South Florida is experiencing record-high temperatures this summer, and prolonged exposure to the heat can lead to heat-related illnesses.
The medications you take may make you even more vulnerable to the heat, doctors say.
“I haven’t been well lately with the heat and everything. I have a little blood pressure machine at home, so I’ve been trying to take it myself,” Charlie Borgida said.
Borgida visited a doctor to seek help after he didn't feel like himself in the heat, he said.
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The staff at Chen Senior Medical Center Pembroke Pines are used to visits for heat-related illness during the summer months, but there’s an extra layer of concern for patients on medications when the temperatures become extreme.
“When we’re exposed to heat it’s supposed to kind of leave our body by evaporating, but when we’re on medications like diuretics, which is like water pills to help you lose some of that water, or you’re on high blood pressure medication and those vessels that we normally have in our arms are not able to release the heat,” Chen Senior Medical Center's Dr. Rosemarie Goris-Hernandez said.
Not only can extreme temperatures make certain medications lose potency if left in cars or mailboxes, but for those on certain common prescriptions, the drug itself may reduce the body’s ability to maintain a safe core temperature.
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“You tend to accumulate more of that heat maybe not have the typical sweating sensation that you might have normally so you’re retaining more of that and that can cause your system to start shutting down,” said Dr. Goris-Hernandez.
Some medications that may interact with heat include:
- Antidepressants
- Anticholinergics
- Heart medications
- Anti-psychotics
- Central nervous system medications
- Insulin
Borgida says the heat has already changed his routine - at least until temperatures cool down.
“I play golf three mornings a week and we have to get finished by about 9:30 because it just gets too hot too soon,” he said.
There are precautions you can take to stay safe in the heat, whether or not you are taking a medication that can make you more vulnerable, Dr. Goris-Hernandez says.
“Make sure you keep yourself hydrated, stay indoors when there’s heat advisories especially, if you’re on medication for your diabetes or hypertension, like I said, heart medication,” she said.
