Medications, Both Ilegal and Illicit, Can Make Dangers From Heat Waves Worse

Many medications can make the effects of hot 
weather more uncomfortable or even dangerous
for many people.  Talk with your doctor about this. 

When I was younger, I loved summer heat waves.  Who could resist jumping into the cool waters of a clean Vermont swimming hole, then baking in the sun for awhile, then leaping back into the water? Rinse and repeat.  

As I got older, I - along with so many other not-so-spring chickens - are now forced to dread hot spells, like the one in the forecast later this week.

A bout with very early stage melanoma more than a decade ago forces me to to do a vampire act, trying and often failing to stay out of the sun.  I'm now on two, count 'em, two medications that make the effects of hot weather much worse for me. 

And, I have to try to avoid two vices, caffeine and alcohol because, those, two make hot weather more dreadful, even dangerous. 

I'm just using myself as an example. Millions of Americans, as they age, go on medications that make hot weather unbearable. Plus, older people are just naturally less able to tolerate heat waves than when they were younger. 

Alcohol and caffeine can make heat stress worse. And if you are really hard core (and clearly need help with addiction) cocaine is especially dangerous in relation to heat. 

Meanwhile, climate change is making heat waves often more intense and/or longer lasting. 

As Yale Climate Connections reports:

"....many common prescription and over-the-counter medicines, such as certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines and drugs used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure, may reduce the body's ability to maintain a safe temperatures.

The drugs may interfere with the body's internal thermostat or impair sweating, according to a 2021 review in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal. 

Kenneth Mueller, a pharmacist and clinical instructor at the Emory School of Nursing, says some medications can affect a person's perception of heat and internal thermostat. And they can alter the body's ability to redirect blood flow to the skin, a key way that it cools itself."

Medications can enhance the sometimes dangerous effects of dehydration. This dehydration can increase the blood levels of some medications, and even slight increases can lead to toxic effects for some drugs, like lithium. 

Always ask you doctor what if anything you can do to minimize the effects from drug interaction with heat. 

As for me, my medications make me sweat way too much when I exert myself when it's warm.  Direct sunshine makes the effects much worse, so I always welcome cloudy days like it was Sunday to work outdoors. I also try to do vigorous outdoor work early in the day or in the evening. 

I do more sedentary tasks indoors in a cool-ish room during the heat of a summer day. 

The sweating makes me dehydrated, so I drink a lot of fluids.  I drink a LOT of water, but sometimes I overdo that, which isn't great. Too much water can create an electrolyte imbalance. 

In that case, sometimes I resort to Gatorade, which actually isn't a great idea because of the sugars in that drink.  I also sometimes have a nightcap on a hot evening in the form of a glass of Pedialyte. 

As for what you should do, definitely consult with your doctor. And carefully read the information that comes with your medication.  There are so many medications out there with so many different effects that it's hard to keep track.

For most of us, it might just be a case of needing to slow down a little. 

.On a warm, humid summer evening, when I want to get a lot done in the gardens, I take breaks.  As I noted, my dearly departed dog Tonks taught me this trick:

You have to enjoy the handiwork of a garden, not just constantly work on them. So, taking Tonks' advice, I sit down in a kiddie pool of cool water, cold drink in hand on an oppressive summer evening. And I just watch the changing light of the evenings, the organic mix of aromas from flowers and decaying organic matter, the habits of birds, the feel of the wind, the ever-transforming clouds overhead, and later in the evening, the winking lights of the fireflies in the weeds on the edge of the property. 

Like many other people, I can't get as much done during hot weather because of the medications I must take. But it gives me the chance to quietly embrace the quiet of a balmy summer evening. 

I've found a way to not miss out on the joys of a hot summer.  You should, too.