Acetazolamide 250mg Tablets
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Our friendly team is available to help Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm.
If you need urgent assistance, do not use this service. Call 111, or in an emergency call 999.
Preventive altitude sickness medication for trips above 2,500m, such as Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp and Cusco. Tell us about your trip and your health, and a UK pharmacist prescriber will check it’s suitable for you.
Where you’re going, how high, how fast, and your health.
A UK pharmacist prescriber checks the tablets are suitable and how many you need.
If approved before 3pm, Mon–Fri. Order at least 2 weeks before you travel, to allow for a trial dose.
Altitude sickness happens when you go above about 2,500m faster than your body can adjust to the thinner air. It causes headache, nausea, dizziness and tiredness, and it can become dangerous if you keep going up.
Going up slowly is the best prevention. When your route doesn’t allow that, or you’ve had altitude sickness before, preventive tablets help your body adjust faster. They’re taken from a day or two before you go up until 2 days after you reach your highest point.
No medicine is licensed in the UK to prevent altitude sickness, so the tablets are prescribed “off-label”. This is standard practice, recommended by UK travel health services. For symptoms and what to do if you become ill, see our guide to altitude sickness.
We supply one preventive medicine, in the quantity that matches your trip.
| Your trip | Risk | Are tablets usually advised? |
|---|---|---|
| Going no higher than 2,800m, or going up gradually with rest days | Low | Not usually |
| Flying or driving straight to above 2,800m (Cusco, La Paz, Lhasa) | Moderate | Worth considering |
| Kilimanjaro, or any trek gaining more than 500m of sleeping height a day above 3,000m | High | Commonly advised |
| You’ve had altitude sickness before | Moderate to high | Usually advised |
Not sure if you need tablets?
If you feel unwell at altitude, treat it as altitude sickness until proven otherwise.
Stay at the same height until you feel completely well.
Descending even 500m usually brings quick relief.
Above 3,000m, sleep no more than 500m higher each night, with a rest day every 3 to 4 days.
Go down straight away and get medical help if you or someone with you has:
Fitness doesn’t protect you. Fit people often go up faster, which raises the risk.
They don’t. They help your body acclimatise faster, and you can still get symptoms, which you should act on.
Staying hydrated helps you feel better, but it doesn’t prevent altitude sickness.
Tablets lower the risk but don’t remove it. A gradual ascent still matters most.
Answers about preventive treatment for high-altitude travel.
Altitude Sickness is caused by a combination of hormonal and genetic factors.
In many cases, Altitude Sickness can be effectively treated and sometimes reversed, depending on the underlying cause.
There are several clinically proven treatments available for altitude sickness.
Helpful reads related to this treatment area.
Tell us about your trip and a UK pharmacist prescriber will check whether preventive tablets are right for you. Order at least 2 weeks before you travel.