Diamox for Altitude Sickness

[joe g texas aggies]

I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I am planning my next "bucket list" adventure after walking the CF starting next month. On the recent recommendation of a USNA classmate, I am considering making the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in 2016 or later.
I read an ad from REI regarding this trip. Several of the people who hiked to the base camp recommended taking Diamox for the 18,000 ft altitude. Should I expect to have problems with altitude sickness crossing the Pyrenees? I have not seen any mention of such a problem in my year plus of lurking.

Thanks in advance and Buen Camino to my future, fellow pilgrims.

 

[simply B]

Howdy, @joe g texas aggies !

Used to be the informal medic for a climbing club about 4 decades ago. All my reading, and then experience, showed very few problems until about 7,500 ft above sea level. Those few problems were confined to people who flew in just the day before an ascent above that level. The crossing of the shoulder of the Pyrenees is barely about half that altitude.

I have more trouble arriving in Denver than I have had crossing into Spain.

Buen Camino!

B

 

[Walli Walker]

Hi Joe, absolutely no problem in the Pyrenees. And I didn't have a problem at Everest Base Camp either.
Jacki.

 

[joe g texas aggies]

Hi Joe, absolutely no problem in the Pyrenees. And I didn't have a problem at Everest Base Camp either.
Jacki.

Thanks Jacki and B for the quick responses. One less thing to worry about.

 

[newfydog]

We were in Nepal in November, and one person had problems above 13,000 ft, which Diamox helped. I have never seen anyone with any problem at the altitude of the Pyrenees on the Camino---I used to live higher than that in Colorado and no visitor ever had altitude sickness at that elevation.

Diamox is very dangerous if you have a sulfa sensitivity. It almost killed a friend of mine on Kilimanjaro.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Joe G, if you are in shape enough for the Himalayas, the camino will be a breeze!