Some medications may increase sensitivity to heat, sun

August 9, 2022 – As the U.S. experiences more days of extreme heat, researchers caution that certain medications—such as antidepressants, antihistamines, high blood pressure drugs, and overactive-bladder treatments—can increase an individual’s likelihood of developing a heat-related illness.

In a June 26, 2022, Consumer Reports article, Kimberly Humphrey, a climate change and human health fellow at the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE), said, “As we have more and more hot days, we’ll see more and more people who are affected, and are affected because of the medications that they are taking.”

She encouraged patients to speak with their doctors and pharmacists about whether their medications could cause heat or sun sensitivity.

Read the Consumer Reports article: Can medications make you more sensitive to sun and heat?