Some medications can affect how your body deals with heat, increasing your risk of negative effects (Image: GETTY)
The May bank holiday weekend shattered several records, becoming the hottest bank holiday ever recorded, the hottest May Day in the UK, the first occasion temperatures reached 30C this year, and the first time this milestone was hit in May anywhere in the UK since 2012.
For many, the glorious sunshine signals a welcome beginning to summer, yet a significant number of people may be unaware of the potential impact on their health, particularly regarding their medication.
Certain medicines can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate heat, leaving you more vulnerable to issues such as dehydration, while extreme temperatures can also affect how your body absorbs and processes medication in some instances.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued an alert, outlining the various types of medications that could be affected and reminding people how to stay safe in the heat while managing long-term conditions.
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Methotrexate
This drug is widely prescribed to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis to Crohn’s disease and cancer. However, it also renders your skin highly sensitive to sunlight, even at low doses.
This can trigger painful rashes, blistering, or swelling resembling severe sunburn. The MHRA noted: “In rare cases, these reactions have led to serious infections…Even a short walk at lunchtime or a train ride in the sun can be enough to trigger a reaction for some people.”
A range of other medicines can make your skin significantly more sensitive to the sun, meaning it may burn easily even in relatively mild sunlight. Certain antibiotics, diuretics, antidepressants and skin treatments for acne or eczema can all trigger this reaction.
Diuretics
Diuretics, also known as ‘water tablets’ such as furosemide, are a group of medicines typically prescribed for heart conditions, working by flushing excess fluid from the body to manage blood pressure. However, this directly heightens the risk of dehydration and mineral imbalances during a heatwave.
Important symptoms of dehydration:
- feeling thirsty
- headache and feeling light-headed
- dark yellow, strong-smelling pee
- peeing less often than usual
- feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- feeling tired
- a dry mouth, lips and tongue
- sunken eyes
Blood pressure medication
ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and other blood pressure medicines can make it more difficult for your body to regulate its temperature or even suppress your natural thirst response.
Diabetes
Insulin, metformin and other diabetes medications can heighten the risk of dehydration while also making the early warning signs of dehydration harder to identify. Insulin can be absorbed more rapidly from injection sites during warm weather, which can also increase the risk of hypos, according to Diabetes UK.
Antipsychotic medication
Olanzapine or quetiapine, or stimulant medications prescribed for attention disorders, can occasionally raise your body temperature. This may mean you’re more susceptible to overheating when the mercury begins to rise.
The MHRA has advised anyone taking medication to read the patient information leaflet carefully or speak with their pharmacist to establish whether sun sensitivity could be a potential side effect.
