Acetazolamide (Diamox) — a conversation with your doctor
Prescription only in most countries
Acetazolamide is genuinely effective for acclimatisation and it is also a prescription drug with real side effects and real contraindications — sulfa allergy among them. Have that conversation at home, not in a Thamel pharmacy.
Prescription medication. Ask your own doctor — we are guides, not clinicians.
Do not buy this if: Anyone hoping to skip acclimatisation days. No drug replaces walking high and sleeping low.
Everything else we recommend in altitude & medication, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Useful with caveatsFingertip pulse oximeter
Useful for spotting a trend across several mornings, and actively dangerous if you treat a single reading as a verdict — cold fingers alone can drop a reading by several points, and consumer devices are not calibrated for 5,000 m.
