Some common medications used in hot weather can cause unexpected reactions in the body. It is worth knowing about it in order to effectively prevent them – informs the national consultant in the field of clinical pharmacology, Prof. Bogusław Okopień.
People who take diuretics, chemotherapeutic drugs for infections or St. John’s wort preparations should be especially careful.
According to prof. Roots, the largest and most vulnerable group are people suffering from common ailments such as hypertension or heart failure, for whom doctors prescribe diuretics to discolor the heart and reduce swelling. If, in hot weather, such patients do not drink enough fluids at the same time, they are at risk of dehydration, which can even be life-threatening.
“They are often elderly, lonely people, we often have such people in the emergency room in the summer. Usually they have a code that you need to take medicine and they remember it very well, but to drink the right amount of water – not anymore. Meanwhile, if it is hot and the person is sweating at the same time, fluid in the body suddenly begins to deplete. Dehydration occurs, and there is a loss of ions – mainly potassium and sodium. Loss of potassium results in life-threatening arrhythmias, loss of sodium – cerebral confusion, coma sometimes, loss of consciousness “- explained Prof. Okopień, who heads the department of internal medicine and clinical pharmacology at the Central Teaching Hospital in Katowice.
Another risk group is people taking chemotherapy drugs used in urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections and skin infections. “If a patient goes out in the sunlight for a long time after taking these medications, he may suffer a severe burn or exfoliative dermatitis. We sometimes refer to this in medical jargon as photodermatosis. Of course, not everyone will meet it, but if the problem does occur, it is almost a life-threatening condition “- said the pharmacologist.
Allergy to the sun may also appear in people taking preparations made of St. John’s wort.
Overheating is also a threat to people who take preparations containing ephedrine derivatives during colds, as well as take neuroleptics, antidepressants and antihistamines used in the treatment of allergies.
“We give off heat mainly through the skin in such a way that our skin vessels dilate and, moreover, we sweat. All drugs whose mechanism of action involves drying the skin or narrowing the surface vessels in the skin undoubtedly increase our sensitivity to heat “- said Prof. Root.
He reminded that in hot weather we should drink 2-2,5 liters of liquids. “It’s also worth watching yourself, of course not falling into hypochondria. However, it must be admitted that 37-38 degrees Celsius are extreme conditions to which we are not used to. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to yourself, loved ones, neighbors “- argued the specialist.
A separate problem is the storage of drugs in hot weather. Most are safe to keep at room temperature, as indicated in the accompanying leaflet. During summer journeys, do not leave medication in a hot car. Diabetes taking insulin should be especially vigilant – if stored improperly, it may lose its activity.