Georgia health experts warn heat can affect medications

With temperatures continuing to rise in Georgia, health professionals are warning those taking medications to be aware of how their medications interact with the heat.

Certain drugs can impact your body’s ability to regulate temperature and reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

“There are some common medications for the heart and for blood pressure,” Andrew Wilson of Dunwoody Pharmacy told CBS News Atlanta. “One that we see a lot of times is beta blockers. If you take a beta blocker, it could reduce your ability to sweat in extreme temperatures. If you can’t sweat, then you can’t cool down your body, so taking that drug would prevent you from cooling down from the heat.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list other medications that can increase heat-related injuries, such as high blood pressure medicine, diuretics, anticholinergic agents, and certain psychotropic medications.

Dr. Sujatha Reddy with Northside Hospital told CBS News Atlanta that common medicines like antibiotics can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight.

“The best thing to do to protect yourself against any medication sensitivity, or what we call photosensitivity, is to use the same precautions we should all use as far as preventing sunburn and preventing skin cancer,” Reddy said.

Medications should not be left in a hot car because the heat can degrade the effectiveness of the medication or even produce another harmful chemical. If you need to travel with your medication, store it in an insulated thermal cup with a small ice pack.