Trekking Medicines

[seh]

Can I buy Diamox and Cipro in Kathmandu?

Thanks,

SEH

[Boulia]

Yes to diamox. and I feel safe saying yes to Cipro. I find the staff at pharmacies very helpful so am sure they will have an option if you explain.

[Sharon]

I always get cipro and diamox in Thamel. There are a number of shops that carry the drugs. I bring my imodium, etc from home. Hopefully on each trek I never use any of it...

[Lars]

I bring my imodium, etc from home.
You can buy Imodium as well in Kathmandu. It is manufactured in India.

Btw you can buy Diamox in Namche, at the AMS advisory place, high up
on the hill as you walk out of Namche towards altitude.

It is thought good for your karma to stop by on your way back into
Namche, if you did not have to take your pills during the trek to stave
off AMS, and donate the leftover Diamoxes etc to that same place where
you bought them a couple of weeks before.

Helps them make ends meet too.

[andrees*]

you can buy Diamox in Kathmandu and in Namche bazar.
But be aware that diamox is only useful for the light AMS and it can help you to sleep better in altitude. AMS may be nasty with headache but it is not realy serious. Diamox has mainly an influence on the acidity of your blood.

If you get the really bad HACE or HAPE, then Diamox is not helping anymore, as the reasons are different. There you find swelling of membranes, restrication of bloodvessels leading and coming from the lung and thes causes leading to an endema either in your brain or in the lungs.

In Case of HACE the appropriate drug is DEXAMETHASONE, which you get for about 30 Rups !!! in Kathmandu. I have given it to persons who could not stay anymore and after 30 min the could walk down on their own feets.

In case Of HAPE the appropriate drug is NIFIDIFIN which you also get in Kathmndu for little more.

I suggest to everyone going to AC or Khumbu to buy the whole set: Diamox , Dexamethasone and Nifedifine.
They are ridicoulus cheap and it can save your life or of some other person.

I even gave in 2004 the whole coctail to the liason officer of EBC who was alredy clearly hight altitude sick in Gorakshep. It helped him to go down to Pheriche and to survive. He had severe HACE and HAPE and arrived bound on a horse as he could not walk anymore in Lobuche. Without help from various other people he would have died. And he had to be flon out by helicopter.

See for the symptoms and the treatement the excellent description in Lonely Planet or go to pilgrims book shop where you can find a light, small an little booklet over high altitud medicine.

[snaark]

Speaking of trekking medicines, I'm leaving for KTM on Monday via Bankok, and I was hoping to take with me a pretty comprehensive first aid kit to cover all sorts of ailments (respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, skin infections etc) that could potentially ruin my trek (yeah, I know I'm probably being paranoid but AU$30 buys a lot of peace-of-mind).

I just received an email from Thai customs saying that I can take a maximum of 30 capsules into Thailand. Has anyone experienced this? Does it matter whether they are prescribed, if I have a letter from my doctor, or if they are off-the-shelf type medicines? Does Nepal have any regulations like this? I tried contacting Nepal customs but got no reply.

[yalanepal]

Hello,
You can check the link: http://www.yalaadventure.com/sickness.htm.There are the description as well as list of medicine also.


Thanks
Yadu