Is acute mountain sickness related to hyponatremia?

[Jerry Adams]

Or ibuprofin?

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I tried Diamox on an Everest trek. It makes your finger tips all tingly. I didn’t feel like I needed it so I stopped taking it. I didn’t have any altitude problems then. I was in my 30s then.

I’ve never had altitude problems before this trip but I did have similar electrolyte problems on the Montana/Idaho section of the CDT in 2022. No headache or breathing problems, at night, but I did have to pee way too much and could not sleep. I ended up quitting in West Yellowstone because of it. I don’t think it’s super high there. It was very hot, though. I assumed then my problem was too much caffeine.

When I did the AZT and the Wyoming section of the CDT in 2023 I drank only 1 Starbucks Via per day and took one Salt Stick, 1 magnesium, 2 Ibuprofen and Tumeric supplements every night. I didn’t have problems. Maybe that’s what I need to do on every long hike from now on.

I don’t know why I have these problems now. I don’t know if it’s age-related, or what causes it. I have been a hiker for a long time, living in So Cal, hiking in hot places, experiencing both dehydration and over consumption of water, and I did the PCT in my 40s and never had issues.

[AK Granola]

The peeing too often thing -I have heard from friends that a bladder “sling” – a quick surgery – can help with that. But if it only happens on hikes, that might not be a solution. You did make it a whole lot of miles!

[Bob K]

Steve S

I couldn’t find any discussion of iron levels either. A 2021 article that references the one I cited states  “we did not measure the hemoglobin and hematocrit“.

[Author]

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