Im told that using Diamox (acetazolamide) only masks the symptoms of altitude sickness and that its side effects are awful. Should I use it?
Diamox actually will prevent altitude sickness, or help to treat it if you already have it, and by preventing the illness, you prevent the symptoms. It does this by speeding up your acclimatization to the hypoxia (less oxygen) found at higher altitudes. To get a bit more scientific for the lawyers out there, it makes your kidneys excrete bicarbonate, which makes your blood more alkaline. This in turn stimulates you to blow off more carbon dioxide, in an effort to maintain your acid-base balance. It is this increased respiration that helps you acclimatize better. The side effects are really not that bad – you might pee a bit more, and you may experience an annoying tingling around your mouth and fingertips. I recommend it for anyone who will not have the proper time to acclimatize, or someone who has had difficulty with altitude sickness in the past.
