Taking one of these meds can really get you ‘burned’ in a hurry
Ellen hadn’t been outside very long — just a short walk with her dog to pick up the mail.
Soon after, however, she started to feel a burning and stinging on her neck and face. By the next morning, it looked like a really bad sunburn.
The painful reaction Ellen thought was a sunburn was, in fact, caused by the sun, but also by a drug she was taking.
She had what’s called a “phototoxic” reaction. And it was triggered by the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (or “Cipro,” for short).
There are actually many drugs that can make you extremely sensitive to the sun and leave you with the worst burn of your life.
And with most of the dog days of summer still ahead, it’s important to know how to stay safe.
Certainly, nothing ruins a family picnic or day at the beach more than a nasty sunburn.
And with lots of drugs, it won’t take much sun to give you a burn.
Some antibiotics may say on the front to avoid sun exposure, but unless you get, and read, the full book-length label for a big group of other meds, you wouldn’t know they carry the same risks.
There are actually two types of drug photosensitivity reactions. One, called photoallergy, is just that — an allergy to sun exposure that’s triggered by a medication. Ultraviolet light can change a drug’s properties so much that your body will start producing antibodies to it.
And the symptoms of a photoallergy, which can include a rash that may appear in places that weren’t even exposed, often don’t show up for several days.
But by far the most common type of drug-related sun-sensitivity is just what Ellen had — phototoxicity.
It’s like a severe burn, and it can happen soon after taking a med.
With phototoxicity, the medication becomes “activated” by the sun, and in turn damages the skin. It can even result in the same blistering and peeling that you get with a bad sunburn. And continued use of a drug that produces this kind of reaction can cause your skin to thicken and even darken.
On top of drugs, certain cosmetic creams may also make you extra sensitive to the sun’s rays. And ironically, these are so-called wrinkle treatments containing alpha hydroxy acids advertised for “younger-looking skin.”
In fact, the FDA has “recommended” that manufacturers of these products put a “sunburn alert” on the packaging. And that extra sensitivity can last up to a week after using one of these products!
Now, aside from the ciprofloxacin I mentioned, other antibiotics that can cause a photosensitive reaction include doxycycline, levofloxacin, ofloxacin and tetracycline.
Along with these antibiotics, other classes of drugs include antiarrhythmics, antifungals, antihistamines such as Zyrtec, high blood pressure meds (including diuretics), statins like Lipitor and Zocor, and a host of anti-inflammatory meds like Advil, Aleve and Celebrex. (See the link below for a more complete list).
If you’re taking one or more of these drugs, the best advice is to cover up with long pants or a skirt, long sleeves and a hat when you go out. And experts say that the best sunscreens to use are ones with zinc or titanium oxide which won’t irritate you skin with excess chemicals.
For a more complete list of drugs that can make you sun sensitive, check out the FDA’s page here.
And if you must shun the sun while taking certain meds, don’t forget to take a daily vitamin D supplement.
Sources:
“Drugs that cause sun-related skin reactions” Worst Pills Best Pills Newsletter, July, 2016, worstpills.org
