AMS

Yesterday I experienced a rapid onset of AMS while attempting a summit of Mt Hood. We started our climb around 2am after driving from Tacoma around 7pm and arriving at Timberline about 10:30pm so there was no acclimatization. We took the snowcat to the top of Palmer, then hiked up several hundred meters to put on our crampons. Within 5-10 minutes I started feeling that "nitrogen narcosis" effect, or like I was drunk, vertigo, muscle cramps, and excessive thirst. We took our first break about ten minutes after and I mentioned this to our guide, and then when we got to hot rocks, I decided to call it. Once we started up Old Chute with its 40°-50° inclines, I was worried about being a safety risk to my climbing partner and our two guides. My climbing buddy has summited Hood 4 times prior and our guides both had 100+-200+ summits each.

I've climbed Mount Adams, Mount Baker, and Mount Saint Helens and never had any AMS with any of those mountains. I had it while hiking to the summit of Humphreys Peak in AZ several years ago though. Of course I did have acclimatization with both Baker and Adams but it was weird just how fast it started on Mount Hood and I had started taking Diamox 48 hours prior.

I've had it before where it was much more gradual (Humphreys) and I want to make another attempt on Mount Hood but this gives me a little anxiety that it'll happen again so I'm afraid to invite my climbing buddy to go back with me for another attempt. Besides the obvious suggestion of a climatizing prior to the next climb which I will do, are there any really effective ways to prevent AMS? I'm pretty sure that being dehydrated had a lot to do with it because drinking a whole liter of water and still feeling thirsty on that first break in the pitch black cold on Mount Hood is pretty unusual.