FACT FINDERS: What’s in your medicine cabinet can change how you handle heat
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Heat waves kill more people than any other extreme weather event.
But the temperature and air quality aren’t the only things that determine your heat risk.
Our bodies have a very individual response to heat - and medication can impact that.
Millions of us take common medications that can make us more vulnerable to heat illness, but the vast majority of us don’t know it.
Certain drugs for depression, high blood pressure, and allergies, can make it harder to cool yourself down and absorb hydration.
Diuretics cause dehydration. ACE inhibitors and beta blockers for high blood pressure, as well as antihistamines like Benadryl, can increase your risk of fainting, and then falling... and can suppress your brain’s ability to tell you need more water. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs, such as Zoloft can keep you from sweating and can cause your body temperature to increase.
”There are medications that may affect whether someone is able to regulate their body temperature. These may include beta blockers and diuretics,” said CDC health scientist Claudia Brown. “These are things that you really need to consider when you’re thinking about whether it’s a good idea to go outside, not just what is the temperature, but what are your individual risk factors.”
There are also medicines that cause sensitivity to sun, like many antibiotics, and antifungals, including some used to treat valley fever, antihistamines, decongestants, statins for lowering cholesterol, diuretics, anti-inflammatories, like ibuprofen, oral contraceptives - and the list goes on.
Not everyone has a reaction, but you should still check your medication information and ask your pharmacist or doctor about any concerns - and take extra precautions if you take any of these and can’t stay out of the sun.