werden.
After taking so many tablets, her poisoning had to be treated in the hospital.
