5 Medicines to Fight Altitude Sickness on Mount Ararat

By, Mount Ararat Trekking

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5 Medicines to Fight Altitude Sickness on Mount Ararat

1. Acetazolamide (Diamox)

Acetazolamide is frequently used in mountaineering, trekking and rapid ascent to high altitudes. The body goes through some adaptation processes until it gets used to the low oxygen pressure at high altitude. Acetazolamide accelerates this process; increases oxygen intake by encouraging breathing and helps prevent fluid accumulation in the lungs. It also relieves symptoms such as headache, nausea and weakness due to altitude sickness. The standard dosage is 125 to 250 mg every 12 hours or 500 mg daily. It should be started 24 hours before the climb and continued throughout the expedition. Diamox is known to be 75% effective in preventing AMS. You can use it before the tour for a better Mount Ararat climbing experience

2. Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Aleve)

Ibuprofen; It is effective in treating conditions such as headache, toothache, muscle and joint pain, menstrual cramps, body aches due to colds and fever. It can also be used in rheumatic diseases. Adults are usually taken as a single dose of 200–400 mg and the total daily dose should not exceed 1200 mg (for non-prescription use). This dose can be up to 2400 mg for prescription use. For children, the dose is adjusted according to age and weight and is usually given in syrup form.

At high altitude, it is common for mountain climbers to experience headaches of varying severity. Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, works by reducing swelling and inflammation.

The researchers found that those who took ibuprofen were less likely to develop acute mountain sickness than those who took a placebo. The recommended dose for the Mount Ararat tour is 600 mg every 8 hours.

3. Dexamethasone (Dekadron)

It is effective in many conditions such as asthma, allergic reactions, cancer treatment, brain edema, and high altitude sickness. It is also used to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, to treat brain edema, to control severe allergic reactions, and to treat some immune system diseases. Dexamethasone is not routinely recommended as a prophylactic agent for AMS or High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), but it may reduce the risk of HAPE and AMS in susceptible individuals.

The recommended dose for the Mount Ararat tour is 4 mg every 6 hours. People usually experience improvement in symptoms within about 6 hours.

4. Sildenafil (Viagra)

Being at high altitude causes a narrowing of the blood vessels, known as pulmonary vasoconstriction. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a condition in which the pressure that carries blood to the heart through the vessels in the lungs increases. To treat this condition, sildenafil reduces pulmonary vascular pressure by relaxing the blood vessels and increasing blood flow. This takes the workload off the heart and may improve exercise capacity in people with PAH. Viagra acts as a vasodilator. It relaxes the blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow freely through them. This prevents the narrowing caused by high altitude, thus reducing the pressure on the heart and lungs. In medical terms, it reduces pulmonary artery pressure and the formation of pulmonary edema fluid, thus reducing the risk of heart failure and HAPE.

The recommended dosage of sildenafil is 50 milligrams every 8 hours.

5. Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)

Nifedipine is a drug that belongs to the class of calcium channel blockers and is commonly used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and chest pain (angina). It may also be prescribed in some cases to treat conditions such as Raynaud’s disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Nifedipine opens the pulmonary artery, which reduces chest tightness and makes breathing easier. The recommended dosage for the Mount Ararat tour is 20 mg slow-release capsules every 8 hours or 30 mg slow-release capsules every 12 hours.