8 Medications You Should Not Take in the Summer Heat

It’s crucial to pay attention to the often-overlooked side effect of medications during heat waves, which the Environmental Protection Agency says are increasing in both intensity and frequency. But one thing to remember that it’s not just those stifling stretches that can be dangerous. Research shows that older patients with chronic medical conditions who take heat-sensitive medications can have medication-related problems throughout the entire summer. At 80 degrees to 90 degrees, the National Weather Service advises caution with prolonged exposure. Note that the heat index is calculated with temperatures in the shade but can increase by up to 15 degrees in direct sunlight. There are a lot of different medications that can raise your risk of being susceptible to heat illness, and the potential issues they raise can vary. “One of the biggest issues is medications that block your ability to sweat,” says Lewis Nelson, M.D., chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “If you’re not able to sweat, you lose one of your body’s normal mechanisms to cope with getting hot,” explains Michael Levine, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at UCLA Health. Several different medications can interfere with the body’s ability to sweat or by reducing...