Some drugs magnify the harmful effects of the sun.
According to Harvard Health Letter, you should check with your doctor to make sure the medications you are taking are sun safe.
You'll want to get more shade and less sun if you are taking the following drugs:
1 Antibiotics. Ciprofloxacin (Cipro, ProQuin), doxycycline (Oracea,Vibramycin), sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Gantanol, Septra) or tetracycline (Achromycin).
2 Cancer drugs that increase sun sensitivity: They include 5-fluorouracil (Carac, Efudex, Fluoroplex), dacarbazine (DTIC-Dome) and vemurafenib (Zelboraf).
3 Decongestants and older antihistamines. Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Try fexofenadine (Allegra) or loratadine (Claritin).
4. Diabetes medications. Chlorpropamide (Diabinese) and glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase).
5. Diuretics. Furosemide (Lasix) and hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide)
6. Cardiovascular medications. Amiodarone (Cordarone), for serious heart rhythm disturbances, and the blood pressure drugs diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac) and nifedipine (Procardia).
7 Pain relievers. Ibuprofen (Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), celecoxib (Celebrex) and piroxicam (Feldene) increase the chances of a serious sunburn. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) doesn't.
8 Psychiatric drugs. Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Tofranil) and other anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs can inhibit the body's ability to sweat.
Allyson Good curates senior living, health, and family content. She is formerly the Managing Editor of Active Life, a print newspaper published in 2016-2017 for seniors, choosing practical articles on health, money, safety, and everyday living for older readers. She is also an avid gardener and offers up Garden Hints and Tips on a regular basis.
