Diamox and high altitudes

[sierragail]

I would like to report on my progress in using Diamox to help reduce my AHIs. I was sleep tested and titrated at sea level (more or less) With cpap treatment my AHI went down to 1.5. Upon returning to 8000 ft my AHI was steadily increasing each night, much to my disappointment. My AHI reached 9, and I was also experiencing Periodic Breathing, and then I turned to this forum for help.

A member here noted that the altitude was a bit high and suggested Diamox to me. Since then I have been tweaking the dose and find that 125 mg every 12 hours is doing the trick quite beautifully. My AHIs are running between 3 and 0.7 and I'm a happy camper again. (Not really camping up here at 8000 ft, just a figure of speech). I've been on Diamox for about 10 days so I'm still expecting variations and surprises here and there, and I may have to jiggle the does again, who knows. I'm also using an inhaler twice a day (Salmeterol/Fluticasone 50/250).

Before using Diamox I had persistent chest pain and lung pain. For the most part, they are gone. If I'm late on taking a dose of Diamox, the pain returns however. With Diamox I have more energy and am not out of breath, like I was before.

I suggest to anyone who is planning to travel to high altitudes to consider obtaining Diamox before their trip. The following link, provided to me by this gracious member, is very helpful in describing what goes on inside the body at high altitudes: http://www.epicski.com/wiki/altitude-ad ... n-sickness

In the beginning Diamox made me feel icky and tired and I didn't like it at all. But persistence paid off and these symptoms passed eventually. It has the same affect as a diuretic, so I have to drink fluids all day long, and I have to get up at night to pee, but that's okay. BTW, I have been up here for a few years, so if my body was going to adjust, it would have by now, but it simply can not. Not everyone can adjust to higher altitudes.

[Sleeprider]

Glad to hear this is working our for you so well. Other member who may be traveling ot high altitude should make note to consider getting a prescription for Diamox to prevent acute mountain sickness or other symptoms that can aggravate respiratory problems. The headaches, disorientation, nausea and other symptoms of high altitude can be prevented by starting a course of Diamox before traveling. Sedatives and sleep-aids are especially bad at high altitudes as they bring on the Cheyne-Stokes respiration patterns that are part of the AHI problems.

As I recall you were seeing increasing AHI previously, but have seen significant improvement recently since being prescribed Diamox at your 8000 foot elevation.

[sierragail]

Hey Sleeprider,
I was so confused and disoriented at times (previous to Diamox and cpap) that I thought I'd had a stroke or was having absence seizures. On one especially bad day, that I still recall now with a bit of horror, I mistook the street for the sidewalk and got brushed on the shoulder by a passing bus. So I nearly got hit by a bus because of acute mountain sickness. There were other occasions when I had to walk with hiking sticks to keep from falling down when I walked in town. I have a pulse oximeter and noticed that at times it would go as low as 75 while walking in town. I thought I had a brain tumor and even got an MRI done. I couldn't convince the doctors to believe how bad off I was. They thought I was a nut-case. Thanks a million times over for telling me about acute mountain sickness and Diamox. I will always remember you!
~~gail

[Muse-Inc]

Have you considered moving to a lower altitude? It just seems reasonable to consider given how poorly adapated you seem to be living at that altitude.

[bearded_two]

At least it is cheap: 250mg x 100 = $20.00

[sierragail]

Yeah, Diamox is pretty cheap. And yes, definitely we are moving to a lower altitude (preferably barely above sea level!) and slated to happen next July!! Yay! I am SO looking forward to that day. We have a house we'd like to sell first. If that doesn't happen on time, we'll rent it!

[hobbs]

"I suggest to anyone who is planning to travel to high altitudes to consider obtaining Diamox before their trip. The following link, provided to me by this gracious member, is very helpful in describing what goes on inside the body at high altitudes: http://www.epicski.com/wiki/altitude-ad ... n-sickness"

NO, NO, NO! Been to 16,000ft in Chile, 15,000ft in Bolivia and 14,000ft in Tibet. People traveling with us taking Diamox were sicker than those of us not taking it. FORCE yourself to drink LOTS of water and acclimate and you should be OK. Coca tea in the Andes also helps. You still think you need Diamox, it's time to start heading downhill! YMMV.

[sierragail]

That is really good news that you are able to visit such high altitudes and not feel out of breath, or have any other consequences. You are lucky. However, we are all different. What works for one person does not necessarily work for the next person. I'll bet that not one member on this forum has a sleep apnea treatment program 100% identical to any other member, for example. Diamox does not make me sick. I am sick if I don't take Diamox. We are all different.

Regarding tea from coca leaves, for one, good luck finding clean water in remote places in a developing country. You may think you are using bottled water, but that doesn't mean it's clean. The bottles and caps are frequently scrounged from dumps, re-filled with ordinary water (or worse) and then re-sold as bottled water. Even real bottled water in developing countries is not necessarily clean. And you may think that in your hotel you are being served coca tea made from clean water; I hope for your sake that you are, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. And don't think that the locals don't get sick so therefore it must be safe. The locals do get sick. Just 50 years ago the leading cause of death in Mexico was diarrhea. Untreated, or improperly treated, E. hystolytica eventually makes its way to the liver, lungs, and the brain. Every year 100,000 people die from it.

And boiling the water does not kill the E. hystoliyica ameobic cysts. Ingesting only one cyst is enough to make you sick. Having endured too many horrific bouts of amoebic dysentery in developing countries, enough to last a few lifetimes, I myself wouldn't take any more chances than I needed to. And if you do get sick, good luck finding a clean hospital in remote areas in developing countries. I've been an inpatient in "hospitals" that had no toilet paper (not even a toilet seat), no soap or water to wash your hands, and certainly no drinking water either.

And we haven't even begun to probe the so-called benefits of drinking coca tea to combat altitude sickness........I'd rather endure any or all of the side effects of Diamox rather than risk another infection with E. hystolytica.

The following is from the CDC regarding travel to high altitudes like Machu Pichu:http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/ ... -peru.aspx
Altitude and Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
All travelers to Machu Picchu will arrive and transit through Cuzco, 3,395 m (11,203 ft) above sea level. Many arriving travelers will find the near 3,500 m elevation leads to some degree of AMS, with the initial symptoms of headache, nausea, and loss of appetite beginning 4–8 hours after arrival. The hypoxemia of high altitude can also dramatically affect the quality of sleep in the first few nights in Cuzco, with restless sleep, frequent awakening, and Cheyne–Stokes breathing (periodic breathing), even in those who appear to be doing well during the day. A minority of travelers may progress to severe forms of altitude illness, to include high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema. The symptoms of AMS can markedly impair the traveler and prevent enjoyment of the sights of Cuzco. Surveys have shown that most travelers arrive in Cuzco with limited or no knowledge of AMS and its prevention with the prophylactic use of acetazolamide. Every traveler to Cuzco should be counseled about AMS pre-travel and be prepared to prevent or self-treat AMS. The use of acetazolamide (Diamox) can minimize or eliminate the symptoms of AMS.

If you are randomly drug tested as part of your job, remember that coca tea causes a positive urine cocaine assay.