Extreme Heat & Heart Issues

With this heat wave I thought I would research heat & the problems for people with heart issues.  I found some interesting things:


This article, Heat Waves and Heart Disease, deals with many issues, what caught my eye was the connection to medications I am taking!

Unfortunately, the drugs that are often used in treating heart disease can make it more difficult for your body to dissipate excess heat when temperatures are very high, and thus, may make heat illness more likely. Almost any cardiovascular medication can make you more prone to heat illness, but this is especially true with beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, and diuretics.

 Of course, I take a bunch of these and need to be aware of the heat when I do my workouts!

Found another good article that focused of beta-blockers:
Medications and Summertime Heat

Beta blockers are used to regulate high blood pressure by keeping the heart rate low. These drugs don't allow the small blood vessels in the skin to dilate. That reduces blood
flow to the skin  and impedes sweat production and causes the body temperature
to rise.

The human body needs to respond to heat stress by elevating heart rate and dissipating the heat. Beta blockers work against that system and predispose people working in heat to heat-related emergencies. Diuretics and calcium channel blockers have similar effects by working against the body's protective systems.

 The fact that the beta-blockers "impede sweat production" is NOT GOOD.

Therefore, I need to be very careful on the hot & humid days!  I will either skip my workout or get started earlier.