Extreme heat and some medications can be a risky combination. Here’s what you need to know

Medication Storage and HeatMedication Storage and Heat Traveling with Medication * Store medication in a cool, dry place. * If traveling by car, keep medications in a cooler, even if refrigeration is not required. * Avoid storing medication in the trunk or glove compartment, as temperatures can become extreme. * When flying, keep medications in your carry-on luggage to prevent delays or loss. Mail-Order Medications * Mail order pharmacies are responsible for storing and transporting medications at safe temperatures. * However, delivery issues can occur, especially during extreme heat. * If mail-order medications arrive damaged, contact the pharmacy immediately. Research on Heat and Medication * Current warnings about heat and medication lack substantial scientific evidence. * Research suggests that only a limited number of drug categories are impacted by high temperatures. * Experts recommend prioritizing behavioral changes, such as avoiding the heat, to mitigate risks. Future Research Needs * Further research is necessary to identify medications that are most sensitive to heat during climate change. * This information is crucial for ensuring the safe storage and handling of medications as temperatures rise.

How should I store medication when traveling?

Medication should generally be stored in a cool, dry place unless it needs to be refrigerated, which can be difficult when traveling.

For a summer road trip, check labels for storage requirements for your medications. If you’re traveling by car, pack medications in a cooler, even if they don’t need to be refrigerated. The trunk or glove compartment of your car can get too hot to store at room temperature.

Traveling by plane? It is always best to keep medications in your carry-on luggage in case your checked baggage is delayed or lost and it can get too cold in the hold.

What about recipes sent by mail?

Mail order pharmacies are responsible for keeping your medications at safe temperatures during storage and transportation. The best way is to ship sensitive medications in special packaging with ice packs and temperature monitors.

But that doesn’t always happen. Or a delivery can come at a bad time, said Ren, who recently helped his vacationing mother by bringing her supplement shipment to her Houston home when the region was experiencing blazing heat.

“If you know you’re going to be working all day, or you’re on vacation, and you’re getting prescriptions delivered, you definitely don’t want to leave them out in the 100-degree sun,” Ren said. If you think your mail-order medications have been damaged by the heat, call the pharmacy to report the problem.

Is further research needed?

Yes. Researchers in the US and Australia say some of the common warnings about heat and medicines don’t have much scientific evidence. Ollie Jay of the University of Sydney found support for only four of the 11 drug categories the World Health Organization lists as raising concerns about high heat.

He suggests changing behavior, not drugs, such as staying out of the heat. “Be a little more careful,” he said.

Dr. Renee Salas, an emergency room physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that as climate change accelerates, it’s important to know which medications are most dangerous in the heat.

“We don’t have that answer yet, and we need to find out quickly,” Salas said.

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AP science writer Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.