Heat and medication: A bitter pill
Maria Aruna notes this summer has been extremely cruel to her 87-year-old father, disrupting his routine. His typical day involves being picked up from his home in Mylapore around 9 a.m. in a van, which makes multiple stops to board other seniors en route to Dignity Foundation's Dementia Day Care Centre in Anna Nagar.
The summer heat is adding to the discomfort of a long commute and taking a toll on this octogenarian with dementia. 'Dad had loose stools, so I did not send him to the day care centre for a week; I fear the heat and the travel would drain him further,' says the school teacher, who also had a tele-consultation with the doctor.
High temperature can impact seniors (or anybody else) in another critical manner. Doctors point out high temperature and humidity can affect the efficacy of medicines.
Venkatraman Karthikeayan, senior consultant neurologist with Kauvery Group of Hospitals, feels that those with multiple sclerosis are the most affected by summer heat.
'When I was running my clinic in Liverpool, the Brits would leave for Scandinavian countries during summer. They could not tolerate the heat. There would be 'reproduction' of all their symptoms. It is not a relapse but we term it as pseudo-relapse because of the heat around. The affected neurons will not be able to compensate when the heat is high. This is particularly a problem for those diagonised with multiple sclerosis living in cities where humidity is high,' says Dr. Karthikeayan.
As heat-related fatigue can be hard on seniors, particularly those with such ailments, Dr. Karthikeayan has a word of advice for them: he asks them to 'reserve their energy for the most important and productive work'.
For example, watching television does not equate with resting. 'People think brain becomes tired only while working but brain becomes super tired more with cognitive work than physical work. So I would ask them to cut down on such activities and take a quick nap,' he says.
Medicines and dehydration
Sridhar Vaitheswaran, consultant psychiatrist, Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), says some medication can amplify the risk related to heat and summer — dehydration.
'While some medicines can make our body deal with dehydration, there are some others that can exacerbate the condition. There are a few medicines that can increase sweating as well. Some of the medicines used for high blood pressure and heart disease would also make the body lose water. It is important that the patient and the caregiver are aware of these problems and the medicines that can cause them; the physician needs to explain these things to them,' says Dr. Vaitheswaran.
'The dosage of some of the medicines might have to be changed depending on the timing of the dose and how it causes those problems. Some medicines such as Lithium, which we prescribe for bi-polar disorder, can sometimes act up so we have to be careful,' says Dr. Vaitheswaran.
Doctors says it is important to follow the instructions mentioned on the back of the tablet box or strip while storing medicines. Drugs should not be exposed to direct sunlight or left in cars for hours together anytime — more so, during summer. 'Certain tablets when kept under direct sunlight will lose its efficacy,' adds Dr. Vaitheswaran.
Changes in appearance, smell or texture could mean the medication has been damaged.
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