Start with the warnings, not the shopping list. A few medicines that families carry from Colombia, Mexico or Venezuela are banned, restricted, or unsafe for children in the United States, and one of them can be dangerous the very first time it is used. Read this section before anything else. After that comes the useful part: the U.S. name to look for on the label when you are trying to replace Dolex, Buscapina, Tempra, Panadol, Noraver or Sal de Uvas.
Read this first: what is dangerous, banned, or off-limits for kids
- Metamizole (dipyrone) — Neo-Melubrina, Buscapina Compuesta. This one is withdrawn from the U.S. market. It can destroy the white blood cells that fight infection, a reaction called agranulocytosis, and the risk does not depend on how much you take. Please avoid bringing it in a suitcase or having relatives mail it.
- Aspirin in children and teenagers. The U.S. aspirin label itself warns about Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious illness of the brain and liver in children and teens who have chickenpox or flu-like symptoms. For a child, acetaminophen or ibuprofen are the standard choices instead.
- Alka-Seltzer contains aspirin — the classic version, both in the U.S. and in Mexico. That places it under the same Reye's warning, so keep it away from children and teenagers. It is also very high in sodium, which matters if there is high blood pressure or heart trouble in the family.
- Pepto-Bismol is a salicylate too. Bismuth subsalicylate carries the same Reye's warning on the U.S. label. This surprises a lot of families, because the pink bottle looks harmless.
- Benzocaine in the mouth or throat (the U.S. cousin of Noraver Garganta, such as Cepacol lozenges). The FDA said in 2018 that over-the-counter oral benzocaine products should not be used in children under 2 years old, because of methemoglobinemia, a blood problem that can be fatal.
- Vicks VapoRub is not for children under 2 years old according to its U.S. label. There is a separate Baby line for little ones. Keep it off broken skin and out of the nostrils.
- Loperamide (Imodium) is safe when used as directed, and dangerous above that. The FDA has warned that taking more than the label says can cause serious heart problems, including deaths, which is why the packages are now small.
With those warnings in hand, here is the useful part. If you would rather have a doctor walk you through it in Spanish, you can talk with a Doctor Matt physician by video, with or without insurance, for a flat $68. Pay and book $68 and get a clear plan.
The line on the box that actually matters
U.S. law requires every over-the-counter medicine to carry a Drug Facts panel with a line that reads Active ingredient, followed by the official name of the compound. That line is what you compare — the brand, the color of the box and the language on the front do not matter. Two boxes with the same active ingredient in the same amount do the same thing.
So the search is not "where do they sell Dolex in Miami." The search is: what is the active ingredient in Dolex, and what is that ingredient called in English?
Colombian brands and what to look for here
- Dolex is acetaminophen. Look for Acetaminophen — Tylenol or the store brand.
- Advil and Motrin exist in the U.S. under the very same names. The active ingredient is Ibuprofen.
- Noraver Bebida Caliente combines acetaminophen, cetirizine and phenylephrine. Here you build it from separate boxes: Acetaminophen and Cetirizine, plus a decongestant (see the note on phenylephrine below).
- Noraver Gripa capsules combine ibuprofen, phenylephrine and cetirizine. The closest approach is Ibuprofen plus Cetirizine, bought separately.
- Noraver Gripa Noche combines acetaminophen, phenylephrine and diphenhydramine. A U.S. product labeled Nighttime Cold & Flu, with Acetaminophen and Diphenhydramine, gets close.
- Noraver Garganta is benzocaine plus cetylpyridinium. Benzocaine lozenges are sold here, with the warning above for children under 2.
- Buscapina (hyoscine butylbromide) has no over-the-counter equivalent. In the U.S. that ingredient is approved only for veterinary use in horses; the human antispasmodics are prescription medicines.
- Buscapina Compuesta / Compositum adds dipyrone, so it falls under the ban described above.
- Winadeine and Winadeine F combine acetaminophen with codeine. Codeine is a controlled substance in the U.S. and, since 2018, opioid cough medicines are limited to adults over 18. Treat it as prescription-only.
Mexican brands
- Tempra is paracetamol, which is Acetaminophen on a U.S. label. The brand is far less common on U.S. shelves than Tylenol, though boxes still turn up in stores that serve Latino customers, such as H-E-B, and online; the generic acetaminophen beside it does the same job.
- Sal de Uvas Picot is sodium bicarbonate with citric and tartaric acids, and the very same product is sold here — CVS, Walmart, Kroger and many supermarkets carry it. Any effervescent antacid does the same thing.
- Melox and Melox Plus are aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide, with simethicone in the Plus. Look for a bottle labeled Antacid Anti-Gas, Mylanta, or the store brand.
- Vick VapoRub is Vicks VapoRub here, same product, same name — with the under-2 warning.
- Desenfriol-D combines paracetamol, chlorpheniramine and phenylephrine; the other products in the Desenfriol line use different formulas, so read the label. A Cold & Flu Multi-Symptom product with Acetaminophen and Chlorpheniramine is the closest thing.
- Treda contains neomycin, kaolin and pectin. It is unavailable here: oral neomycin is a prescription antibiotic, and the FDA concluded in its 2003 final monograph that kaolin and pectin are not recognized as effective for diarrhea.
- Neo-Melubrina is metamizole — the banned one. See the warnings above.
Venezuelan and Central American brands
- Atamel and Atamel Forte are acetaminophen. Look for Acetaminophen.
- Atamel Plus is acetaminophen with caffeine. Combination products with caffeine exist here, though the popular ones such as Excedrin also contain aspirin — read the panel.
