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