Boy, you nailed it with that comnent. we have been fighting altitude sickness on and off for a week. I used a strategy to adapt 'slowly' ... 2 days at 7600 feet (Arequippa, Peru) and 2 days at 12300 feet (Puno, Peru). Even with this preparation, it was no easy task during the first week at very high altitudes in Peru.

There are two meds that people use to fight this problem. The first is a prescription drug called acetazolide (spelling?). The second is coca leaves. I used neither of these methods, and just fought through the symptoms. My wife tried the prescription drug. It seems to help, but beware that the drug should NOT be taken on an empty stomach. It can cause stomach acidity and vomitting ... no fun when you are fighting other problems.

Coca leaves deserve a special explanation. Peru and Bolivia have a 'double standard' for how they view the coca plant. Leaves from the coca plant are widely available in Peru. They are not considered a drug. If you walk into the tourist hotels, you will find a basket of green leaves at the table (table for tea, or for breakfast). Peruvians regularly chew these leaves, and so do many tourists in Peru. In addition, if you go to health food shops in Cusco, you will find large containers of a green powder. This is 'coca tea'. It is the leaves of the coca plant, dried and ground into a green powder. Peruvians commonly put this powder into hot water, as a tea extract. These uses of coca are very common in Peru, and they are legal. However, if the drug is refined into the pure form of cocaine, that is highly illegal. That is how things operate in Peru. Altitude sickness causes a constant feeling of being very tired. People chew the coca leaves as a type of 'pick up' for the metabolism. I couldnt tell you if the coca leaves actually increase the adaption of the body to high altitudes, or if they only affect metabolism.

Personally, I just drank a lot of water and allowed my body to adjust naturally. But it was no cakewalk.