Some Medications and High Temperatures Don’t Mix, Officials Warn

State and federal health agencies say this week’s heat wave could pose a risk to people who take certain drugs such as psychotropics and beta-blockers.

A woman shops in the pharmacy area of a Wal-Mart store in Mount Prospect, Ill., on Sept. 21, 2006. Tim Boyle/Getty Images

About 80 million Americans on the East Coast and Midwest are under a heat advisory this week, and officials warn that those taking certain medications should be on the lookout for symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

High temperatures were expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on June 19 and June 20, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on June 21 and June 22, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Heat index readings, which factor in humidity and temperatures, were expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit in many locations.

Chicago broke a 1957 temperature record on June 17 with a high of 97 degrees. June 19 will be another hot day, but a cold front will bring relief to areas near Lake Michigan at the end of the week, the NWS in Chicago said.

In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul activated the National Guard to assist in any heat emergencies that develop over the next several days. She also said admission and parking fees at state parks, pools, and beaches would be waived on June 19 and June 20.

Watch Out for These Medications

Some health officials noted this week that people taking certain medications should be aware that those drugs increase the risk of heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, almost all “psychotropic medications except benzodiazepines” can increase the risk of a heat-related illness. That includes commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs such as Paxil, lithium, Zyprexa, Haldol, clozapine, Prozac, Seroquel, Zoloft, Thorazine, and many others.

“Psychotropic medications may increase risk, and use of alcohol and other substances also can place people at more risk of harm,” said the Greater Cincinnati Behavior Health Sciences organization in a news release.

Many of the psychotropic drugs listed in the are either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—such as Paxil or Prozac—or tricyclic antidepressants.

Those types of drugs can target the body’s capacity to regulate its temperature, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They also interfere with the balance of fluids in the body, increasing sweating, which can more easily lead to dehydration, the agency adds.

Heart medications such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers also can exacerbate heat illnesses, Ohio Health officials say. Sinus and allergy medications such as Benadryl also create a risk, according to the pamphlet.

The Ohio Health Department notice also listed several illicit street drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, cocaine or crack, PCP, “bath salts,” MDMA, anabolic steroids, and more.

Some medications, the agency adds, can cause a “reduced thirst sensation.” They include drugs such as diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and ARBS, or angiotensin II receptor blockers. Both ACE inhibitors and ARBS are used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure.

According to the CDC, some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, diruetics, beta-blockers, laxatives, and tricyclic antidepressants can cause “volume depletion, hypotension, and/or reduced cardiac output with increased risk of fainting and falls, and potentially reduced renal blood flow and renal injury” along with heat.

Diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, antacids, laxatives, lithium, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole can also cause an electrolyte imbalance in some individuals, the agency says.

“Some medications can increase the sensitivity of the skin to the sun,” the CDC says.

“Antifungal medications like flucytosine, griseofulvin, and voriconazole, and antibiotics like metronidazole, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones can increase sun sensitivity and lead to a sunburn-like rash.”

“For patients on these medications, sun avoidance, protective clothing and hats, and broad-spectrum sunscreen that filters out UVA and UVB rays, with an SPF of 30 or higher, is recommended.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.