In the case of hot weather, the health insurance “strongly” advises against taking certain medications for fever or unusual headaches.
Some medications have been identified on the health insurance website, and some medications are not recommended for use in the event of a heat wave because they ” Possibly aggravating dehydration and fatigue syndrome or heat stroke It is therefore a good idea to review each medical treatment with its reference physician, referring to the organization which warns that in the event of a heat wave, one should fear complications: exhaustion syndrome and heat stroke.
In general, it is not recommended to take aspirin or paracetamol to treat headache and/or fever if it is unusual. ” Paracetamol is ineffective in cases of heat stroke, and aspirin can disrupt the body’s thermoregulation Health insurance says.
Other medicines that may be dangerous in case of high fever are:
– treatments for heart diseases such as diuretics, blood pressure drugs, angina pectoris, arrhythmias, and digoxin;
Medicines used in psychiatry: antipsychotics, lithium salts, and antidepressants can interfere with sweating;
– Medicines used to treat epilepsy can become toxic if dehydrated;
Migraine medications can block the dilation of blood vessels in the skin or reduce sweating.
– Some antibiotics and some antiviral drugs can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidneys in case of dehydration;
– Some immunosuppressants can interfere with the normal functioning of the kidneys in case of dehydration;
Some medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease, urinary incontinence, or allergies can interfere with sweating.
The best thing is to talk about it with your doctor, and the organization insists: “Never stop your treatment without talking to your doctor or pharmacist” but be vigilant.
Store your medicines properly
In any case, it is necessary to avoid exposing the drugs to the sun. In general, there are no storage conditions stated on your medicine box, which indicates that the medicine is stable, even under prolonged exposure to high heat. So there are no special precautions to be taken.
If special storage precautions appear on your medicine box, the following recommendations apply:
– Medicines that are stored at a temperature of less than 25 ° C or at a temperature of less than 30 ° C: You can keep them in their usual storage. In fact, studies have shown that an increase in temperature (such as the temperatures observed during a heat wave), for a few days, does not degrade these drugs.
Medicines that are stored between +2 and +8°C: you usually keep them in your refrigerator. So the heat wave will have no effect on its stability. However, once you are out of the refrigerator, you should use it fairly quickly while respecting the dose prescribed by your doctor and avoid leaving it out for a long time. You should also avoid taking them out of the refrigerator, and then bringing them if not in use: the “cold heat” cycle is not recommended for these fragile products.
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