How to Treat Nausea Caused by Altitude Sickness

In cases of altitude sickness, nausea is one of the most common early symptoms. If you experience it, you should treat it promptly, since continuing to climb upward in the face of indicators that the altitude is affecting your health can be very dangerous.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Physician
• Water
• Dimenhydrinate

1. Slip some dimenhydrinate into your climbing pack. Marketed under the brand names Gravol, Vertirosan and Dramamine, this over-the-counter drug is normally used to fight motion sickness, but is also very effective against general nausea.
2. Stop climbing if you experience nausea caused by altitude sickness. Rest, hydrate yourself, and wait to see if you get better. Mild cases of altitude sickness can be treated effectively by simply stopping and waiting for your body to get acclimatized to the new altitude before ascending further.
3. Descend to a lower altitude if your symptoms do not clear up. Usually, getting back to lower ground will bring a rapid end to the symptoms caused by altitude sickness. The more severe your nausea, the lower you should go.
4. Treat your nausea using medications only if getting back to a lower altitude did not cause them to clear up. In such cases, it is not advisable for you to then continue to ascend to higher altitudes, since your symptoms are simply masked by drugs but still present in your body. Cases of altitude sickness that don't clear up should be taken seriously, as nausea can be an indicator that a more severe form of altitude sickness may be about to come on.
5. Continue to climb only once all your symptoms, not just your nausea, have cleared up completely. Treat the other common symptoms of altitude sickness, which include dizziness, headache and fatigue, the same way as you treat nausea: by resting and seeking lower ground until they abate.
6. Abort your climb if the nausea progresses to the point of vomiting. Vomiting is considered a serious signal that a severe case of altitude sickness is developing. Medical attention should be sought as soon as possible if your altitude sickness leads to throwing up.

Tips & Warnings

• Most people only begin to experience altitude sickness at a height exceeding 8,000 feet or 2,400 meters. If you won't be exceeding that altitude, you should be okay.
• Altitude sickness can progress into a coma and can cause swelling of the brain and lungs that can cause death.