HJ, thanks for posting tips on mitigating altitude sickness.
I'll keep Diamox in mind for my next doctor appointment. It might help and is worth testing.
In my case the first symptom that appears on a day hike is fatigue (not headache). Ascending above 7,000 feet I feel like I'm operating at 50% power, and by 9,000 feet the duration of my rest breaks equals the duration of my hiking breaks (hike for 1 minute, rest for 1 minute). On level ground and heading downhill I move at full power (perhaps 2 mph, as footing allows). Since my problem is shortness of power going uphill, I suspect that my first limiting factor is oxygen transfer rate (lung-blood or blood-tissue). I think that runners would call my short spurts of energy "anaerobic." It's like after each spurt of energy I have to rest to recharge old batteries that don't hold much of a charge. In my circle of family and friends I, the hiker, am most prone to altitude sickness (AMS). I had never heard of altitude sickness until 1977 when Mt Whitney baptized me in my own vomit at only 12,000(?) feet. Thereafter, for 30 years (1977-2007), I was happy living at sea level.
Diamox might help me sleep through the nightly performance (howling) of the "Barton Flats Coyote Choir."
Trivia:
Approximately 20% of people will develop mild [AMS] symptoms at altitudes between 6,300 to 9,700 feet.
Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 000133.htm
In a 2002 study involving ~600 trekkers at Mount Everest base camp in the Nepal Himalayas (4280-4928 m), participants in the acetazolamide [Diamox] group showed significant levels of protection. Participants included 614 healthy western trekkers (487 completed the trial) assigned to receive . . . . acetazolamide . . . . or placebo, initially taking at least three or four doses before continued ascent. The incidence of acute mountain sickness was 34% for placebo, 12% for acetazolamide . . . . . The proportion of patients with increased severity of acute mountain sickness was 18% for placebo, 3% for acetazoalmide . . . . Acetazolamide 250 mg twice daily afforded robust protection against symptoms of acute mountain sickness.
Source:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/328/7443/797
BTW, for those prone to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a few months ago the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) kicked off a World HAPE registry for research purposes. They're looking for names. For information see
http://www.altitude.org/hape.htm (I don't suffer knowingly from HAPE -- I think that my AMS prevents me from hiking high enough to get HAPE.)
Lake Louise AMS scoresheet:
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/A ... sheet.html (What's YOUR score?)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetazolamide (Diamox overview)
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/safety/altitude.html (Good discussion of treatment meds)
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/archive ... immer.html (Overview of Eastern [Asian] perspective)
Other allegedly helpful pharmaceuticals and herbals that appear in literature include: steroid Dexamethasone (for emergency use only by physician to treat HACE?), Sumatriptan (Imitrex, Imigran, Imigran Recovery) to treat headache(?), co-enzyme Q10, tyrosine (amino acid), chlorophyll-rich foods, and high-carb foods.
Maybe I should pack up my family and move to a mountain community? It might be the easiest way to deal with altitude!
The more I read, the less I know.