One of my biggest concerns visiting Cusco, Peru or La Paz, Bolivia was the fear of someone in our group getting altitude sickness. Nothing is worse than getting sick on vacation and having to seek medical attention in a country where you don’t speak the language! If you’re venturing off to one of these spots, here are a few things to help you win the battle against the altitude and enjoy your trip.
Spotting Altitude Sickness
Increased heart rate, headaches and shortness of breath are the most common symptoms of Altitude Sickness. Any swift movement, walking up stairs or even a slight hill can make you feel like you’ve just sprinted across town!
How to combat Altitude Sickness
We read many blogs and asked locals on the best way to prevent this, here’s a few things I recommend. Consult with your doctor before using any of these tactics.
Take Sorojchi Pills
I don’t know anywhere in the US that you can get these pills but they are widely available in any country that has high altitude. You can find these at any local pharmacy, a pack of 20 pills will cost up to US$1 per pill in places like Peru but were cheaper in Bolivia. They may be a bit expensive but are worth it! Take the 1st round of pills 8 hours before getting to your high altitude destination, and 1 every 4 hours as needed. If you don’t feel any of the symptoms mentioned above there’s no need to continue taking the pills.
Rest
While you may want to jump off the plane and get to exploring rest is the #1 way to overcome the high altitude and the number one recommendation from all locals we spoke to. When you arrive at your hotel the key is to sleep at least 2-3 hours allowing your body to adjust.
Drink Coca tea
This is a herbal tea served at all hotels and restaurants, some in tea bags some with just the raw leaves. Many blogs also note that you could test positive for cocaine after drinking this tea, if your job does drug testing you may want to avoid this. This tea does have caffeine so beware of drinking this in the evening time or before bed. I used this as my alternative to drinking coffee!
Around town you will also find many chocolates and sweets made out of the herbal Coca that you can find at any local shop. However, the best method is to drink the raw tea.
Eat lemon or herbal sweets
These are available at any corner store or street vendor and are great to have during the day. They won’t cure altitude sickness but will help along with other methods mentioned here.
Avoid alcohol & coffee
No coffee or wine? That sounds like a terrible vacation! Unfortunately it’s true, you should avoid alcohol and coffee when in high altitudes as these will dehydrate you and quickly cause headaches or shortness of breath. It may be tempting to indulge, after all you are on vacay BUT you will probably regret it. Don’t be fooled by the many coffee shops around towns, these are for the locals!
Bring re hydration tabs
If you are feeling drained and light headed it is also a good idea to add a re hydration tab to your water, I used Nuun tabs to help with this. Keep a few in your bag just in case you need a little boost.
Eat light food
When you arrive try to eat light for the first few days you are there. The less work your body has to do to digest food the less chance your heart rate will increase and make you feel short of breath. Avoid foods like pasta, potatoes, heavy creams and meat for a few days.
Take Advil for headaches
If you only have a headache you can take Advil instead of Sorochi Pills, not both. I typically took Advil first thing in the morning to avoid any headaches throughout the day.
Oxygen
If you feel like any of the symptoms noted above are too much ask the front desk at your hotel for Oxygen. All hotels and tour companies should have Oxygen tanks easily available, most at no additional cost. Ten minutes of this will help you recover and get a good nights rest. Don’t wait until the symptoms get really bad to ask for Oxygen as it may not be able to help you much if your symptoms are severe.
