Delayed altitude sickness?

[ColeyG]

Ehh. There’s a reason diamoxx is first line and dex or other steroids is second line. Equally efficacious, more side effects statistically speaking. Marginally effective as a rescue medicine..does not replace descent as the only effective treatment for severe AMS or hape. But yes it is another option, and it may work well for you but by the numbers it is no better than diamoxx.

Diamox fixes a problem before it starts.

Dex provides temporary relief to a problem, cerebral edema, after it has started.

Only dex works as a treatment for HACE after onset and it should be used in combination with rapid descent.

Dex doesn’t touch HAPE, Nifedipine does.

 

[ColoradoV]

Folks dont want to hear this but time is the major factor. There is a reason even uber fit alpinists do 1500' of vert a day max w a rest day every 3000'.. It takes time for your body to adapt to elevation.

I live at 8500' and it takes me 6 weeks, of 3 days a week give or take going up to 12,000+' before I feel strong and I pry get a bout of altitude sickness every 3ish years..

As has been said talk w a doc before anything ya do but there are things that can help.

#1. Time is king. Make the effort to move up slowly in elevation = no excuse...
#2. Rest, sleep, days off, proper nutrition.. Another hard one for the time pressed folks but rest day every 2, sleep 8+ hrs every night, and understand your body is working harder to do the same thing at elevation so feed it.. Non negotiable in my wold.
#3. Hydration as has been covered with a bit of salt. I do 6-7 liters daily in the backcountry... Is it a lot of time filtering water, as well as planning to camp/be by water, but yea it is but again non negotiable.
#4 Avoid all alcohol, caffeine, and sugary / energy type drinks for 2-3 weeks before your trip and continue through your trip.Save the beer and bourbon for post kill or on the last night.

Now if you are looking for the quick fix.. Diamoxx has been mentioned. Basically you need blood flow and Cialis/viagra types of drugs will do that. Also supplements like L Argentine and L citrulline if taken together = will help but more for if you are acclimated and need that extra bit of recovery for me as I take them before I sleep to recover. Anything that boosts nitric oxide will do the same or products like Nitric Oxide pro is a good one for recovery and time release so not just a spike. Again any of the supplements I would run by a doc then take at home to get your body used to them and see if they are for you.

Finally know that anyone can get altitude sickness no matter the level of fitness and if ya get it head down to valley bottom for 36+ hrs. Sleep, eat, and recharge before heading back up.

 

[ColeyG]

Folks dont want to hear this but time is the major factor. There is a reason even uber fit alpinists do 1500' of vert a day max w a rest day every 3000'.. It takes time for your body to adapt to elevation.

I live at 8500' and it takes me 6 weeks, of 3 days a week give or take going up to 12,000+' before I feel strong and I pry get a bout of altitude sickness every 3ish years..

As has been said talk w a doc before anything ya do but there are things that can help.

#1. Time is king. Make the effort to move up slowly in elevation = no excuse...
#2. Rest, sleep, days off, proper nutrition.. Another hard one for the time pressed folks but rest day every 2, sleep 8+ hrs every night, and understand your body is working harder to do the same thing at elevation so feed it.. Non negotiable in my wold.
#3. Hydration as has been covered with a bit of salt. I do 6-7 liters daily in the backcountry... Is it a lot of time filtering water, as well as planning to camp/be by water, but yea it is but again non negotiable.
#4 Avoid all alcohol, caffeine, and sugary / energy type drinks for 2-3 weeks before your trip and continue through your trip.Save the beer and bourbon for post kill or on the last night.

Now if you are looking for the quick fix.. Diamoxx has been mentioned. Basically you need blood flow and Cialis/viagra types of drugs will do that.

Vasodilators like Viagra/sildenafil have been shown to have some benefit in reducing symptoms of HAPE by dilating blood vessels in the lungs reducing pressure and capillary leakage, the underlying cause of HAPE.

These drugs have not been shown to have any benefit re: onset and prevention of AMS and they have an entirely different mechanism of function than Diamox. People should not think of these drugs as interchangeable or substitutes for one another. They are not.

In short, Diamox makes you breathe more than you otherwise would, which helps to maintain more adequate perfusion while your body catches up to the new elevation.

 

[willfrye027]

Vasodilators like Viagra/sildenafil have been shown to have some benefit in reducing symptoms of HAPE by dilating blood vessels in the lungs reducing pressure and capillary leakage, the underlying cause of HAPE.

These drugs have not been shown to have any benefit re: onset and prevention of AMS and they have an entirely different mechanism of function than Diamox. People should not think of these drugs as interchangeable or substitutes for one another. They are not.

In short, Diamox makes you breathe more than you otherwise would, which helps to maintain more adequate perfusion while your body catches up to the new elevation.

Vasodilators like Viagra/sildenafil have been shown to have some benefit in reducing symptoms of HAPE by dilating blood vessels in the lungs reducing pressure and capillary leakage, the underlying cause of HAPE.

These drugs have not been shown to have any benefit re: onset and prevention of AMS and they have an entirely different mechanism of function than Diamox. People should not think of these drugs as interchangeable or substitutes for one another. They are not.

In short, Diamox makes you breathe more than you otherwise would, which helps to maintain more adequate perfusion while your body catches up to the new elevation.

nice to have another guy around to myth bust some of the widely espoused treatments and facts! I agree with everything coloV posted above (and acclimation and descent are arguable the most important) except about the PP pills…that has been debunked for AMS. Most guys don’t know AMS and HAPE are two distinct pathologies and not different manifestations of the same disease