Can Not Showering Cause Rash
When the summer months arrive, most of us are eager to spend more time in the sun, but if you're taking medication, some extra caution might be in order.
For reasons that aren't entirely clear to researchers, a number of medications, in combination with the rays of the sun, can leave you with a severe rash or a blistering sunburn. Some drugs may even speed up the time it takes you to burn when you're spending time outdoors. If the reaction is serious, you may need to start using a different medication or at least taking extra precautions to protect your skin from the sun.
"This time of year, sometimes people who have been taking the medication all year and have been fine will suddenly have a rash from it, because now they're going out into the sun," says Jennifer Stein, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.
A wide range of medications may have these sun-sensitive side effects, from antibiotics to common pain-relievers. Speak with your doctor and pharmacist to check if any of your medications can cause a worse sunburn — or even a skin rash in the sun.
Types of drugs that can make your skin more sun sensitive include these, among many others:
- Antihistamine and sedative drugs, like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and Phenergan (promethazine)
- Common antibiotics like tetracycline, fluoroquinolones like Cipro, and sulfa-drugs like Bactrim (trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole)
- Depression meds like Elavil (amitriptyline) and Sinequan (doxepin), for example
- Diuretics, also called water pills, for example, Lasix (furosemide)
- Heart-condition drugs, like the ACE-inhibitor Captopril, and arrhythmia drugs like Cordarone (amiodarone)
- Pain relievers like Advil (ibuprofen) and the NSAID Aleve (naproxen)
Sunburn or Rash Could Be From Your Medication
Sun sensitivity to medications can appear as one of two different kinds of reactions, known as photoallergic and phototoxic reactions.
With photoallergic reactions, patients taking one of a number of medications, either orally or spread directly on the skin, will suddenly find themselves with an unexplained rash.
"Usually, we end up seeing those after the fact," says Marie Leger, MD, PhD, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Medical Center.
She explains that with a topical medication, the rash will be found where you applied it. With an oral medication the rash typically appears on parts of your body with the highest level of sun exposure, such as your face, chest, and arms.
Phototoxic reactions, meanwhile, are more predictable. These medications are known to cause skin to react more quickly to sunlight.
"Even patients who don't usually get sunburned, you have to caution them about it," says Leger.
With proper precautions, patients on a medication with phototoxic side effects can typically continue on their medication. However, if you are taking a medication and have a photoallergic reaction, your will need to change medications.
As to the reason medications can have this side effect, "We don't fully understand the mechanisms for it," says Cheryl Rosen, MD, a professor at the University of Toronto and head of the division of dermatology at Toronto Western Hospital.
The current thinking is that either the drug, or a byproduct of the drug when it breaks down in the body, absorbs extra UV radiation from the sun's rays, she explains
For the same reason, many people might not see a reaction, says Dr. Rosen, because they are not out in the sun as much, or aren't out in the middle of day, or live further north.
At the same time, she says, you need to be aware of the risk of painful rashes or burns and wear sunscreen if you plan to be out — or even spend a day traveling in the car where some UV rays will get through the windows
If you are on medications with photosensitive side effects, be cautious:
- Go out earlier or later in the day rather than at midday
- Wear a hat
- Wear sunscreen with a high SPF and broad-spectrum protection to block all types of UV rays
"Even if it's rare, because the drugs are used a lot, [sun sensitive reactions are] going to be seen. So people on these drugs should be careful," says Rosen, adding, "Everyone should be careful in the sun anyway."
Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/how-medications-can-cause-severe-sunburn-rashes/
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