Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Use of Diamox

I went to the dr for a check-up and got a prescription for Diamox. My husband and I plan to spend 2 days at Horseshoe Meadows before beginning our summit hike, which we're doing over 3 days (Day 1 to Trail Camp, Day 2 to summit & back to TC, Day 3 the rest of the way down). At what point should I start taking the Diamox? The dr said 2 days before going to "high altitude", and I got headaches each time I went about 9000 ft on our training hikes.

Thanks!

It depends on the individuals sensitivity to the drug. There are no firm fast answers. It took me 5 years to get a dosing that works reasonably well for me. All anyone can do for you is give a starting point. Welcome to the world of Diamox.

Google Dr. Peter Hackett...he's the go to guy on high elevation medicine. I do not know the current it works for most dosing schedule but this is the place to get it...not your doctor.

What size tablets did you get? I think the newest ones are 125 mg. Since you got headaches just going to 9k, I would start taking it the morning you leave for Horseshoe Meadows. But I'd only take half a tablet twice a day. Then if you still have symptoms, increase to 125mg twice a day. Some doctors will prescribe twice that amount, but I'd not try that until I felt like I needed it.

Your 2 days at HM, and then day 3 at Trail Camp is an excellent plan. Here's hoping with that slow acclimation, and with the Diamox, you will be symptom-free.

The headache brings up another question: Do you drink more than a cup of coffee each day, and do you change that habit when you go on a trip? I found that I would get a headache any time I'd go "off coffee" when I was drinking several cups each morning. I've cut back to the half-caff variety, and that seems to help.

Yup, they're 125mg. Sounds like a good plan.



I don't drink coffee at all (I'm a tea drinker, though.) My husband is trying to cut back on his consumption, though, since he doesn't want to carry the amount of creamer he deems necessary to make his coffee palatable!

My wife starts with headaches at 8000 ft.
Dr give her Diamox 250 mg and our plan was similar to yours.
First night at Horseshow Meadows, walking to Cottonwood Lakes second night, another night at HSM. Next one Outpost Camp, another in Trail Camp and last one at Outpost again.
She cut the pills in half (125 mg each one) and took one each morning, and one at around 7 pm every day starting the day we arrived to HSM.
She had headaches every single night, except the last one when we came back from the summit.
She had no problems while hiking during the day, even at the summit.
We still don't know if Diamox worked, acclimatation worked or both together, but the fact is that she spent 40 minutes at the summit and is now very happy with the trip.

I would also recommend that you 'try out' the diamox a week or two before your trip (assuming you have enough). You do not want to experience the nasty side effects on your hike. If you're able to take the diamox for a day or two, then go on one of your training hikes it may be helpful.

I've used Diamox a few times before, and it's helped and I was a big fan at first. However, I've found that the side effect outweighs the benefit sometimes, mainly the frequent need to urinate. I keep a few pills if I'm going to be in the Sierra as a backup, but not as a preventative medicine.

I've recently taken CoQ10 with some good results. I don't know if it'll work for you but it's worth a try. Available at your local Costco or online through Amazon:
http://www.costco.com/Qunol%E2%84%A2-Mega-CoQ10-100-mg-Ubiquinol,-120-Softgels.product.11630572.html

Thank you for this recommendation! I emailed him, and he actually replied promptly! He said that my proposed regimen sounded good, and recommended taking 600mg ibuprofen at the first sign of a headache.

Good to know; thank you. When you keep it with you as a preventative, at what point would you consider taking it?

What does the CoQ10 do? I've heard that Gingko Biloba is another herbal option.

I wish I could, but 1) we leave for the mountains in 4 days and 2) the dr only prescribed 8 pills - enough for our hike.

I use about between two and 3 250 mg. pills per trip. I usually stop dosing my second day at elevation.

This is not a miracle drug. I have found if you push real hard, you have real chance of a multiple symptom episode...me, it is sleep and appetite. If I keep a reasonable pace I can eliminate the appetite problem but if I'm over 11,000' sleep does not come easy.

I've had AMS and mild cases of edema before to the point where I could only take about 5 steps before having to stop and breathe, and this was one flat ground, or I start gurgling when breathing. I'm well aware of the symptoms and my body's reaction. First sign for me is a small tingling headache in the back of my head and loss of appetite. I will take it at that point. It has helped me when I've had large headaches before. This is not a cure. If you have a mild case, the Diamox may help you get over the hump and acclimate. If it's bad, it'll only buy you some time to get the hell off the mountain.

CoQ10 is an enzyme that supposedly helps your heart and other bodily functions. I read that it helps with altitude issues and tried it. It has not been a 100% success for me, but I've found it helps me. YMMV.
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/tc/coenzyme-q10-topic-overview