As nearly 10 million people in the eastern U.S. feel a major heat wave this week, patients taking some medications have a higher risk of heat-related illnesses, The New York Times reported June 15.
Here are the medicines that can hinder hydration or cooling the body:
- Diuretics, used for heart failure, kidney disease or high blood pressure, can cause dehydration or make it more difficult for the body to regulate temperature.
- Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, which treat high blood pressure, can heighten the risk of fainting and falling, and they suppress thirst.
- Beta blockers, a blood pressure medication, also increases the risk of fainting and falling, and can make it harder to sweat.
- Calcium channel blockers, which are blood pressure drugs, can complicate body temperature regulation.
- Some antipsychotic medicines — haloperidol, olanzapine and risperidone — obstruct the body from sweating.
- A few antidepressants increase sweating and repress thirst, which can cause dehydration.
- Thyroid replacement medicines raise body temperature, hamper temperature regulation and inflict excessive sweating.
- Stimulants, including amphetamines used for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, can raise body temperature.
- Over-the-counter antihistamines, including diphenhydramine, promethazine and doxylamine, can impede temperature regulation and reduce sweating.
In summer 2023, emergency departments saw the highest rates of heat-related illnesses as climate change leads to "longer, hotter and more frequent episodes of extreme heat," according to the CDC. At the same time, hospitals are at risk of suspending services if they experience an air conditioning outage.
Learn more here about how last year's extreme heat affected hospitals.