Many of us know the effects of altitude sickness all too well–the headaches, nausea, and fatigue can be the difference between reaching the summit and having to turn back.
Good news, then, for the more than 25 percent of the millions of Americans who travel to high elevations each year and will suffer from this condition. It turns out that ibuprofen, that widely available over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication most often used as a painkiller, may also minimize the effects of altitude on our bodies, according to new research out of Stanford University School of Medicine to be published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
At high altitudes, each breath we take contains fewer oxygen molecules due to decreased atmospheric pressure. And while the precise mechanisms that lead to acute mountain sickness are not clearly understood, some research indicates that the condition is the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain causing it to swell with fluids.
Ibuprofen may help reduce that swelling.
For the study, 58 men and 28 women traveled to the White Mountains near Bishop, Calif., and spent the night at 4,100 feet. At 8 a.m., they were given either 600 milligrams of ibuprofen or a placebo before heading up to 11,700 feet. There, at 2 p.m., they were given a second dose and then they hiked up to 12,570 feet, where they received a third dose at 8 p.m. before spending the night on the mountain.
Of the 44 participants who received ibuprofen, 43 percent suffered symptoms of altitude sickness, while 69 percent of the climbers with the placebo suffered symptoms. Ibuprofen, then, reduced the incidence of symptoms by 26 percent.
The authors say that taking more than 600 mg of ibuprofen might “provide more robust prevention,” but that the theoretical benefit of such a move would have to weighed against a possibly increased risk of gastrointestinal and kidney problems in people who may be dehydrated.
Anyone planning high-altitude adventure travel might get a lot out of Embark’s interview with a climber who had to turn back on Kilimanjaro: ‘The mountain decides.’
