Prescriptions range from diuretics and blood pressure medications to antidepressants and stimulant medications for attention disorders, external.
Certain drugs can increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, suppress thirst and reduce your ability to sweat.
Some, like the stimulants I take, raise your body temperature, making you more vulnerable to getting a high temperature and overheating.
“We also see a number of commonly prescribed medications – including some antibiotics, antidepressants, acne treatments, and painkillers like ibuprofen – that can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun,” Dr Cave added.
For me, the warning of this possibility had been there all along, in the informational leaflet that comes along with my prescription.
But I didn’t properly read that advice until I returned home from the holiday, wondering whether my meds were the reason I had been so sick.
Dr Cave recommended that you should “always read the patient information leaflet, and don’t hesitate to ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for guidance”, if taking medication when the weather is warmer.