Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board use of Diamox, ginko biloba, and aspirin concurrently

Hi, fellow mountain goats.

I've done the research on Diamox, ginko biloba, and aspirin for the prevention of and treatment for altitude sickness. Is there any danger of using two or all three at the same time, or might that be a volatile mix? (They apparently work through completely different biological effects.) Has anyone tried this?

Also, have any of you tried garlic, either in tablet or clove form, for altitude sickness?

Thanks,
L

You should not mix Ginko and asprin.

I took Ginko for a week before my hike on 7/4 and experienced only a mild headach.

Diamox has some nasty side effects and my doctor did not recommend it.

If you are worried about AMS then take the time to acclimate. We came from sea level and camped at portal campground and did some hiking and then again at outpost camp and then to the top the next day. I highly recommend sleeping at outpost if you are from sea level. Your body is not going to acclimate well at trial camp.

I don't think anything will help with the altitude making your legs feel like lead.

I tried Ginko for a week and still got AMS, so I took Diamox as a treatment (500 mg twice a day). It worked like a charm.

~Swifty

Asprin is a no, no with Diamox.

Bill

Diamox can upset your stomach, so can pain killers like ibufrofen. Neither alone bothers my stomach, but taken together, they gave me the runs. Diamox is the most effective against altitude sickness, but no replacement for proper acclimation time.

Try NO2 by EAS. A vasodialator body building supplement found at GNC. I summitted in under 7 hours from the portal parking lot and then went back down and found a friend at the Muir junction and went back up to the summit with him. No headache no ill effects. Felt great the whole trip. R

What is better, Ginko or Asprin?

Here's my experience with ALL of the above:
My first attempt, last August, I tried Ginko and still got a mild headache, but my partner got very sick so we turned around. BTW, we came up 3 days early to acclimate, then went up to Trail Camp.

Three weeks ago, I tried the Asprin routine for 2 months prior, we came up 3 days early again, went to Horseshoe Meadows to acclimate and BP up to Outpost. I could not get rid of the headache with my routine of Motrin, Aleve, and Asprin. We turned around above Trailside Meadow. It was hard to do, but I knew I had another chance this summer. (BTW - I am NEVER backpacking Whitney again!!)

I have a one day permit for July 28, and saw my DR and got a prescription for Diamox last week. I started taking it yesterday and tomorrow we leave for Mammoth to acclimate for 3 days before leaving for Lone Pine. If I don't make it this time, it wasn't meant to be! I have tried everything and basically got to the point where I could not afford to experiment any longer.

The short answer is: no - you cannot take Ginko, Asprin and Diamox together. You can take Motrin, Aleve and Tylenol, if necessary (probably not all together tho! - according to my MD - with Diamox. Ginko and Asprin are both blood thinners and together can be harmful.

My advice (for what it's worth) is: since we plan long and hard for this hike, don't mess around self-prescribing. If you have had issues with altitude in the past - see an MD. At the very least, talk to THEM about the alternatives. They can give you the best information. Yes, the side effects of Diamox are bothersome - my right heel is tingling as I write this!- but remember, IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY!

Sometimes, you can do everything right in terms of proper acclimatization, but your body doesn't care. It is the way it is.

Be careful - climb safe and have fun. That's what it's all about.

HikerMom have you thought about hiking Whitney without the use of medication? Maybe you body can handle it if you didn't fill it full of medication before you started.

Well, considering that I get a headache going to Mammoth and considering that I wanted to put a bullet in my head at the top of Vail a few summers ago, I think my experience speaks for itself. I suffer from AMS. I have to medicate. Some people just do.

HikerMom;
Last year while training for Mt.Whitney we talked with a guy on the trail who asked if we knew how to breathe. I said, NO. I never knew about any special breathing.
He told us to exhale like we were trying to blow out a candle. At sea level this would cause you to hyper-ventilate, but at high alt. it is suppose to help get more oxygen into your lungs.
It seemed to work for us, also lot of water. We had no problems, not one effect going up this year. I did expericence some trouble going down(I ran out of water).
Hope this will help!
Happy hiking!!

I drink about 3 liters up to week before going to altitude. I also practice the deep breathing method that Doug taught me earlier. Keep trying you guys! I have literally tried EVERYTHING! And as I said, I'm done self-prescribing and experimenting. I am leaving tomorrow 5 am for Mammoth - I'll letcha know how it fared this time with meds!

