ONE OF THE realities of getting old is you end up going on and off more meds. In my younger days I took a multi-vitamin. Now I take at least four Rx medicines and a handful of over-the-counter vitamins.
For the most part I have been blessedly immune to all the side effects that go along with most drugs. But now, that may have changed.
A week ago I was out at our apartment pool and hadn’t planned on staying long, so didn’t put on sunscreen. Then I did what old farts often do. I dozed off. A day or so later my face started turning red. Then it turned really red and started to hurt. Uh-oh. My little nap did me in.
But did it? It was an odd sunburn in that it was just my face and neck. The rest of my body, equally exposed, showed zero signs of having been in the sun. Huh. Curious. Then, my son asked me a question.
“Do any of your meds make you more sensitive to sun?”
I didn’t think so, but when I got back to my apartment I did some checking. Some meds can increase your sensitivity to sunlight.
I take Rosuvastatin 40 mg tablets to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. I don’t have a major problem but my cardiologist, looking at some blood and test results, thought it prudent to go on the meds. Nothing I found indicated it was the culprit. It can cause sensitivity to sun, but rarely.
My other med is Tamsulosin, used to relax the prostrated area. While increased sensitivity to sun was listed as a rare side effect but not enough to make it a culprit.
Then I moved on to Famotidine, used to combat acid reflux. Unlike the other two, there were numerous warnings about the possibility of severe rashes. When I saw that I wondered if that could be the culprit. Why did my face and neck erupt in redness and pain and the rest of my body, equally exposed to the sun, did not.
I suppose one explanation may be the thin skin that goes with aging. Facial skin is sensitive. But could it have been the drug?
I figured I could live with acid reflux and just use Tums so as of today I am off the Famotidine. We shall see. I may never know. If it’s sunburn it will go away at some point and if it’s a drug reaction, it will go away.
I guess the message for all you old farts out there is that as you start taking more medicines, be aware of the side effects. Those horrible side affects you see and hear on pharmacy ads are rare but they can happen. Might have happened to me.
Oh, and don’t forget the sunscreen. While there may be some questions about how common drug side effects are, there are no questions about the impact of prolonged sun on unprotected skin. I will lather up in the future. And stay awake.
Rich Heiland is a retired journalist and semi-retired consultant, trainer and public speaker. During his journalism career he was a reporter, editor, publisher, college instructor, part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team and a National Newspaper Association Columnist of the Year honoree. He lives in West Chester, PA and can be reached at [email protected].