How to Treat Altitude Sickness

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or altitude sickness occurs when you ascend in elevation too fast for your body to properly acclimatize to the lower levels of oxygen above 8,000 ft. Symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue and dizziness. If left untreated AMS can worsen into the more serious conditions of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), both of which are potentially fatal.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Aspirin
• Diamox
• Decadron
• Supplemental oxygen
• Gamow bag

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Stop your ascent as soon as you begin experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness. You may mistake AMS to be the cause of your headache when in fact you are experiencing dehydration. To test this, drink a liter of water, take some aspirin and rest for a moment. If your headache goes away quickly and completely, and you are experiencing no other symptoms then you are not suffering from AMS.

• 2

  Get some rest, drink plenty of fluids and allow your body to get acclimated to your current altitude if your headache does not go away quickly. You can also take some more aspirin to relieve your headache. Your symptoms should subside in one to two days after which it is safe to continue on your ascent.

• 3

  Take acetazolamide to accelerate your rate of acclimatization. This is a medication known by the brand name Diamox and is basically a respiratory stimulant that balances the effects of hyperventilation as your lungs try to draw in more oxygen at high altitudes. It should decrease the time your body needs to get acclimated from 24 to 48 hours to 12 to 24 hours.

• 4

  Take dexamethasone, known by the brand name Decadron, if your symptoms become unbearable. This medication will fully relieve your symptoms in a few hours, however it will not aid in your acclimatization. It is important to allow the effects of the medication to wear off in order to be certain that you are free of symptoms and ready to proceed on your journey.

• 5

  Breathe supplemental oxygen if your symptoms continue, but use it sparingly in case of a progression to HAPE of HACE where oxygen will be a necessity.

• 6

  Descend from your current elevation if your symptoms persist. This should provide immediate relief if your symptoms haven't progressed into HAPE or HACE.

• 7

  Utilize a Gamow bag or get to another form of hyperbaric chamber if you begin showing severe signs of HAPE or HACE such as shortness of breath or seizures. Also seek medical treatment as soon as possible when this occurs.