Summer heat can worsen the adverse effects of many psychiatric drugs – interfering with the body’s cooling mechanism and causing the individual to be less aware of overheating, raising the risk of heat-related illness, warns Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Washington, DC - August 28, 2024 —

With temperatures soaring across the United States, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) warns that people taking psychiatric drugs are at a greater risk of heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion and life-threatening heat stroke, and should take adequate precautions to prevent it.

New research, published in JAMA Network, found that the rate of heat-related deaths in the U.S. increased by 63% over the past 25 years. While the researchers lacked data on vulnerable subgroups, other research has shown that patients taking psychiatric drugs are especially susceptible to heat-related illness, with nearly double the risk of death during a heat wave.

Many psychiatric drugs can interfere with the body’s cooling mechanism or cause the individual to be less aware of signs of overheating and less likely to take steps to cool down. As a result, body temperature can rise and heat-related illness occur, ranging from the mild discomfort of heat cramps to more serious heat exhaustion or life-threatening heat stroke. 

Antipsychotics pose a particularly high risk of heat-related illness. The drugs reduce sweating, the body’s natural means of cooling, as well as reduce the urge for users to cool themselves by drinking fluids or removing excess clothing. Even a short time in very hot weather can cause a rapid rise in body temperature in people taking antipsychotics.

"Patients who are prescribed antipsychotics should be aware of the potentially fatal adverse events that can occur from these medications,” researchers advised in a case report on antipsychotic-induced hyperthermia.

Stimulant-type ADHD drugs are known to raise body temperature and interfere with the body’s ability to cool itself down, which raises the risk of heat-related illness for active children during the summer. 

Newer antidepressants – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) – can cause dehydration, which on top of sweating in hot weather can lead to the body overheating. Older tricyclic antidepressants can decrease sweating, impairing the body’s ability to shed heat and resulting in body temperatures rising excessively. 

To avoid medical emergencies from dangerously high body temperatures, doctors recommend staying well-hydrated, avoiding overexertion, and wearing light, loose-fitting clothing during hot weather – precautions particularly important for those at increased risk of heat-related adverse effects from taking psychiatric drugs.

About the company: The Citizens Commission on Human Rights was co-founded in 1969 by members of the Church of Scientology and the late psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry Thomas Szasz, M.D., recognized by many academics as modern psychiatry’s most authoritative critic, to eradicate abuse and restore human rights and dignity to the field of mental health.

Contact Info:
Name: Anne Goedeke
Email: Send Email
Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights, National Affairs Office
Address: Washington, DC
Website: https://www.CCHRNational.org

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ufOUHeS-ZY

Release ID: 89139602

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