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I've never had serious altitude sickness. I attribute this to the fact that I've usually had the opportunity to acclimate prior to getting into serious elevation in places like the Rockies and Sierras. But not everyone has that luxury.
Here is an article discussing a potential way to avoid altitude sickness.
Prevention: Easy Way to Head Off Altitude Sickness
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR for the New York Times
Published: March 26, 2012
A small randomized trial has found that acute mountain sickness — the headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and vomiting that can occur at altitudes above 8,000 feet — can effectively be prevented with a common and inexpensive over-the-counter medicine: ibuprofen, sold as Advil and other brands.
Related
Usually, the illness goes away by itself, but if left untreated, it can progress to extreme debility and, in rare cases, fatal swelling of the brain. Ibuprofen may be safer and have fewer side effects than the usual medicines for altitude sickness: dexamethasone, a steroid, and acetazolamide, a diuretic.
In the study, published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers randomly assigned 86 hikers to take either 600 milligrams of ibuprofen or a placebo at four intervals as they climbed from 4,100 feet to 12,570 feet. The subjects responded to a questionnaire reporting symptoms and rating their severity.
In the placebo group, 69 percent developed severe mountain sickness, compared with 43 percent of those on ibuprofen. Among those who fell ill, symptoms were slightly milder among those taking ibuprofen, but that difference was not statistically significant.
The lead author, Dr. Grant S. Lipman, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Stanford, said ibuprofen may not work at higher altitudes than those in his test. Still, he said, “it’s a very tangible option for people traveling to high altitudes.”
Hey, it's worth a try.
Here is an article discussing a potential way to avoid altitude sickness.
Prevention: Easy Way to Head Off Altitude Sickness
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR for the New York Times
Published: March 26, 2012
A small randomized trial has found that acute mountain sickness — the headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and vomiting that can occur at altitudes above 8,000 feet — can effectively be prevented with a common and inexpensive over-the-counter medicine: ibuprofen, sold as Advil and other brands.
Related
Usually, the illness goes away by itself, but if left untreated, it can progress to extreme debility and, in rare cases, fatal swelling of the brain. Ibuprofen may be safer and have fewer side effects than the usual medicines for altitude sickness: dexamethasone, a steroid, and acetazolamide, a diuretic.
In the study, published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine, researchers randomly assigned 86 hikers to take either 600 milligrams of ibuprofen or a placebo at four intervals as they climbed from 4,100 feet to 12,570 feet. The subjects responded to a questionnaire reporting symptoms and rating their severity.
In the placebo group, 69 percent developed severe mountain sickness, compared with 43 percent of those on ibuprofen. Among those who fell ill, symptoms were slightly milder among those taking ibuprofen, but that difference was not statistically significant.
The lead author, Dr. Grant S. Lipman, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Stanford, said ibuprofen may not work at higher altitudes than those in his test. Still, he said, “it’s a very tangible option for people traveling to high altitudes.”
Hey, it's worth a try.
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