Rod wrote:
> Now KevinR is talking about taking 10 doses of 4mg Dexamethasone.
Rod, I think he's asking how much he might carry, not how many he should take. Sounds like 10 4mg pills would be plenty-- I'd consider half that.
To clarify - yes, Steve has it right. And FWIW - I would more likely be carrying it to assist others. Am not against self-medicating, but I work hard at doing things to prevent the onset of AMS, mainly making the effort to get to at least 10K+' every couple of weeks year-round. Before I'd made that post I'd googled the drug, and had found only .5 and 1mg dosages - apparently it's available in higher doses as well. So, as Steve suggests, even 4 tablets at 4mg strength might be adequate for a single emergency.
I've taken Wilderness First Aid many times at SOLO in Conway, NH, and in that setting the focus is on emergencies often found in the mountains of northern New England, which quickly enters sub-Arctic conditions with a bit of elevation gain. The emphasis is more on topics like the prevention and treatment of hypothermia, broken bones, and allergic reactions to bee stings. I don't recall ever discussing HACE or HAPE during those sessions.
Steve's friend raises a good point about liability - people in CA seem far more likely to sue each other than those in New England (or at least that's the perception), and since I consider myself "a Vermonter living in California", I have some difficulty making that adjustment.
