Tennessee heat poses more risks for some medications

The weather scorching Middle Tennessee this summer can be dangerous for anyone — and certain medications can heighten the risk.

Some areas in Nashville and much of the Cumberland Plateau faced extreme heat risk this week, according to the National Weather Service. Heat indexes were well into the triple digits.

Bodies are generally pretty good about keeping a steady internal temperature. They depend on the brain to gauge the heat, and then tell the body what to do — how much to sweat, to let the face get flushed to expel some warmth.

But behavioral medications like antidepressants change the way brains interact with the chemicals used in its communication system, known as neurotransmitters.

“It can make heat exhaustion, or heat stroke even, a little more likely,” said Dr. Marshall Hall, who works in the emergency room at TriStar Skyline Medical Center.

Several kinds of medications — especially those used for heart conditions — are diuretics. They fight fluid retention, which can make dehydration easier.

Hall said heart conditions themselves and many chronic diseases make people less heat tolerant. These at-risk groups should keep an even closer watch for early signs of heat exhaustion.

“You stand up, you almost pass out,” he said. “If you start to have any type of confusion at all, if you ever stop sweating, if you’re not producing the same amount of urine.”

He also noted that illicit substances and alcohol hamper the body’s ability to cool itself, driving up the risk for heat stroke.

Sometimes the heat puts drugs themselves in danger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medications like insulin, the emergency allergy EpiPen and inhalers are sensitive and need to be in controlled temperatures.