How do you prevent altitude sickness?

[Werty]

Research it from reputable resources.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

You can hydrate, take Wilderness Athlete Altitude Advantage Vitamins (begin before trip) and slowly gain elevation but if you are predisposed to altitude sickness these steps will simply buy you some time. Some people get it bad and you can die. Luck of the draw. Only thing you can do is drop in elevation if your are susceptible.

 

[Elk97]

Altitude "sickness" is different from fatigue and difficulty getting enough oxygen when exercising strenuously. Cerebral and pulmonary edema are serious conditions and can be fatal, but you rarely hear of anyone getting those below about 12,500' (saw people everyday in bad shape in Nepal above 15K). If you're going above that you need to acclimate by gradually increasing elevation over several days and taking some rest days in between. And fluids.
I go from sea level to 7-9000' to hunt and even though I train it still kicks my butt. Took Gingko Biloba last year for about a month before and it seemed to help, felt a bit better than in past years. Getting there early, several days, helps a lot but it's still going to be a grind.

 

[npm352]

Stay hydrated. Drink water and Gatorade on the trip to the mountains. Continue to drink. Before you leave each morning drink until you feel full and then drink another liter.

I used to climb a bunch of 14ers in Colorado on quick trips from Missouri in college. I'd leave Missouri in the morning, camp at 8,000-9,000 and be on the peak before noon. It hit some of my buddies hard who would not drink enough. They couldn't make the summits and were in plenty good shape cardiowise.

 

[Marble]

In 20 years, hunting up to 12,000, we havent had anyone get altitude sickness. I think this is mainly do to the 3 days early we get to camp. Which is at 8500.

We have had guys get headaches that were taken care of with ibuprofen, rest and hydration, but no emergencies.

The best advice is to give yourself a few days to let your body acclimate to the altitude. That doesnt mean you wont be short of breath or get light headed when hiking. It's just your body going through the chemical processes that need to occur for living at the higher altitude.

What I also know is it can strike anyone, anytime, even if you have never had it. Physical condition is not supposed to be associated with it, it's more complicated than that.

 

[Mike Islander]

No way to know if you will get sick till you get there. 40% of people will get some amount above 10000 feet the first day without any prep. Fitness can't prevent altitude sickness. Follow the well documented methods of acclimatization, sleeping below 6500 feet first night, then sleep 500 feet a night higher.

None of that will help your fitness, which is a separate biofunction. Once you are safe from sickness, excellent cardio will definitely be your most important skill. Stairrclimbs if you live in flat land can help your legs. Then hit the bike at least an hour or two a day to bulletproof your cardio.

 

[FlyGuy]

Talk to your dr and get a script for Diomox. That shit is awesome.


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Still Hunter]

I have been lucky I guess. I live at 660 ft elev and I drive 18-19 hrs straight thru to a camp site at 10,400 ft. We crash first night. We get up the next morning and set up base camp and are usually setting out to hunt by noon. First day definitely a little short winded but overall I have yet to have any altitude issues. I was told to eat some of the chew-able Tums years ago by a friend who travels back and forth from Texas to Colorado. So I start eating Tums three to four days before I get there and eat about 5 a day once I get there. Seems to work for me.

 

[kevine]

One post said you couldn't get much higher than 9 or 11k in CONUS...I did Mt. Whitney back in 1996/97, left on December 27, and we missed the summit (14,405') by a few hundred feet. We lost a day of climbing due to a storm, and it was pretty bad. We were trying to be on the summit on new years day...I was much younger (30 yo). We got close...

I had some bad altitude sickness on day two. We were moving at a pretty good pace. I think the storm that slowed us down helped. Plus, drinking water and popping aspirin every day also helped. (I'm presuming the slight thinning of the blood with the aspirin??)

But the best thing you can do is get to your location as early as you can, meaning a few days early. Spend some time at altitude and slowly move up to higher elevations each day. And stay hydrated. Good luck

 

[theleo91386]

All you can really do unless you've got a ton of money is work to mitigate the symptoms. Staying hydrated, being fit, keeping your vitamins level even, and some antiinflamatory like Ibuprofen for muscle aches is about all you can do. A night or two at an intermediate elevation will kick your bodies response in earlier with less severe initial symptoms.

 

[njdoxie]

Use the search function, this has been rehashed to death already.

 

[TAArrowood]

Hydration, Don't over exert yourself...Acclimate at mid altitude 5k-7k for a day or two if possible.Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink, don't wait until your tired to take a break, don't expect to be able to do at altitude what you did at lower elevations (for at least 3-5 days... If you have problems sleeping normally the problem will be much worse at altitude.. One rule I always enforce with my hunting buddies is at sometime before we get to the destination we sit any share any medications we're on, helth conditions, changes in health.. We all wotch out for each other and sometime someone else will see that you're not well before you know you're not well...

 

[Flint Hunter]

Hydrate ,hydrate, hydrate and acclimate as much as you can. My wife used to take Diamox, but said the side effects were worse than the altitude sickness. It made her fingers and toes numb and tingling. Also, all carbonated beverages tasted flat. Beer, soda etc. completely tasted flat. She’d give it to me and they would taste fine.

 

[Currahee13]

You can get a scrip for Diamox from your doc as a "just in case" solution. Just realize that there are some side effects from taking it. Also, fitness won't prevent altitude sickness, but it can make dealing with the effects a little easier.

If you need something to help you sleep (I sleep terrible above 10k), don't take diphenhydramine (common sleep aid in Tylenol Pm, Advil PM, Benadryl), it works by slowing your respiration's, which will lead to waking up dozens of times to gasp for air, even if you don't realize it. Ambien works by a different mechanism and will work at altitude.

Ive been to the Army Mountain Warfare training center and this is what is put out. Altitude sickness is a crazy thing and some people it won’t effect as much as others and there is really no way to find out until you are at altitude.

 

[Summitmike]

Cell food and acclimate you can get both at natural grocers

 

[Laelkhunter]

Cell food and acclimate you can get both at natural grocers

What is Cell food? I have seen Acclimate at stores in Colorado, but none around here. I get it online for my Wife.

edited to correct that I actually get Altitude Adjustment for my wife (altitude-adjustment.com).

 

[switchback7]

Use the search function, this has been rehashed to death already.

too late

 

[Summitmike]

What is Cell food? I have seen Acclimate at stores in Colorado, but none around here. I get it online for my Wife.

It's comes in a little bottle it oxigenates the blood you take 8 drops in a cup off water keeps me from feeling the effects of altitude when I'm at low alititude on vacation and come back home

 

[Laelkhunter]

It's comes in a little bottle it oxigenates the blood you take 8 drops in a cup off water keeps me from feeling the effects of altitude when I'm at low alititude on vacation and come back home

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[Mike Islander]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

I spent the morning checking this out. Definitely not something I would take. Sounds a lot like snake oil. The actual science referenced has nothing to do with increasing blood oxygen levels. And few things are less reliable than random anecdotal evidence. Not saying that some users don't believe it works, but until tested with a double-blind study, there's no evidence it actually works.

I read a bunch of medical sites on this. Here's the conclusion from Livestrong.com, a site known to normally give the benefit of the doubt to the product when possible:

Does Cellfood Work?
The manufacturer of Cellfood does not back up the claims it makes with clinical, scientific evidence. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, it is not likely that you can absorb significant quantities of oxygen orally. Further, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center states that some of the claims made by the manufacturer do not agree with basic biochemistry or modern science. In other words, using Cellfood supplements most likely represents a leap of faith not based in science or medicine.