Diamox for altitude

[def90]

I asked my doc about Diamox at my physical a couple weeks ago in prep for our trip in a month. He prescribed it to me and also recommended not to over hydrate and to increase carb intake while at altitude. He said over hydrating can have just as much effect on AS as getting dehydrated.

I don't see over hydration being a thing here in Colorado, I think most peoples issues with perceived altitude sickness are actually dehydration. A lot of people fly in for their ski vacation and party it up the night they arrive at their condo in the mtns and then spend the next couple days on the couch or in bed recovering from altitude sickness. Colorado may be green in the mountains but Colorado is in fact a desert environment, drinking water cannot be understated.

Even living here, I start drinking water, gatorade or whatever your preferred means of hydration are at least an hour before I begin to engage in said activity.

 

[Archerichards]

I don't see over hydration being a thing here in Colorado, I think most peoples issues with perceived altitude sickness are actually dehydration. A lot of people fly in for their ski vacation and party it up the night they arrive at their condo in the mtns and then spend the next couple days on the couch or in bed recovering from altitude sickness. Colorado may be green in the mountains but Colorado is in fact a desert environment, drinking water cannot be understated.

Even living here, I start drinking water, gatorade or whatever your preferred means of hydration are at least an hour before I begin to engage in said activity.

Strongly agree with this. I go from 1000 ft to 8800 feet a couple of times a year, and my experience matches the above. Excessive alcohol, caffeine, and dehydration are almost always associated with my altitude sickness symptoms. Diamox does not prevent them, but does seem to reduce them substantially. After about three days at altitude, symptoms usually abate and I am good to go.

 

[SonnyDay]

I’ve used diamox on climbing trips above 16K, but have been lucky enough not to need it in CO. Side effects were not an issue for me. As others have said, fitness has little to do with your risk of having altitude sickness. Also, HAPE and HACE should not be confused with altitude sickness. The former are life-threatening and can kill in a matter of hours without evacuation to lower elevation (or oxygen therapy), the latter is uncomfortable and painful, but won’t kill you.

A few old mountaineering tricks that have no side effects and really help:

The Rest Step - you can Google it, but when hiking up steep terrain you momentarily lock your front knee as you bring your rear leg forward. Your body weight is held up by your bones instead or your muscles. It’s only for a moment but over the course of thousands of steps it meaningfully reduces energy expenditure (and thus oxygen use—leaving more for other tasks your body must perform)

Back-pressure on exhalation - This involves pursing your lips as you exhale, kind of like you’re trying to whistle without actually making sound. It creates back pressure, which in turn increases the partial pressure of oxygen inside your lungs. Folks dying from emphysema do this unconsciously—which is why they end up with permanently pursed lips. Again, small changes in your ability to absorb oxygen that really add up over the course of thousands of breaths.

Hope this helps! Have fun.

 

[Mojave Kid]

Coca leaf tea is also a Peruvian remedy for altitude sickness but good luck getting here in the USA

A Bolivian friend gave me Coca Leaf Mate for my altitude headache on my first night in La Paz and it didn't do anything to alleviate it.

 

[bawana]

Another side affect I just learned about the hard way, diamox is a diuretic and as a result makes you pee. I'm also on a diuretic for my heart chlorthalidone. The combination of the two managed to pretty much deplete my blood potassium level to the point of blurry vision and muscle weakness to the point I was having trouble just walking.

 

[doc holiday13]

A Bolivian friend gave me Coca Leaf Mate for my altitude headache on my first night in La Paz and it didn't do anything to alleviate it.

it's cumulative. one dose won't do anything. have some every day 2x(morning and afternoon) . there are no quick fixes for anything so it's fairly ignorant to say that it doesn't work if you only had 1 cup of it

 

[Mojave Kid]

It's fairly ignorant of you to generalize my statement. I qualified my remark by stating that I had one cup at its onset and the Coca Mate did not alleviate my symptoms.

 

[starsfan989]

Hey guys heading to Colorado in September for archery elk. Flatlander from Minnesota and Never been to much elevation over 4000. Area we have picked out has us from 9500 to 11500. Was just wondering what your guys take is on how to combat any altitude sickness. I know stay hydrated, keep eating, don't over exert ourselves. Is diamox worth it? I've seen alot of people mention it but I'm not sure I'm sold on it. Any input is appreciated

At risk of oversimplifying, diamox works in your kidneys to alter your blood chemistry to facilitate a breathing rate that resists altitude sickness. This does help some people. But if you’re about to pound ridges, forget to stay hydrated, and live on salt laden freeze dried goodness in the name of Wapiti, the induced metabolic state from Diamox probably isn’t worth the the medicine’s marginal benefit.

I would do what others recommend: stay hydrated, acclimate, don’t over exert in the early part of your trip, etc…

Fwiw, dexamethasone is helpful once you develop symptoms. If you’re prone to altitude sickness, and you know descending is going to be difficult or take time, getting your doc to write you a dose or two isn’t a bad idea. But taking it and then pushing on because you feel better is a really bad idea.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Another side affect I just learned about the hard way, diamox is a diuretic and as a result makes you pee. I'm also on a diuretic for my heart chlorthalidone. The combination of the two managed to pretty much deplete my blood potassium level to the point of blurry vision and muscle weakness to the point I was having trouble just walking.

While neither Diamox or Chlorthalidone are potassium sparing diuretics, they both affect your potassium levels marginally (Diamox a little more so than Chlorthalidone), and in low doses for short periods of time, as in the case of Diamox for altitude sickness, usually nothing more is needed than a diet that is a little higher in potassium to make up the lost potassium in your urine. Taking potassium supplements with these medications (ie., 20meq/day), should reverse the serum potassium lost while on these diuretics. This is all assuming that you have normal kidney functioning. It's definitely best to consult your cardiologist if you have a history of cardiac issues, CHF, hypertension, etc.

 

[bawana]

While neither Diamox or Chlorthalidone are potassium sparing diuretics, they both affect your potassium levels marginally (Diamox a little more so than Chlorthalidone), and in low doses for short periods of time, as in the case of Diamox for altitude sickness, usually nothing more is needed that a diet that is a little higher in potassium to make up the lost potassium in your urine. Taking potassium supplements with these medications (ie., 20meq/day), should reverse the serum potassium lost while on these diuretics. This is all assuming that you have normal kidney functioning. It's definitely best to consult your cardiologist if you have a history of cardiac issues, CHF, hypertension, etc.

Good to know, would have been great to know last week before I ended up in the ER with a 2.5 potassium level.

 

[Dos Perros]

After a few years of doing this (flat lander going out west / high to hunt), I'm convinced the best thing (for me) is to visit the west during the summer, the more times the better, and spend time up high. Just seems to prep my body. This summer we visited Memorial Day weekend, once in middle July, and again in late July. This weekend drove straight through the night and went straight to 12,300 and didn't have any issues.