Are there certain medications that cause increased risk of dehydration to patients taking them during hot weather?
Kenney: Almost any drug has the potential to do that, but there are three categories of patients that are the highest risk. First are people who are on antidepressants, because those drugs interfere with sweating responses. Second are people taking diuretics for high blood pressure, because those drugs deplete the body of water. Third are people using any variety of recreational drugs that are stimulants, such as cocaine or ecstasy. There are a lot of documented heat strokes related to raves and other types of places where younger people, for the most part, are using those sorts of drugs — also speed, amphetamines, anything that revs up the metabolism. Do you have any recommendations for those who are physically active or regular exercisers? Kenney: First, they can move the exercise indoors where it’s air-conditioned. They can also exercise early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler. If they insist on exercising during the hotter times of the day, they n
