When temperatures are high, and you’re on regular medication, it’s important you stop and think about how the heat might be affecting you.
While you shouldn’t stop taking any prescription medications due to the heat, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re aware of how your body, and the medication itself, might react to rising temperatures.
Read our guide to understand which medications can be affected by heat, and five top tips for staying safe during the summer months.
Three key takeaways
SSRIs can affect the part of your brain that regulates your body temperature, meaning you may become dehydrated without realising it.
Hormonal contraception can become less effective if not stored correctly during the heat.
Storing your treatment in a cool place, staying hydrated, and dressing for the weather can all help you safely manage the heat while on medication.
Which medications should you watch out for in the heat?
SSRIs and hormonal contraception are two of the most commonly prescribed medications in the UK, and two of the most easily affected in the heat.
Storing hormonal contraception
Hormonal contraception, like the combined pill, the mini pill, the patch, and the vaginal ring, all contain oestrogen and/or progestogen. This means they ideally need to be stored below 25°C. Continually being stored above 30°C can start to break down the hormones and reduce how well they work.
“A pill packet that’s spent a few days in a hot car, a handbag or beach bag, a steamy bathroom cabinet, or a windowsill isn’t necessarily going to protect you the way you’d expect. There’s a very real risk of unintended pregnancy as a result.
“If your pills look discoloured, feel sticky or softer than usual, or the packet’s been sitting somewhere hot for a while, it’s much safer to treat them as compromised, start a new pack and use a backup method like condoms for at least seven days.”
“While SSRIs can be life-changing medications for a lot of people, they can interfere with your hypothalamus, the part of your brain that regulates your body temperature.
“This can mean you may sweat more or less than usual, feel dizzy, or just not realise how dehydrated you’re getting until it catches up with you.
“So, if you are taking SSRIs, make sure to stay hydrated when temperatures are high, and dress appropriately for the weather.”
Jason Murphy, Head of Pharmacy at Chemist4U
Other commonly prescribed medications that can be affected by the heat
Alongside SSRIs and hormonal contraception, you should be mindful of the heat if you take any of the following:
SNRI antidepressants: linked to excessive sweating and dehydration.
Tricyclic antidepressants: reduce your body’s ability to sweat and cool down.
Diuretics: increase the amount of fluid your body loses, upping your risk of dehydration.
Beta-blockers: can blunt your body’s cardiovascular response to the heat.
ACE inhibitors and ARBs: can affect your blood pressure regulation and hydration in the heat.
ADHD stimulants: can increase your body’s temperature and metabolism and change how you sweat.
Insulin: heat can degrade insulin and cause faster absorption, raising the risk of hypoglycaemia.
Sun-sensitising medicines: including some antibiotics, retinoids, diuretics, and certain antidepressants, which can make your skin burn faster in the sun.
Inhalers and EpiPens: heat can damage the active ingredients and delivery mechanism, so they may not work properly when you need them.
Weight loss treatments: your sense of thirst can be reduced on weight loss medication, causing you to become dehydrated without realising it.
5 tips for staying safe on your medication in the heat
Our Head of Pharmacy, Jason Murphy, has five top tips for staying safe when taking your medication in the heat:
1. Keep your medicines cool: literally
Most medicines need to be stored below 25°C. That includes tablets, inhalers, insulin, EpiPens, and hormone patches.
Cars, sunny windowsills, handbags and beach bags can all get much hotter than you think. This runs the risk of the heat breaking down the active ingredients in your medication, meaning it might not work properly when you need it.
If a medicine has changed colour, smell, or texture, check whether it’s safe to take with your pharmacist.
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
If you’re on SSRIs, SNRIs, or ADHD stimulants, you may not feel as thirsty as you should. So don’t wait until you’re parched! Sip water regularly throughout the day, limit alcohol and caffeine, and if you’re on diuretics, have a quick chat with your GP or pharmacist about whether your fluid intake needs adjusting during any hot spells.
3. Dodge the peak sun and dress for the weather
Stay out of direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm where you can, wear loose breathable clothing, use a high-SPF sunscreen, and remember that some antibiotics, retinoids, diuretics, and antidepressants can make your skin burn much faster than usual.
4. Know the red flags and act fast
Heat exhaustion can look like headaches, dizziness, nausea, cramps, heavy sweating, or feeling unusually tired or confused. Move to a cool place, sip water, or cool your skin with a damp cloth.
If your symptoms don’t improve within 30 minutes, or someone becomes confused, stops sweating, or loses consciousness, call 999. That’s heatstroke, which is a medical emergency.
5. Don’t stop, don’t self-adjust
Never stop or change the dose of a prescription medication because of the weather without speaking to a healthcare professional first.
Your GP, mental health team, or pharmacist can give you tailored advice. In case of an emergency, it’s usually quicker and easier to get in touch with a pharmacist.
How Chemist4U can help
If you have any questions about the medication you’re taking, including how to safely use it in the heat, you can ask one of our clinicians for advice.
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