Cuzco Travel Forum

What are the pros and cons of each one?

Thanks.

Don't take either - chew coca leaves and drink coca tea. Or you could stay in the sacred valley for a few days (which is lower altitude than Cusco) to acclimatise. I recommend Macha wasi hostel in Urubamba.

i took diamox pills a few days before going to peru.aside from a few extra trips to the bathroom (diamox is a diuretic)on the days i was taking it, i also felt a few tingling in the tips of my fingers a few days after that.

not eating too much a day before going to cusco,taking it easy when you get there and drinking lots of coca tea helps too

Sorojchi pills contain 325 mgs of Aspirin and 160 mg of salofene that converts to aspirin and 15 g of caffeine. I saw one comment by a person who had used both coca tea and the sorojchi tablets who said the tea was better. The risks of aspirin and caffeine are well known.

Diamox is acetazolamide, a sulfonamide diuretic. Placibo controlled studies indicate that it will increase pulmonary function by decreasing pulmonary edema for people who ascend to high altitudes. It is thought to also decrease the risks of cerebral edema. There are real recognized risks to sulfonamides and conditions that would weigh against its use and consultation with a physician is recommended prior to use to prevent altitude sickness. Simultaneous use of high doses of aspirin and diamox is not recommended. (The amount of aspirin used in sorojchi tablets woud not be considered high dose if taken as directed.)

I don't know if you already went, but thought that I'd weigh in on my party's trip to Peru. Two out of four of us took diamox pills. (We all drank coca tea which really helped.) The two of us that took diamox only experienced slightly more trips to the bathroom, but not horribly more. And we had some tingling in the tips of our toes and fingers. Both were manageable. The other two members of the party: one was totally fine and the other had mild altitude sickness diagnosed by a doctor in Cusco. Everyone handles altitude differently. We first stayed in the Sacred Valley which probably helped more than any pill. If you're cleared to take diamox (seeing a doctor, etc. is good), I think it's a safe bet to make sure that you're not too sick on your trip. If it's not very often you're in Peru, I think a slight tingling in the fingers is worth not losing a day or two of your trip.