BBC expert Wednesday warning for thiazides, diuretics, doxycycline, Epipens, insulin as red alert heat hits

BBC expert Wednesday warning for thiazides, diuretics, doxycycline, Epipens, insulin as red alert heat hits On BBC Morning Live, Dr Ranj Singh said the heat makes changes to how the body reacts to medications A BBC medical expert has given a warning to people on a number of different kinds of medication today - as temperatures are soaring. The UK is sweltering in heat which could rise to 40C - and a red alert health warning has been issued by the Met Office and UK Health Security Agency. Appearing on BBC Morning Live, Dr Ranj Singh told presenters Helen Skelton and Gethin Jones that the high temperatures can have a big impact on people taking some medications, because the body reacts differently. He said in some cases, the chances of serious risks are up, and also that people need to consider carefully where they are storing the meds. He said those impacted include water tablets, and medications for blood pressure, ADHD, diabetes, antibiotics, hormone patches and epipens. Dr Ranj said: “I want to make a particular point about medical conditions and medications. Now, firstly, anyone who’s on diuretics, blood pressure tablets, so a lot of our audience I know might be on those. Just remember you are more likely or the risk of dehydration is higher. “So, be very careful with your water intake. If you’re on antipsychotic medication or ADHD medication, it makes your body you’re unable will regulate your body temperature as well. So you just need to pay extra attention. If you are on certain antibiotics like doxycycline, it makes your skin more photosensitive. So you’re more at risk when you’re out in the sun. You have to be careful.” For diabetics he explained: “If you are if you have diabetes and you take and you use insulin and you inject it because there’s more blood supply going to your skin, you may absorb your insulin faster and therefore your risk of hypos might go up. So be cautious about that. And also um my point other point I want to make is about storage of medic. So insulin you might have to pop in the fridge because it’s temperature sensitive. Epipens similarly. So if anyone’s got hormone patches, they can be temperature sensitive. You want to store them in a cool, dry place. And even certain antibiotics as well. “You might have to pop them in the fridge. So anyone who is feeling unwell in this weather, make sure you’re looking out for those signs of exhaustion, a heat stroke, and seek medical advice early if you’re concerned.” In terms of how the heat impacts the body Dr Ranj explained bodies like to exist around a temperature of about 37C for all functions to operate properly. He said: “When we get hot, fortunately, lots of mechanisms kick in. Blood goes to our periphery. goes to our skin. The aim of that is to radiate heat and to encourage sweating. That combined will bring your temperature down. Unfortunately, it does have some other effects as well. So, what happens when your blood goes to your skin? Your circulating volume, which is the blood going around all your organs, goes down because obviously it’s going to your skin instead. “What does that do? You get less blood to your kidneys, so you wee less. You get less blood to your brain, so you feel a bit more foggy.” He said that people also get less blood to their stomach - meaning they want to eat less. It can lead to fluid issues: “Combine that with sweating, your circulating volume goes down further. That increases the risk of dehydration, which is why it’s so important to drink in this weather and control your temperature. One other little thing I want to mention, which is also very irritating for a lot of people, but isn’t dangerous, is something called prickly heat, which is where you get sweat trapped in the tiny sweat glands in the skin. You get bumpy appearance of the skin. It can get really angry and irritated. Best way to deal with that is to wash, cool it down, and sort of dry it, and you can get creams if it’s really bad. “Thankfully, our heat coping mechanisms are usually sufficient. Unfortunately, if you’re exposed to those conditions for a long time, you can go into the territory of heat exhaustion and then you can go into territory of heat stroke, which is the things we want people to be wary of.”