Strips of the country are suffering through brutal heat waves. It’s essential to pay attention to your health and well-being during heatwaves. Heat can kill. Some medications can make it more dangerous.
Sometimes, during the summer here in San Diego, we’ll get messages from the power company asking us to conserve energy. They warn that tolls on the grid could cause brownouts and blackouts. The company asks us to lower our use to ensure that older people and sick people who need power can use it. One younger person on our team turned off her air-conditioning, thinking she could just bear the heat. Hours later, she stood up and almost passed out in her 90-degree apartment.
She was on a medication that limited her ability to sweat and control her body temperature. When she told people about it afterward, they said, “You’re one of the people the rest of us are supposed to conserve power for!”
You might be in the same boat as our teammate. You might be healthy as a horse but at high risk in a heat wave. When we read those messages, we often imagine people in iron lungs in the middle of their living rooms. But it’s targeting folks who just need extra protection!
Generally speaking, older people, infants, toddlers and people with chronic conditions that impact thermoregulation are more at risk in extreme heat. But certain medications can make it worse. Some medications, including blood pressure drugs, can cause dehydration. Many medications can impact the hypothalamus that acts as the thermostat.
Many people take multiple medications. For them, said Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at Unity Health Toronto, “thermoregulation can be doubly or triply impaired.”
Diuretics can cause you to be less thirsty but also increase dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and fainting risk. Medications like antihistamines and anti-seizures can impact your ability to sweat and thermoregulate. Stimulants like the ones used to treat ADHD can increase body temperature. Thyroid hormone replacement meds can also raise your temperature, causing you to sweat more and become dehydrated more easily.
None of this means you should stop taking medication during a heatwave! But you should take extra care of yourself. Pay attention to the forecast, try to stay cool and set times to drink water. If you live alone, tell a friend or family member your concern and check in with them regularly. They can often tell, from conversations, how you are doing. A dehydrated or overheated person sounds different even over the phone!
High temperatures can also impact medications themselves. Medications don’t need to be refrigerated unless they say so on the label. However, they should be in a cool, dark place. One good option in a home without central A/C is often the bedroom in an insulated bag.
Following these tips, you can take your meds and weather the weather all summer!
