Jay,
This is not the right place to get your personal medical advice. Talk to the physical who issued you the Diamox; perhaps he or she can give you correct information. You did get the Diamox through a real doctor, right?
Don't tinker with your meds, it is not in your best interest. Diamox can affect each individual differently, depending on many factors.
Your doctor can tell you about possible bad interactions with other meds you might be taking. Also, they can check your blood oxygen saturation level, blood pressure, and heart and lung condition, etc.
On my doctor's orders I carried a little blood oxygen oximeter device and recorded my levels in various situations: at sea level, at different altitudes, exercise level, etc. The result was that I am getting old and require more O2, especially at high altitude.
So, I not longer hike at high altitudes in my beloved Eastern Sierra. That really sucks, right?! So I embraced the suck and changed my recreation life-style. Besides, beach life is turning out to be a lot of fun! No regrets.
Bob
My prescription was the standard 125mg twice a day for prevention and twice that for AMS treatment and I do not take any other meds. This is pretty standard and the HMO provided boilerplate type information on taking Diamox and AMS. My post trip realization is that sucking on smoke and ash while climbing not at my own pace to over 13,700 feet (+2300 feet) (which undoubtably my doctor would not have approved of!) would probably guarantee that I get AMS symptoms (Being a geezer (57) in only mediocre shape) and thus should have jumped to the full AMS dose. Even with all those stressors I may not have puked if just not tried to eat and drink at the summit.
Thank you Bob for the information especially about the blood O2 meter tests. I'll talk to my doctor about that. Maybe, I too, require more O2 as I have trouble at even modest altitudes
especially with no acclimatization.
Jay
