Paul Woodcock told us at the last meeting about the adverse interaction of some of his medications to a day in the Sun while paddling. He returned from a day of paddling, with his hands painful and swollen.

His doctor diagnosed that some of the medications he was on had reacted to the Sunlight and irritated the tissues in his hands.

 

I don’t know about you, but I NEVER THINK ABOUT THAT.

 

Paul went on to say that he then went back to the fine print on his medications, and found several that specifically warned about exposure to Sunlight. Common medications. Some of them I take. Some of them I take usually or regularly when I am paddling.

IBUPROFEN OR NAPROXEN

METHOTREXATE

TETRACYCLINE, DOXYCYCLINE

DIGOXIN

ATROPINE

TAGAMET OR ZANTAC

Generic classes of medications that can cause light sensitivity are:

 

Antihistamines

Coal Tar and derivatives (for instance, Denorex shampoo) (Wait. SHAMPOO?) (YUP, SHAMPOO) (T/DERM, T/GEL, too)

NSAIDS

Sulfonamides

Sulfonylureas

Thiazide Diuretics (“water pills”)

YEOW! This is crazy! I did some searching on the Internet, and there are long lists of medications that cause or enhance light sensitivity.  They had pictures of skin reactions to sunlight enhanced by certain medications. They enhance sunburn, and cause allergic reactions and rashes that resemble poison ivy, or extreme sunburn, including blisters. They call them photoallergic and phototoxic effects. Some of these can permanently make the person sensitive to sunlight. Permanently.

I guess I need to take this more seriously, and really read the fine print on the warnings on the medications I take (um, and the SHAMPOO, I use).

I realize he might be sensitive about this, but Thank You, Paul, for your warning about this.

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Harmon Everett