In the event of hot weather, Health Insurance “strongly” advises against taking certain medications to treat fever or unusual headaches.
Spotted on the health insurance websitesome medications are not recommended in case of heat wave because they ” are likely to aggravate exhaustion-dehydration syndrome or heat stroke “. It is thus advisable to check each medical treatment with its doctor of reference, indicates the organization which warns that in the event of heat wave, two complications are to be feared: the syndrome of exhaustiondehydration and the stroke of heat.
Overall, it is not recommended to take aspirin or paracetamol to treat headaches and/or fever if they are unusual. ” Paracetamol is ineffective in cases of heatstroke, and aspirin can disrupt the body’s thermoregulation “says Health Insurance.
Other drugs may represent a risk in case of high heat, namely:
– treatments for heart disease such as diuretics, medicines for blood pressure and angina pectoris and those for arrhythmias and digoxin;
– drugs used in psychiatry: neuroleptics, lithium salts, drugs against depression can interfere with perspiration;
– medicines to treat epilepsy can become toxic in case of dehydration;
– migraine medications can prevent the dilation of vessels in the skin or reduce sweating;
– some antibiotics and some antivirals can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidney in case of dehydration;
– some immunosuppressants can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidney in case of dehydration;
– certain medications for treating Parkinson’s disease, urinary incontinence or allergies can interfere with perspiration.
The best thing is to talk about it with your doctor, insists the organization: “never stop your treatment without having spoken to your doctor or pharmacist” but be vigilant.
Properly store your medications
In any case, it is necessary to avoid exposing the drugs to the sun. Generally, no storage conditions are indicated on the box of your medicines, which indicates that the medicine is stable, even in the event of prolonged exposure to high heat. There is therefore no particular precaution to be taken.
In the event that special storage precautions appear on the box of your medicines, the following recommendations apply:
– medicines for which storage at a temperature below 25°C or at a temperature below 30°C is indicated: you can keep them in their usual storage. Indeed, studies have shown that a high temperature (such as the temperatures observed during a heat wave), for a few days, does not degrade these drugs.
– medicines for which storage between +2 and +8ºC is indicated: you usually keep them in your refrigerator. The heat wave will therefore have no effect on their stability. However, once out of the refrigerator, you must use them fairly quickly while respecting the dosage prescribed by the doctor and avoid leaving them out for too long. You should also avoid taking them out of the fridge, then bringing them in if they have not been used: the “cold-hot” cycle is not recommended for these fragile products.