I use it whenever I head to the Sierra. I live at sea level in SoCal, and due to my schedule, I never have any spare days to acclimate. Rather, I leave home in the morning and start hiking in the afternoon (it takes 4 hours to get to Lone Pine from my house).
I usually only go 3-5 miles on the first day, which would be roughly equivalent to getting to Outpost camp. When I hiked Whitney this past May, I decided to spend the first night @ the Portal, then hiked to Trail camp the next morning.
When I was younger, I would just power on through mild AMS symptoms. In my case, they were never more than feeling flat & tired. I'm still in pretty good shape, but I decided I didn't want to deal with altitude induced fatigue anymore. (Not to be confused with being tired from the physical exertion of hiking - I know my own limits, and know what I can & can't do. If I'm @ altitude and just can't shake feeling lethargic, I know it's mild AMS.)
My usual routine is take the first dosage after dinner the night before I leave. Then it's two per day (morning/evening) until the last day I'm in the mountains.
If you're worried about possible side effects, just take the prescribed dosage for full a day long before you start on your hike. If you notice anything other than the regular weird taste effects of carbonated drinks and/or beer, then follow up according to recommended procedures.
Last edited by Hobbes; 09/01/17 02:18 PM.
