Fall in Arizona started weeks ago, but due to excessive heat warnings extending well into October, it certainly doesn’t feel that way.
According to University of Arizona clinical professor and ER doctor Brian Drummond, certain medications can amplify the negative effects of Arizona’s heat.
“Whether it's cardiovascular medicines, mental health medicines, or even some over-the-counter medicines — like Benadryl — that affect the ability to sweat or regulate body temperature, those are some of the ones we worry about the most,” he said.
Sweating is one of the human body's key defenses against heat, said Drummond, and common medications like these can impair the body's ability to sweat — or can even be diuretics themselves.
Drummond said some medications, like opioids for pain, can even impair people’s judgment, so they may not move into a cooler environment when they need to.
He also said extreme temperatures can affect certain medications even outside the body — for example, if prescriptions are delivered by mail, their effectiveness may be limited or nullified if the medication spends too much time in the heat.
Maricopa County's website offers advice on how to stay safe in extreme heat: stay indoors with air conditioning as much as possible and drink plenty of water.
The county's Heat Relief Network has also extended some of its services into October — a map of locations offering heat relief will be available on its website until Oct. 31.
