Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Aspirin vs. Advil vs. Tylenol vs. Excedrin.....

Ok - getting ready for my 1st attempt, and as I am prone to headaches I figure the altitude might really set one off on me. I will be sleeping at Horseshoe for 2 nights then 1 at Portal so I will be 'used' to the thin air, but what is the best choice as far as meds go?

Does the thinning of blood with Aspirin help, or hurt? I am inclined to take Aspirin - it does not upset my stomach.

Not sure about the caffine in Excederin?

Others?

Thanks.

For headaches Excedrin works well. It has Acetamenophen(Tylenol),Aspirin,and caffeine.That is a great synergistic combination.

I normally carry both Advil (Ibuprofen) and Tylenol (Acetominiphen).

For muscle/joint aches, the anti-inflammatory effects of Advil help more than just a pure pain reliever like Tylenol.

For altitude headaches, Tylenol works fine for me.

Haven't used Excedrin (Aspirin/Acetominiphen/caffeine) in a number of years...purely personal preference.

I also take 160 mg of enteric-coated aspirin each morning as a bias against my family history of heart problems. Not enough to be useful against pain but the amount the AHA found was effective to lower heart-attack risk. (That's a year-round regimen, not just when hiking/climbing.)

Advil. Great for toothaches and AMS headaches.

What works for you now? For me, Tylenol, Advil or Ecederin don't do a thing. Aleve is the only thing that works for me at sea level and it helped a lot at elevation. Although I still got a slight headache at the peak, it was gone by trail crest. Use what works.

If I am going to take anything I would prefer Aleve (Naproxan sodium). It is a longer acting then ibuprofen, about 8-12 hours.

What is Aleve?

Aleve is in a group of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Aleve works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.

One aspect is pain. Another is the beating your body takes due to inflamation. By taking aleve and not rushing down so fast, you won't be as sore the next day.

icharry, for years I would go to altitude (over 8,000 feet) and suffer extreme headaches for three days, until I would get acclimated. A hiking/climbing buddy of mine told me his secret to avoid the severe headaches--aspirin.

To be effective, he instructed me to start taking two tablets every four hours the day before going to altitude.

Since apparently I am aspirin tolerant, the regimen solved my problem. I've never suffered from the headaches since doing this. I discovered, however, that if I did not take the aspirin a day ahead of my trips, aspirin would not alleviate my headaches.

When I get to altitude, after a day of taking aspirin every four hours, I stop taking aspirin.

I've never tried diamox, so I can't speak to that, but aspirin works for me.

You are at a bit of a disadvantage, because you still do not know how your body will react to altitude. Maybe headaches would not be a problem. Unfortunately, the only way to know would be to not take anything, and find out what happens. Of course, which ever way you go, whether you take aspirin or anything else has its risks, as does not taking anything.

I wish you the best on whatever you decide. It sure is nice to hike Whitney without excruciating headaches or other pains.

I would be inclined to go with one of the NSAID's (ibuprofen, asprin, naproxen) over tylenol because of the possibility they can help fend off AMS.

If you know one of these medicines is normally effective for your headaches at sea level, definitely bring that one.

Andy

Thanks all... I'll take what works for me now... and have already started the 2 every 4 hours in prep for my weekend.