Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board ginko biloba & ibuprofin--the verdict

Hi, all.

I tried taking ginko biloba and ibuprofin for alititude sickness while hiking up the main trail a few weeks ago, and it worked wonders. In addition, I drank like a Kennedy (about one quart per mile--water, that is), took my time on the trail, and concentrated on breathing deeply and forcefully while at rest. Aside from the obviously thin air, which affected my already slow pace above 13,000 feet, I had *NONE* of the problems that I've had in the past: headache, lethargy, and slight nausea. So before you try Diamox, I'd encourage any of you to give the ginko and ibuprofin a try--and remember to breathe in that fresh air!

L

How far in advance did you start taking Ginko and what was your dosing? I may try this for my trip next month. Thanks

I began taking the ginko about 3 days prior to heading up to Whitney Portal to acclimate.

I really think the high water consumption and the *forced breathing at rest* had as much of a positive effect as the use of ginko and ibuprofin. Also, don't wait for a headache to take the ibuprofin; pop 2 in the a.m. and 2 in the p.m. when you're on the mountain. And stay w/ the forced breathing on the way down. When *I've* gotten hit w/ AMS, it's been *after* summiting--when I stop breathing deeply.

Good luck!
L

Sorry, but I didn't give the dose. I *think* it was 60 mg tablets, 2 in the a.m. and 2 in the p.m. I'll double-check and note it in a future post if that's not correct.

L

Thanks Lawaneke!

I've been up to 11,500 and 10,000 feet the past 2 weekends with no problems but it might be good for my lowlander friends from back East. I may try too as 40 minutes at 10,000 ft and 1 hour at 11,500 ft is much different than 4 days all above 10,000 ft and then Whitney in a day. Thanks again!

Follow this link to some of the drug info that I gathered while researching ginko and diamox. Hope this helps some of you decide.

<A href="http://members.cox.net/eshoughton1/AMS%20Prevention.htm"> Diamox and Ginko Drug Info</A></font>

After acclimatization, keeping yourself properly hydrated is probably best means to avoid AMS. I've used ibu in the past and found it hasn't really helped with AMS.

When I climbed Rainier two years ago, I took 180mg daily of gingko, starting five days before the climb. While I experienced some AMS symptoms -- depressed appetite, some lethargy -- overall I felt it helped me.