Experience with Diamox? (For altitude sickness)

Have had Diamox in kit, but never used. This happened to my partner last year, as his home is a few miles from Puget Sound. He would not eat or drink properly no matter how encouraging I was. Perhaps a modified backpacking strategy based on the mountaineering technique of climb high, sleep low. So maybe establishing a base camp for a few days and doing day hikes to higher altitudes or peakbagging might be an option until you feel acclimatized.

You can also be medically tested, with O2 testing on a treadmill to determine your natural acclimatization bandwidth. Good luck and sorry to hear of your situation.

Never used it myself bit have had different experiences at higher altitudes, sometimes it gets me, headache and totally gassed other times not so much, don't really know why.
Happy Birthday BTW.

I have Chyne-Stokes syndrome over 10,000'. This means I can sleep for about as long as I can hold my breath. Goes away after three days or so. Scares the bejeebies out of my wife when I quit breathing.

Diamox fixes it.

If you have trouble sleeping the first few days at altitude it might be related. It is a variation on sleep apnea - in this case altitude induced. I don't have sleep apnea otherwise, but if I want to get some sleep the first few days at altitude, I take diamox.

When it comes to personal reaction to altitude adaptation everybody varies. It also varies from time to time, meaning that what affected you last time might not reoccur. And, so I am told, it is dependent upon age, but not so well defined to be predicted.

It is a sulfa drug, and some hikers are allergic to the chemicals. Your doc should ask questions before they write an Rx. It is also at times prescribed for epilepsy. Just make sure you are not double dosing.

It is a diuretic, which means that you will have to increase your water intake - and unscheduled trips at night too.

From WebMD:

To prevent altitude sickness, start taking acetazolamide 1 to 2 days before you start to climb. Continue taking it while you are climbing and for at least 48 hours after you have reached your final altitude. You may need to continue taking this medication while staying at the high altitude to control your symptoms.

I'll bet a lot of people are using it once symptoms start occurring. Some stopping if symptoms subside. This may skew anecdotal effectiveness reports because they're not using it correctly.

I don't use it for day hikes (unless I'm climbing a 14er), but always use it for overnighters where I will be over 12,000 most of the time. I find it very effective and don't notice any side effects. My husband has started to need it too: after a 3 day trip that never dropped below 12,000 feet where he suffered from nausea/headache he started using it, too.

Tried it once, and I won't be using it again. The side effects were minor but annoying, and the only time I've suffered from altitude sickness was the time I took Diamox.

Just start drinking lots of water 24-48 hours before your trip, and keep drinking lots of it while at altitude. ***I cannot overstate the importance of this***

I tend to lose my appetite at altitude, so I'll snack rather than eat large meals. If I'm going to eat a meal, it will be at dinner, after I've done all my hiking for the day. And the snacks tend to be simple foods. The first couple of days, my diet consists of a lot of gummy life savers, sour patch kids, and other candies. Maybe a protein bar at lunch. As I acclimate, I can add "heavier" and healthier foods.

ETA - Many times, I'll wake up early, eat a decent-sized breakfast (dehydrated meal, etc), and go back to sleep for an hour or two. By the time I break camp, my breakfast has been digested and I can hike without feeling weighed-down / queasy.

I'm in the same camp as walkswithblackflies. The first time I went to the Himalayas, I brought Diamox with me. I started taking it one day before my scramble up to 19,000 feet. But, side effects were not good. When I'd stand up too quickly, I'd get a wave of dizziness and have to sit down. I looked at the bottle, and found that to be a common side effect. So, why take diamox at all? was my question. Plus, that night I got up 19 times to pee. So, I stopped taking it.

I went on one more trek that season, and returned 2 years later to live for a year in Ladakh in India. During that year, I got up to 19,000 feet a few times, and 20,000 feet twice. Without diamox. What worked for me was staying hydrated. I always had my altimeter, and ALWAYS drank water after every 100 meters of vertical elevation gain - whether I was thirsty or not. And, above a certain elevation, I always slowed my pace, and doubled my breathing rate. The only time I felt the effects of altitude was the time I forgot to drink enough. So, maybe some kind of regimen with water consumption and increased breathing rate may be good for you. I am close to your age.

By the way, I liked your thread about Milwaukee Pass and those other hikers and the need to turn back. I've had times I've had to turn back. The hardest for me was turning back a quarter mile from the summit of Kings Peak in Utah, after a 15-mile approach. But, there was a lightning storm coming in quick.