10 Medication Types Raise Heat-Illness Risk as July Heatwaves Grow More Common
Updated
Updated · Healthline · Jul 5
10 Medication Types Raise Heat-Illness Risk as July Heatwaves Grow More Common
2 articles · Updated · Healthline · Jul 5
Summary
Ten medication categories—including antidepressants, GLP-1 drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and diuretics—can heighten the risk of heat exhaustion or heatstroke during hot weather.
Those drugs can dehydrate patients, blunt thirst, reduce sweating, slow cardiac output or disrupt thermoregulation, making it harder for the body to cool itself.
106°F core temperatures were cited in 2022 research on some antidepressants, while lithium can become toxic with dehydration and diabetes drugs may worsen low blood sugar or dizziness in heat.
Doctors advised patients to keep taking prescribed medicines, drink more fluids, stay cool, watch for dehydration or heat-illness symptoms, and seek medical help promptly if they appear.
July is often the hottest month of the year, and the report noted heatwaves are becoming more common after July 2024 became the hottest month ever recorded.