- Atamelco (sold as Atamel CO) is acetaminophen with codeine, so it is prescription-only in the U.S.
- Tachipirin is paracetamol: Acetaminophen.
- Panadol is paracetamol as well in its plain version, while variants such as Panadol Extra add caffeine — check the panel. The Panadol brand turns up in some U.S. stores and online, though Tylenol is the household name here and the generic is everywhere.
- Mejoral changes formula from country to country. Some versions are paracetamol; others, like Mejoral Forte, are acetylsalicylic acid with caffeine — that is aspirin in English, with the children and teenagers warning attached. Read the box before you buy or give it to anyone.
Spanish to U.S. label: the words to look for
- Acetaminofén / paracetamol → Acetaminophen (pain and fever). Tylenol.
- Ibuprofeno → Ibuprofen (pain, fever, swelling). Advil, Motrin IB.
- Naproxeno sódico → Naproxen sodium (longer-lasting pain relief). Aleve.
- Loratadina → Loratadine (allergy, less drowsy). Claritin.
- Cetirizina → Cetirizine (allergy). Zyrtec.
- Difenhidramina → Diphenhydramine (allergy; causes drowsiness). Benadryl.
- Omeprazol → Omeprazole (frequent heartburn). Prilosec OTC.
- Famotidina → Famotidine (heartburn). Pepcid AC.
- Loperamida → Loperamide (diarrhea). Imodium.
- Subsalicilato de bismuto → Bismuth subsalicylate (upset stomach, diarrhea). Pepto-Bismol.
- Guaifenesina → Guaifenesin (loosens mucus). Mucinex.
- Dextrometorfano → Dextromethorphan (DM) (dry cough). Robitussin DM, Delsym.
- Pseudoefedrina → Pseudoephedrine (nasal congestion). Sudafed, kept behind the counter.
A note on phenylephrine, the decongestant inside almost every Latin American cold formula: in November 2024 the FDA published a proposed order to remove oral phenylephrine from over-the-counter products because the evidence did not show it works. The comment period closed on May 7, 2025, and as of our August 2026 review the FDA had not published a final order — it is still a proposal, and those products are still on sale. If you want a decongestant that the FDA has not questioned, ask the pharmacist for pseudoephedrine at the window.
Behind the counter is not the same as prescription
Pseudoephedrine is sold without a prescription, yet you will not find it on the shelf. Under the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 it sits behind the pharmacy counter or in a locked case: you ask the pharmacist, show a photo ID, and sign a logbook the store keeps for at least two years, with limits on how much one person can buy per day and per month. Plenty of families conclude it was pulled from the market. It was not — it just moved to the window.
Store brands: same medicine, smaller price
Walmart sells Equate, Target sells Up & Up, Costco sells Kirkland Signature, CVS sells CVS Health, Walgreens sells Walgreens, and Amazon sells Amazon Basic Care. Every one of those boxes has to print its active ingredient in the Drug Facts panel, and a generic has to deliver the same ingredient, in the same amount, at the same speed as the famous brand. What changes is the fillers, the color, and the name on the front.
The price gap exists because the original brand paid for the studies and the advertising, while the generic uses an ingredient that was already studied and competes against several manufacturers at once. A 2015 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that for headache remedies pharmacists choose the national brand only about 9% of the time, against about 26% for the average shopper. Prices move week to week, so compare the shelf tag on the day you buy.
What needs a prescription here, and often surprises Latino families
- Oral antibiotics — amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin. A prescription from a doctor licensed in a U.S. state is required, at every pharmacy, with no exceptions. Some antibiotic ointments for the skin are sold over the counter, which is a different situation.
- Injections, including the pain and vitamin shots that pharmacies give in Latin America. U.S. pharmacies do not sell or administer them without a prescription.
- Dexamethasone, in every form.
- Codeine — Winadeine, Atamelco, cough syrups. Treat it as prescription-only.
- Antispasmodics of the Buscapina type. The human versions here are prescription medicines.
Red flags: this is when you call 911
No box at the pharmacy is the answer to any of these. If you or someone in your family has one of these signs, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away:
- Chest pain, or pressure that spreads to the arm or jaw.
- Trouble breathing, or blue lips or fingernails.
- Signs of a stroke: one side of the face drooping, one arm weak, slurred speech.
- Bleeding that will not stop, or blood in vomit or stool.
- Confusion, fainting, or a seizure.
- A stiff neck with high fever, or purple spots on the skin.
- Any fever at all in a baby under 3 months old.
- Signs of dehydration: crying without tears, a dry diaper for many hours, hard to wake up.
- Severe belly pain that keeps getting worse and settles in the lower right side.
Short of an emergency, get in-person care if a fever lasts more than three days, if pain is severe or keeps getting worse, if a child is not drinking or urinating, or if symptoms improve and then come back worse. Telehealth is not a substitute for the emergency room.
Guidance by video, in Spanish
In the visit, a Colombian doctor who speaks Spanish reviews your symptoms, helps you understand which over-the-counter options fit your situation and which ones to avoid, and tells you when you need in-person care. We care by video for patients who are physically in the United States, every day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Colombia time, with no app to download. The visit is a flat $68, one payment, with or without insurance.
Here is our limit, stated in full and up front: our doctors are licensed in Colombia and are not licensed in any U.S. state. That is why we do not issue prescriptions valid at U.S. pharmacies and why we have no physical office in the United States. We handle minor concerns and guide you on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, the ones sold without a prescription. We see children from about one or two years old; newborns, no. If your case needs a prescription, labs, or a hands-on exam, we will say so plainly, and in an emergency the number is 911. Pay and book $68 and talk with a doctor today.