Be Careful Outdoors If You’re Taking These Medications
Late spring and summer is the time to get
out of the house and into the garden. It is also the season to travel,
especially to warm tropical resorts. All of this means that we spend a
lot more time outdoors when the weather is hot, often idle of the way
these warm summer temperatures mix with our medications. The truth is
that many medications can make your body more susceptible to heat and
sun damage, which can manifest itself in skin rashes, dehydration and
overheating.
In severe cases, overheating can progress into stroke and can be fatal,
with the CDC reporting over 8.000 heatwave-related deaths between 1999
and 2010, primarily among the elderly and newborns. A variety of both
over-the-counter and prescription medications can cause these adverse
symptoms, the major groups of which we will discuss below.
1. Antibiotics
Protecting your skin from the sun is important every day, but certain
antibiotics may further increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun,
especially in hot weather. This sensitivity usually manifests itself in
the form of severe sunburns, itchy and painful rashes, eczema or
psoriasis flare-ups, as well as increases your risk of developing skin
cancer.
Many groups of broad-spectrum antibiotics
can make you photosensitive, too, including quinolones, tetracyclines,
and sulfonamides. The popular antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), too, can
cause skin rashes. To prevent these adverse effects, you have to be
very prudent with your sun protection: stay away from direct sunlight,
always wear protective clothing and apply sunblock on the areas not
covered with clothes every 2 hours you spend outdoors.
2. Antidepressants
Temperature regulation is a vital function of the human body, and poor
regulation in the heat can land you in the hospital if you’re not
careful. If you experience headaches, dizziness, nausea or feel
otherwise uncomfortable or sick after a short period of time spent
outdoors in hot weather, you might be more vulnerable to heat damage
than most people, and antidepressants can be to blame for these
uncomfortable symptoms.
Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil), can inhibit
the body’s ability to sweat, which makes it difficult for your body to
lose excess heat. Be careful and avoid spending a lot of time outdoors
if you’re taking these medications.
3. Diuretics and Laxatives
Everyone knows that it’s necessary to drink water constantly when you’re
in the sun, otherwise you can easily become dehydrated. Dehydration, in
turn, becomes apparent when one experiences headaches, confusion, a dry
mouth, and lips, or dizziness. Severe dehydration can cause urinary
problems, seizures, heat injury and even hypovolemic shock, which is a
life-threatening condition caused by a lack of blood volume in the body.
Diuretics, e.g. furosemide (Lasix), as well as laxatives, urge you to
urinate more and can even inhibit your thirst, which, in turn, can make
you more susceptible to dehydration, so it’s necessary for you to drink
at least 2 liters (0.5 gallons) of water every day, unless otherwise
suggested by your doctor.
4. Anti-diabetic medications
Much like antibiotics, some anti-diabetic medications (sulfonylureas),
too can make your skin more photosensitive and cause burns and rashes.
Other medications that can have a similar effect on the body are
anti-cancer medications and even acne medications (Retin-A and salicylic
acid).
That’s why it is extremely important to ask a medical specialist how
each medication may affect you or a loved one during the summer months.
The likelihood of developing skin photosensitivity will vary depending
on the dosage of the drug, as well as the intensity of the sun and the
time you spend outside
5. Parkinson medications and antipsychotics
Medications that inhibit neural pathways, too, make your temperature
regulation worse, as they can either block the neural impulses that tell
your skin to start sweating in hot weather or the impulses that tell
your brain the temperature is on the rise. These drugs include the
common Parkinson’s medication benztropine (Cogentin), as well as
medications that control your mental health, such as haloperidol
(Haldol) and risperidone (Risperdal).
These medications can make it more difficult for the body to start
sweating and release heat, which increases the risk of overheating.
Needless to say, consult your doctor as to how much time spent in hot
weather is safe for you or your loved ones and don’t make any
unconfirmed changes in your or your loved one’s medications.
6. Heart medications
Certain heart medications can slow the flow
of blood to the skin, which makes it harder for a person taking those
drugs to rid the skin of excess heat. These medications include
beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, which are blood pressure
medications that slow your heartbeat with the aim to lower your blood
pressure.
If you’re taking one of these medications, monitor how you feel when you
spend time outdoors.
If you experience any nausea, your heartbeat
changes or you feel dizzy or confused, rush to an air-conditioned and
shady location and if your symptoms continue even then, call a doctor.
To prevent your body from overheating in the summer months, wear light
summer clothing and a hat, drink water, and bring your own shade if
you’re planning to spend a lot of time outside.
7. Over-the-counter medications
Although the majority of medications that make you more vulnerable to
heat are prescription medications, some over-the-counter meds can have
the same effect. Anti-allergy medications, such as diphenhydramine
(Benadryl), for example, also increases the risk of overheating because
it inhibits sweating.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, on the other hand,
promote dehydration and increase one’s risk of kidney failure because
they have a damaging effect on the kidneys. Thus, make sure to drink
plenty of water and stay away from the sun if you’re taking any of these
medications. It is especially dangerous to spend time outdoors when the
sun is at its peak (from late morning to the afternoon), so try to stay
indoors during this time.