Before heading out for a beach day this weekend, you may want to check the back of your prescription bottles. Local physicians say certain medications can leave you more vulnerable to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and even sunburn.
"The more common medications that patients could be on that could lead to worsening dehydration are diuretics, also known as water pills," said Dr. Nathaniel Minnick with Riverside Regional Medical Group.
Dr. Minnick says if you have high blood pressure, or suffer from swelling or congestive heart failure, you'll want to check your prescription bottle for diuretics before heading to the beach. Furosemide, or Lasix, and Hydrochlorothiazide are two common diuretics to be on the look out for.
"By the mechanism of those medications, it leads the body to urinate more fluid out," explained Dr. Minnick. "If patients are out in the heat, they can become more dehydrated as a result."
But Minnick says that doesn't mean you should just drink more water.
"The patient should talk to their doctor before drinking too much water because that could have an adverse effect on their heart," he said. "It could actually cause them to become more swollen or cause fluid to back up into their heart."
And that doesn't mean you should skip medications in order to have a beach day.
"Some patients who have congestive heart failure, diuretics are a mainstay of treatment, their heart cannot pump enough blood effectively. And as a result, fluid could back up into their lungs as opposed to being pumped into their body," said Dr. Minnick.
According to the CDC, Parkinson's patients should also be on alert, as their medications can stop the body from sweating.
"Patients with Parkinson's Disease who want to have a beach day should really discuss with their primary care or their neurologist who's prescribing those medications, just to see if it's okay to stop those on the beach day, but because those work have the potential to inhibit sweating, that could lead to other heat illnesses," added Dr. Minnick.
And some antibiotics, primarily those that are used to treat cellulitis or acne, can even increase the chance of sunburn.
"Doxycycline and Tetracycline have the side effect that patients are more susceptible to sunburn," explained Dr. Minnick. "Patients are on Doxycycline, oftentimes for either COPD and cough, or they could be on Doxycycline for a skin or soft tissue infection. Tetracycline is commonly used for acne treatment and acne prevention. Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin can be used for a variety of reasons whether it's a urinary tract infection, pulmonary infection, or some skin and soft tissue infections."
It's recommended anyone taking these medications wear SPF 40 or higher sunscreen and apply it several times a day.
"So if somebody is going out to the beach, or to an amusement park, and they're on Tetracycline or Doxycycline, they need to be very, very liberal with their sunscreen."
Other medications that can increase the risk of sunburn include cholesterol-lowering drugs.
"Simvastatin and Atorvastatin, or anything with 'statin' at the end of it, can also increase the risk of expedited sunburn," added Dr. Minnick.
So if you're planning to take a dip in the ocean or build a sandcastle this weekend, Dr. Minnick says to be sure to check with your primary care provider before heading out.
"The safest thing would be to stay inside and maintain their medications as prescribed by their specialist or their primary care doctor," he added.
And when it comes to over-the-counter medications, Dr. Minnick says those are typically pretty safe in the heat.
