Altitude sickness

[Weldor]

I think most people's problems at altitude are just the result of going to hard at it too fast. When you are at altitude it's important to hydrate and pre hydrate, skip the booze on the trip, and then most importantly walk at a pace where you can maintain a conversation without having to stop to catch your breath or gasp for air. You might feel like you are walking at a snails pace and that you will not be covering enough ground but you are never going to beat an elk to the top of a mountain nor catch a moving herd.

Absolutely. I know way to many guys that seems like their running to get some place. I prefer to hunt smarter not harder at 63.

 

[Portabeardo]

I live at sea level and take Altitude Advantage every time I go to the mountains. Not saying it helps but for sure doesn’t hurt. I also try to stay at least one night at lower elevation (6-8k) before going all the way up. First year doing that it took me a couple days to catch up because of lack of oxygen but I was fine so I continue doing it. I also ran into a lineman (strenuous job climbing poles) and almost half my age that did nothing and made it two horrible days before he had to go to lower elevation. Hydrate, and acclimating are key for a 10k ft change in elevation from our norm.


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[berretsteve]

whisky and headphone.. it happened from time to time but after a while i just kinder got use to it but wasn't pleasant at first. could tell you that much

 

[Marble]

Thanks for the replies. I live at sea level, and a few years back went on a hunt in Colorado stayed in Denver one night, then went and camped around 10000 and had a rough night. I had Symptoms of altitude induced sleep apnea, I don't have sleep apnea at home. I was able to go back down to around 8500 and was fine. I have a similar hunt coming up and don't want a repeat .

We have been hunting in CO above 10k for 20+ years. We came from 500' elevation.

We arrive at camp (8500') on Wednesday and don't hunt until Saturday. None of us have ever gotten sick.

For those who do not take hydration seriously in the mountains, they will get a killer headache.

I think the key is slowly getting used to the new altitude.

I can tell you that sleeping at or above 10k for guys like us sucks. But it does improve daily.

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[taskswap]

Anyone try any of the supplements for altitude sickness, such as wilderness athlete altitude advantage? Do they work?

There are a lot of anecdotal reports of "XYZ helped me" but they're just anecdotes. As far as I know, there are NO over-the-counter supplements that have been clinically proven to be effective, in true double-blind studies. These two articles may be helpful:

Acute Mountain Sickness - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Altitude Sickness Is Typically Mild But Can Sometimes Turn Very Serious − a High-Altitude Medicine Physician Explains How to Safely Prepare

Altitude sickness is rare at elevations of less than 8,200 feet but becomes much more common at higher altitudes.

news.cuanschutz.edu

The single most important thing you can do is give yourself as much time to acclimate as you can. (General fitness doesn't hurt but even athletes can get it - just being fit does not prevent it.) If you're planning a high altitude hunt and have never been above 9000', get there a few days early and ascend slowly. Stay hydrated, and descend immediately if you show any symptoms. You don't have to leave. For a lot of folks, just getting below 7-8000' for a day resolves it.

You can get acetazolamide or dexamethasone can be prescribed but AFAIK most doctors don't like to just hand it out "just in case" because the side effects may not be justified. Two of acetazolamide's side effects are headache and dizziness which may falsely make you think you have the very think you're taking it to prevent...

 

[Pony Soldier]

I live a 6740. Our neighbor brought up his herd of 2 year old bulls for the summer to verify they aren't susceptable to altitude sickness. Another neighbor told me once that he encountered 1-2 cows per year that had to be trimmed out of the herd because of altitude sickness and they were usually coming from an elevation of 3,000-4,000 ft.

In town we have a high altitude ice skating rink. I have seen studies that showed the body will increase the number of red blood cells over a week or so at the higher elevation. When moving back to the lower elevations you get a temporary gain in energy from the enhanced ability to utilize the additional oxygen from the increased red blood cells.

All of this shows the effect of a rapid change of elevation to genetic limitations. Sea level to 10,000 ft is a tremendous change in available oxygen that must be adjusted to if possible. My oxygen meter shows me the reality of the change in that from elevation. It makes good sense to allow for adjustment.

 

[Laelkhunter]

whisky and headphone.. it happened from time to time but after a while i just kinder got use to it but wasn't pleasant at first. could tell you that much

Whisky and headphone? I understand the whisky, but what do you use the headphone for??

 

[Weldor]

I go from 3500ft to 6300ft every couple of weeks. At 63 I seem now to take a day or so to feel comfortable again. When I was younger it had to be 10k or more or it did not bother me. I eat alot beans and greens to keep this old man's energy up. We have a running joke about one particular mountain top for Coues, my California hunting buddy years ago had some altitude stress and said " stand right hear I'll telling there's no O2 in this 10ft circle" We told it was alien landing spot. But I have to say that it's been more than once I found a few places like that. No air.

 

[Marbles]

If a supplement works, then it is changing something in the body and you are taking a medicine without the quality checks that go into pharmaceuticals. The idea that a supplement is somehow better than a pharmaceutical in general is a false premise. If it is just about convenience of OTC vs Rx then consider the following from the WMS: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.wem.2019.04.006

Not great evidence, but better than anecdote. As with everything else, there are also real risks with it, but at least you can know what they are, unlike with supplements.

Ibuprofen​

Two trials demonstrated that ibuprofen (600 mg 3 times daily) is more effective than placebo at preventing AMS,42,43 while a third, smaller study showed no benefit.44 Another study claimed to show benefit, but the trial did not include a placebo arm and instead compared the incidence of AMS with ibuprofen with historically reported rates from the region in which the study was conducted.45 Although no studies have compared ibuprofen with dexamethasone, 2 studies have compared ibuprofen with acetazolamide. The first found an equal incidence of high altitude headache and AMS in the acetazolamide and ibuprofen groups, with both showing significant protection compared to placebo.46 A more recent trial failed to show that ibuprofen was noninferior to acetazolamide (ie, ibuprofen is inferior to acetazolamide for AMS prophylaxis).47 The aforementioned trials all used the medication for a short duration (∼24 to 48 h). As a result, efficacy and safety (eg, the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding or renal dysfunction) over longer periods of use at high altitude remain unclear. For these reasons, as well as more extensive clinical experience with acetazolamide and dexamethasone, ibuprofen cannot be recommended over these medications for AMS prevention for rapid ascent.
Recommendation. Ibuprofen can be used for AMS prevention in persons who do not wish to take acetazolamide or dexamethasone or have allergies or intolerance to these medications. Recommendation Grade: 2B.