Best of luck to you!!

Both my sister and I used ginko for 4 and 5 days before our hike.My brother did not. That was the only difference in our training. A ways up the switchbacks, Linc had a headache from you-know-where and had to stop for ibuprofin (this is very against his nature, as he wants to do everything without meds). Both my sister and I were great, no headache, just extreme fatigue due to lack of oxygen the closer we got to the summit. I'm not saying it was easy with the ginko, but it didn't hurt, and my brother is a convinced believer. He did much better with a couple of ibuprofin in him. Incidentally, none of us are into using anything extra to boost performance. (I have Drs. prescribing enough for me w/o needing something just to hike.) Although I think many herbs only work due to suggestion (my apologies to those who think otherwise) this trip convinced me Ginko helps.I still think I'll only use it for hikes above 13,000 when I'm not taking as long to acclimate.

Hikermom, you are 100% correct!!! You can waste a lot of time trying all sorts of things, but ultimately if you've had AMS in the past, you should consult an MD. Period...end of discussion...end of thread...don't screw around and waste everyone elses time...

~Swifty

I wouldn't mix diamox and aspirin without consulting your physician but ginko and aspirin should be ok. Also vitamin C in combo with the 2 is supposed to work too.
A small note: asprin thins the blood as does ginko. So if you have troule clotting or think you may don't do it. I have noticed that in taking that regiment, I tend to bruise very badly; I don't normally show any bruises at all.
Diamox is not a bad idea but is a very powerful medication and should be taken seriously so talk to you doc about it.

Cessna is offering bad advice to mix gingko and aspirin, for exactly the reason that he mentions - both are are blood thinners and cuts could bleed dangerously. That is not a good idea when you are on a mountain.

Gingko has actually been tested in a human clinical trial and found to be effective at preventing symptoms of AMS. All aspirin does is mask the pain. If you need a painkiller in addition to taking gingko, suggest you use one of the many others.

I have been quietly following the different discussions on this board for quite sometime now. This one on Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), its prevention, and its treatment is of particular interest. But something bothers me about the attitude some people take about medications. What bothers me is that people seem to be taking (diamox) acetazolamide (essentially getting TREATMENT) before they even get AMS, when there seems to be far better and safer forms of PREVENTION, such as: avoid meds that may cause drowsiness; drink lots of fluids; eat light meals w/ plenty of starch & complex carbs; avoid smoking & alcohol; take gingko biloba (an antioxidant), etc. (Aside from making sure you are in the best possible shape, right?) Doesn't that sound better than taking a short-cut the diamox way? As the old saying goes: "An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure."

Silence, I couldn't agree with you more.

Diamox shouldn't even be considered until hikers/climbers try the proven methods you outline--but *still* get AMS. That is my situation. (By the way, while on San Gorgonio last weekend, I forced fluids, upped the carbs, did a lot of pressure breathing, and felt fine. I'll hold off on the Diamox for another day.)

L

Sorry to say, in answer to the original poster's question, there is no published information on that exact question. One of the best sites on the subject is the Himalayan rescue association site: Note that they don't talk about the "herbal" stuff. This is because there, they cannot afford to be screwing around. There, the problem is life-threatening. From the standpoint of additive side effects, there is no warning of mixing aspirin and Ginko or garlic. Millions of people do so daily in this country, for what it is worth. Acetazolamide tends to mix well with other drugs, particularly in the low doses used for altitude.

For those of you around, you may want to attend the following talk in LA in october, to review all of the latest information:

Oct 23 Sierra Singles Section
Monthly Meeting: "Into Thinner Air."
Many people are now wandering into ever-higher elevations in pursuit of their recreation and suffering from altitude-induced illnesses as a result. This talk will explore the current evidence on the approaches to prevention and treatment of these maladies.
Dr Ken Murray (of Naked Bacpacking fame), a veteran of many outdoor adventures at altitude, will lead a discussion of the latest information about this problem. Come early for refreshments and to meet our guest. Everyone is welcome, including families. Program begins at 7 pm Grande Room, LA Zoo, Griffith Park (during Zoo construction follow Sierra Singles signs and let guard know you are attending the Sierra Club meeting).