how to avoid altitude sickness?
 

Anyone have good suggestions of how to avoid altitude sickness? We will be flying from St. Louis to Denver and then driving to Keystone on a Thursday and will not be skiing until Friday. Hopefully we will get accustomed in that one day. Thanks

Drink plenty of water to keep hydrated - the higher altitude is dehydrating, and if you don't drink enough, that alone will give you a headache & make you slightly miserable.

Don't overdo it physically, particularly your first day of skiing.

Avoid alchohol and caffeine - at least for the first day or so as you are acclimating.

I think there may be a prescription drug you can get that helps (taken in advance), but I don't recall what it is, and I have always managed by following the above steps.

I agree, drink lots of water! The absolute worst altitude sickness I ever experienced was during my first trip to Breckenridge (not far from Keystone). On my second visit there, I drank plenty of fluids and experienced no problems at all. We always use arrival day to acclimate and normally don't do more than collect lift passes and eat. Hope this works for you, too! :-)

You'll feel the altitude sickness the 1st night, if at all (you may be one of the lucky ones who doesn't get it). The symptoms are dizziness, headache, and shortness of breath. By the next day it's likely that the dizziness and headache will be gone but you'll still be easily exhausted because it takes awhile to become accustomed to the lower oxygen level.

To help reduce the possibility of dizziness/headache, drink LOTS of water and don't eat too much...it will cause blood to rush from your head to your stomach and you may feel faint. Also try to avoid alcohol that 1st night.

(I go to Denver on business often and always wondered why I felt like I was going to pass out at dinner on the 1st night...some research on this board and elsewhere told me that eating a big meal & having a drink was a BAD idea! I know better now.)

The Keystone/Breckenridge area is one of the highest in Colorado, so altitude problems are more likely. My biggest problem is waking up several times during the night. You might want to consider a sleeping pill, at least for the first few nights. Also, I've noticed that taking ibuprofin for other aches and pains will also help with the altitude headaches.

Stay hydrated! If you go out for a few cocktails, be sure to match them with water.

The prescription drug KMK is referring to is Diamox.
I don't know the altitude of Keystone, but I don't believe it is high enough to warrant use of the drug.

It is typically used by climbers who will be sleeping and climbing over 14000 feet.
It can also have several unpleasant side effects.

The best solution is proper hydration and rest...and time.

Just agreeing with everyone else. Lots of water and a going to sleep early the first night should take care of it. Another thing I've noticed in Colorado is that my skin gets very dry very quickly, so make sure you've got lotion and chapstick.

I believe that it is the dehydrating effects of altitude that creates the problems.

So, I agree with the suggestions to drink lots of water and avoid alcohol and caffeine (both of which are also dehydrating) for the first couple of days.

We also take one aspirin every morning and every evening, starting the day before the trip, to thin the blood and improve oxygenation.

My DH gets this and has found that if he takes it easy on the first day he doesn't feel the effects so much. The fact that you won't be skiing on the first day there will help. Like others say watch your food and drink intake carefully. I'd suggest taking the Motrin, or ibu of your choice, as a precaution so that the headache doesn't come in the first place. The headache can cause nausea.

Also, if the pressure changes seem to be affecting your sinuses - take a Sudafed or other sinus relieve product, rather than try to tough it out. Keeping those passages clear will go along way towards keeping you comfortable and avoiding a sinus infection.

Agree with all the other posters. My problem is my nose constantly runs and I am blowing from the time we arrive until we leave. Bring the tissues!

Hi Millsy, All the rental accommodations in Keystone have humidifiers. Be sure to use one in your bedroom. Lots of new snow. You'll have a great time!

I will add my two cents on altitude and alcohol: I was blasted away after two glasses of wine in Estes/Rocky Mt NP on the second day of our vacation. I mean, I could not drive.

Needless to say at sea level achieving this state of inebriation would require a LOT more than two glasses, so please be extra careful if you do decide to have some cocktails :)

How high is Keystone? I was in Lhasa this past summer at about 12,000 ft and in addition to most of the advice that's already been given, I took a ginkgo supplement which I feel helped as I've had minor altitude problems in the past at similar elevations but not on this trip. I found the info on ginkgo here:

http://www.basecampmd.com/expguide/amspremed.shtml

There's some good general information regarding altitude sickness on that site as well.

I was seeking an alternative to Diamox which I'd considered taking but decided not to after reading about some of the adverse side affects. I don't know if Keystone is high enough to warrant taking anything though.

