MEDICATIONS - Medicine for Mountaineering and Other Wilderness Activities - page 530

Precautions: Prochlorperazine and promethazine must not be given to individuals who
are comatose or whose consciousness is significantly impaired.
Only a physician should give either of these agents to children younger than two years
old. In wilderness situations prochlorperazine probably should not be given to pre-teenage
children.
Ondansetron
Odansetron (Zofran® and Zofran ODT®) is a medication administered to control naus-
ea and vomiting. The orally disintegrating tablets (Zofran ODT®) can be placed on the
tongue where they break down in two to three minutes and can be more easily swallowed
than tablets by individuals who are nauseated.
Precautions: The instructions for removing Zofran ODT® from the blister pack in
which it is provided should be closely followed.
Antacids
Antacids are preparations that contain combinations of aluminum hydroxide, calcium
carbonate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and magnesium trisilicate. They
are administered to neutralize acids in the stomach in the treatment of peptic ulcers,
GERD, and for relief of symptoms of indigestion. Some of the preparations are flavored.
Alkets, Titralac®, Robalate, Alka-Seltzer®, Alka-2®, Amphojel®, Gaviscon®, Gelusil®,
Maalox®, WinGel, Rolaids®, and Tums® are well-known antacids.
Precautions: Magnesium-containing antacids sometimes produce a mild diarrhea, but
this side effect rarely requires treatment or interruption of therapy. These drugs are ab-
sorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in minimal amounts, if at all, and have no effects on
the rest of the body. They are of no value in preventing acute mountain sickness.
Antacids should not be taken indiscriminately over a long time. Prolonged consumption
of antacids taken with calcium-containing foods such as milk can lead to calcium deposits
in the kidneys and impaired renal function.
H 2 Blockers
Severalagents,oneofwhichishistamine (H 2 )stimulate thecellsthatsecrete acidinthe
stomach. The H 2 blockers inhibit the secretion of acid in the stomach by blocking the sites
at which histamine attaches to the walls of the acid-secreting cells. These agents were first
introduced in 1976 and were a major advance in the treatment of peptic ulcers, drastically
decreasing the need for surgical treatment for this disorder. Most of these agents are now
available over the counter.
Proton Pump Inhibitors