;Resize=(1200,627)&impolicy=perceptual&quality=mediumHigh&hash=79fb03b9ecc3fa25772784d61fad232193904103034f3ee56c80a3b5399ae0bc "Medication in summer: what you need to know now")
Undesirable side effects: Summer heat changes medication – what you need to be aware of
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Some medicines are so sensitive to heat that they always have to be kept in the fridge. Others change their mode of action in the blazing sun and still others work too strongly or not at all in the heat-stressed body. This is what you need to know if you take medication regularly.
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Drugs and heat don’t mix well. Most pills, ointments and drops are safe in the shade, even at outside temperatures of more than 30 degrees, as long as they are in the medicine cabinet at home. However, if you have to go on vacation in the summer heat, for example, caution is advised.
Medicines can change their consistency and lose their effectiveness in a car in a sunlit parking lot or in a bathing bag on the beach. In addition, some patients respond differently to their medication in extreme heat. And finally, certain active ingredients in sunlight also trigger unpleasant skin reactions.
FOCUS online spoke about the risks of medicines in midsummer with Mathias Arnold, pharmacist in Halle an der Saale and Vice President of the Federal Union of German Pharmacists’ Associations (ABDA).
Tablets tolerate heat best, suppositories not at all
Heat matters least with tablets. Most are heat stable up to 50 degrees. But if it gets up to 70 degrees under the hot metal in the sunlit car, tablets lose their effectiveness. “The decomposition of the medicinal substances is accelerated by the heat. Instead of the effect of 100 milligrams, for example, you only have the effect of 80 or 90 milligrams of medicine,” says the pharmacist.
The first-aid kit should definitely be in the air-conditioned interior on longer car journeys. Anyone who needs to take refrigerated products with them on their summer vacation is well advised to transport them in a cool bag. “But please don’t place it directly next to the icy ice pack,” says the pharmacist. “The drugs could freeze, and that destroys them far more than brief heat.”
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Insulin is particularly sensitive to heat
Insulin and other protein-based medicines, which are used to treat rheumatism or psoriasis, basically belong in the refrigerator. Package inserts and pharmacists also recommend cool storage for some eye and ear drops. “The crisper provides even cooling and is therefore an ideal place for medication,” says Mathias Arnold. “But under no circumstances should they be put in the freezer because the protein decomposes immediately and its effectiveness is lost.”
Of all the forms of medication, suppositories become unusable the fastest. They start to melt at 25 degrees. This also happens with medicinal ointments, the fats of which can also become rancid. It then does not help to cool melted preparations until they are solid again. The active ingredients are no longer evenly distributed.
Drug patches change the release of the drug
Nicotine or hormone patches should not be left in the sun because the release of the active ingredients changes. “This is mainly due to the carrier material, which becomes unstable in the heat or in intense sunlight,” says the pharmacist. An overdose can result because the active ingredient is released too quickly.
If asthma sprays are exposed to direct sunlight, they heat up considerably. This can cause hairline cracks on the container or leaks, for example on the valve – the dosing of the aerosols becomes imprecise and thus the effectiveness. “It’s also possible that the contents simply evaporate due to the minor damage to the container,” says Arnold.
But not only the drugs themselves change in the heat and the sun, but also the reaction of the patients to them.
High risk of sunburn from antibiotics
Various antibiotics (tetracyclines, cephalosporins and gyrase inhibitors), St. John’s wort or a drug for cardiac arrhythmia (amiodarone) increase sensitivity to light. If you don’t protect yourself with a high sun protection factor, preferably a sunblock, in summer, you risk massive sunburn when taking these phototoxic drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac and ibuprofen can also cause severe skin reactions.
For heart patients, the summer heat is not only risky because it puts a strain on the circulatory system. Above all, those who take antihypertensive drugs and/or water tablets must be particularly careful now. “Anyone who takes diuretics and sweats because of the heat can risk losing a lot of fluid and minerals,” explains pharmacist Arnold. “So it’s extremely important to drink more than usual.”
Antihypertensive drugs are more effective in heat
Hypertensive patients who take long-term antihypertensive drugs can suddenly have low blood pressure. Because the high outside temperatures intensify their effect. The blood vessels dilate, blood pressure drops and dizziness and drowsiness can occur.
The German Heart Foundation also advises that patients should now measure their blood pressure more frequently and possibly temporarily reduce their blood pressure medication. However, only after consultation with the doctor.