The Keystone base is 9300 feet; the summit is 11,980

You're going to be in heaven! It snowed all night, it's snowing now. And it's supposed to snow tomorrow. That's a lot of powder!

I am not aware of any alternative to Diamox (and I have asked my MD). I tried Diamox one trip to Keystone and it did not help. Interestingly enough, the side effects are similar to effects of altitude sickness. I believe Diamox is a seizure med that is supposed to work for alt sickness.

These days, I travel to Utah (lower altitude!) or plan on a day of rest my first day in Keystone.

LOTS of water and an aspirin.
Don't think Diamox is a seizure drug.

Laura,
I guess 'alternative' isn't the most appropriate word, and I don't want to be misleading. I should clarify that there is no definitive proof that ginkgo prevents altitude sickness or AMS. There have been some promising studies and some climbers swear by it. I know that it worked for me, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll work for someone else. Anyway, if you go to the Everest base camp med clinic link, you'll find both Diamox and ginkgo listed as preventatives. I also don't think your typical family physician is well versed in these types of situations. I went to my MD recently to get a prescription for malarial prophylaxis, and he was not really up to date on all of the medications available. It was through this board that I was able to find out what was both effective and had the fewest adverse side affects.

For the OP, this may not matter anyway as he/she will be sleeping at around 9000 ft.

We just got back from BC/Vail and used Ginko for the week before we went and while there. None of us got altitude sickness and we skied our fist full day there.

I should note - we ALL (DH, DS - age 5, and me) got some form of altitude sickness (tiredness, sleeplessness, vomiting, etc.) when we travelled to Quito over the summer - so a combination of slightly lower altitude and the ginko seemed to work for us.

I would use ginko again.

On my first ski trip to Breckenridge, I got altitude sickness. I was so miserable--bloated, headache, tired but couldn't sleep. I found it hard to keep up with the recommendations to drink fluids as my stomach felt so distended. Thankfully, it passed after a few days.

That being said, I told myself I had to do something different the next time I took a ski trip.

When I went to Heavenly, I got a prescription for Diamox. It really worked- no major problems whatsoever. It's unusual when you find out what Diamox is--it's a diruetic. Counterintuitive, but it works by altering the bicarbonate buffer system in the kidney that keeps the fluid balance in such a state you don't get altitutde sickness.

The only drawback was the strange, intermittent tingling I felt. However, I will own that I drank alcohol and caffeine which may have had something to do with it. Annoying as it was, it was much better than missing out on the first few days of vacation with altitude sickness.

On a trip to Breckenridge my mother had to be taken to Frisco to the small hospital there - severe altitude sickness (determined after heart attack was ruled out - similar symptoms). She was then sent to Denver. Everyone else headed on home and I stayed in Denver with her. Her doctor said that they repeatedly tell people to NOT fly into town and immediately head to reaort, but to wait a day or two, say in Golden, and start getting adjusted to the altitude. The doctor said if people would have a little more patience in getting to the mountain alot less altitude sickness would occur.

A prescription for Diamox can certainly help, but Heavenly is more than 2000 feet lower than Breck, which can also make a significantt difference.

Well, we leave for Breckenridge tomorrow and I started Diamox today. I'm sure the difference in elevation between Breck and Heavenly accounted for something. I'll see how I do this time.

We live in Colorado and offer this advice: Stop soon after landing at the airport and buy a case of water. Start drinking immediately. Take an ibuprofin, but most importantly, LEAVE YOUR WINDOWS OPEN. You are trying to get what little oxygen there is into your room when you are sleeping. Even if it is just a crack, open the windows and turn up the heat if it is really cold.

We live in Colorado and visited Los Angeles this past week. We walked around thinking that sea-level is almost as hard on us as the high altitude is on people who visit the mountains. Too much oxygen maybe?? For the first two days we all three felt very tired, headachey, and blah in general. Is that just our imagination or do others feel that way when going from high altitude to sea level? We've noticed it on the East Coast as well.

Maureen, When you walked outside did you feel like you could chew on the air? :-) I spend about half my time in SF and half in Summit Co. I know exactly what you mean. Although I think I adapt pretty quickly these days, the first half hour I can really feel the different in the air.

Grasshopper, so I guess it's not just our imagination, eh? I can't say we felt we could "chew" the air, but I do have that feeling in the humidity of the Midwest, like I'm walking into a wall when I leave the air conditioning in the summer. We had glorious weather in L.A., 80-something temps, so not hot and humid. But, boy, did we feel heavy and tired and wanted to take a nap the first two days! Then it wore off and we were fine. As for just about any ailment, drinking water helped.