Acetazolamide to prevent altitude sickness in kids?
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Anonymous
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Has anyone ever had their kid (12yo) take acetazolamide to prevent altitude sickness? Our DC had lots of vomiting one year but then acclimated and has had some issues another time. His primary care doc didn’t seem familiar with using it in kids. But have others done so, and if yes, which clinic or doctor?
Thank you! Any info/ leads helpful. I’m aware of non-pharmaceutical measures like sleeping at lower altitude and hydration. |
Anonymous
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My 11 year old son took it when we went to Breckenridge and he didn’t vomit as he had the prior time.
Can’t recommend a doctor though. We had a prescription already and just used half an adult dose. |
Anonymous
| You might try searching the internet with an eye to skiing forums. I'm not currently on any of them any more, but I know I've seen discussions about preventing/treating altitude sickness hundreds of pages long. Or FAQs. Some stuff even references medical research, so it seems possibly a step above simple anecdotes. |
Anonymous
| I’ve been researching this for an upcoming trip to Cusco and the Inca Trail. Ibuprofen is supposed to be nearly as effective as acetazolamide for preventing altitude sickness, but without the side effects. I have an acetazolamide prescription for myself but will probably stick to ibuprofen for the kids. |
Anonymous
| OP spend the first night in Denver. I wouldn’t give that to my kid. |
Anonymous
| Our doctor recommended meclizine (Bonine/less drowsy Dramamine/store generic) and it worked perfectly. |
Anonymous
| My kids (4 and 5) took acetalzolamide. It worked well. They got sick during our ski vacation the year before when they didn’t take it. Our pediatrician adjusted the dose according to their weight. |
Anonymous
| If someone has been before and was fine, are they likely less prone to it? Or can it happen randomly on later trips? |
Anonymous
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I took it when I was an adult (23) in Cusco, and I felt like I had altitude sickness and side effects from the meds.
I probably would try not to give it to my kids personally, just based on that experience. I don't even know if I'd take it again - I haven't since then and that was 20 years ago! What has helped for me since is acclimating to the altitude more slowly - we did Vegas for a couple days, Zion for a couple days, Bryce for a couple days, then skied Brian Head and I was fine fwiw. |
Anonymous
My friend's mom lived in Breckenridge for her entire adult life, and now can't visit anymore due to altitude sickness that has affected her in her 70s. |
Anonymous
Thank you so much for this reminder about ibuprofen!! |
Anonymous
This is OP. It can happen randomly on later trips. Have been 4 years in a row out to CO, didn’t happen until the third year and in just one family member. |
Anonymous
| Thank you for all replies. Very helpful! Will likely focus on acclimating first night and ibuprofen. |
Anonymous
| Bump |
Anonymous
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Caffeine also helps. You want to hydrate a ton (drip drop or similar helps a lot) but also take diuretics (which is roughly how diamox functions), so the caffeine functions as a mild diuretic.
And to answer the ‘can it hit suddenly’ thing, you’re either prone to altitude sickness or not, but that can change with age. So you won’t randomly get sick one trip and be fine for all the rest, but you can get increasingly susceptible with age. By the end of his life, site Edmund hilary had to be medevaced from somewhere significantly lower than Everest base camp for altitude sickness. |