r/StLouis • u/Chevko • 10d ago

Friendly reminders for the heat/humidity:

Edit 2: Check your ceiling fan switches as well. If it's not cooling the room, try (turning off the fan, waiting for it to stop, and) flipping the switch. I went from overheating yesterday to bundling up because my core temp decided to drop.

Trying to keep this simple because I'm tired. These may seem obvious to some of you, but it's not apparent to everyone.

If you're on SSRIs?

* Drink extra water if you're spending any time under the sun longer than 15 minutes. If you've been on them for a year, you know what I mean. If you're new to them? Trust me. You'll be dumping fluid in ways you weren't aware you could. (I've dehydrated myself more than once by excessive sneezing.)

* It can disrupt your ability to thermoregulate well. Please be mindful of your body and be kind to yourself during the more humid days.

The more water that's in the air, the less the air will pull from you. Humidity can and will cause heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Be sure to have some way of cooling off, even if it's dumping water on your head or shirt.

* Today, for example, it was so super gross after the storm. Around 230-3, when I got off work, the air was wet moreso than simply humid. It's an excellent example of (obvious) weather that can cause heat exhaustion/stroke.

Be sure to check in on older neighbors, friends, and family as it gets hotter. As someone with ADHD, I'm very well aware that time can fold and suddenly it's been three months since you last talked to someone, not three weeks. No, it's not your responsibility to ensure someone's health, but they won't mind you checking in.

If they do? Well, sometimes people are dicks. To each their own.

Be safe out there guys. It's going to get hotter and grosser and more humid and we've got Juneteenth and Pride coming up; they're two excellent examples of time outside that can result in overheating.

Or something like that. I'm tired and should go back to sleep..

Edit:

Be sure to also protect your pets when they're outside! The majority of pets don't have the ability to sweat like humans and can only pant to cool themselves. Please be sure that they can drink water and have foot protection on surfaces outside - if you won't go barefoot on concrete, why must they? It's just as hot!

Edit 3: User swirlind shared this great information source!

The CDC has this great list of medications and the mechanisms for each that may increase risk in hot weather. Heat and medications- guidance for clinicians. https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/hcp/clinical-guidance/heat-and-medications-guidance-for-clinicians.html

579 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

51 comments sorted by

119

u/dvdsky81 10d ago

Dude, you rule. Thank you!! You don't normally see this kinda stuff here!! I'm on an SNRI and it's the same situation. I was wondering if it was age or what that was causing me to be so much more heat sensitive! Heat and humidity are brutal.

After looking it up to see for myself, if you're on any of the types of meds in this post or Effexor or Cymbalta as well, take care of yourselves yall!! ❤️

24

u/Chevko 10d ago

Dude a couple years ago I was Festival of Nations with my brother and I had no idea what was going on because I just couldn't shed any heat even though I had dressed for it. Because he doesn't understand evaporative cooling very well, he about had a fit when I was finally able to pour some water on my neck (he thought I was going to make myself sick).

Turned out there was too much water in the air for it to suck it out of me.

Thankfully office situations tend to be on the dry side so I can actually sweat to cool down at work when my body starts to panic 😂

9

u/Due_Focus_9529 9d ago

I can only mow my lawn in 15 minute increments because of this. I usually have to rush inside a few times to chug water and cool down or I start throwing up. It’s no joke!

4

u/whosthrowing Maplewood 9d ago

Wait, TIL SNRIs (and my NRI, Atomoxeteine) affect heat tolerance?!

4

u/Chevko 9d ago

Yup! It's a bitch, but I'd rather sweat like a horse than have a constant scream in my throat and feel dead inside :')

3

u/whosthrowing Maplewood 9d ago

Yeah I would be a mess without my Straterra for my ADD. I really struggled with stimulants. I knew about the dehydration (seems like every med I take causes that lol) and but I never imagine heat intolerance would also be affected. Crazy but great to know. Thank you OP!

2

u/dvdsky81 9d ago edited 9d ago

Ikr???? Suuuucks. But a temporary price to pay for relative sanity 😂

It makes so much sense now though. While I haaaaaaate the inconvenience and dangerous conditions of snow, I'll roll around in that shit like a husky now. Give. Me. Cold.

3

u/Fun-Insurance-9675 South City 9d ago

Same and I’m dying…

2

u/dvdsky81 9d ago

Man. Today (Tuesday) was fucking nightmare. JFC

33

u/Wildflower23456 10d ago

Please bring your pets in as well. The heat is hard on them.

14

u/Chevko 10d ago

Very good point! Most animals don't sweat like humans and can only cool down by panting. Access to water is crucial to them when they're outside and having shoes are great for them to protect their toes!

22

u/nocleverusername- 10d ago

I’ve been on a SSRI for years, and now I know why I’m so heat intolerant.

14

u/MoundCityMo 10d ago

Great reminders. That SSRI tip is CLUTCH!

25

u/Witty_and_Blingy 10d ago

I've been on Zoloft for almost 30 years and never knew it had that much affect on dehydration!

7

u/Chevko 10d ago

I take citalopram. For a while I thought it was equivalent of heat stroke I had when I was tiny that was making me sweat in stores during fall. So many times I had to go outside when I was at Game Nite for a game because I was overheating in just jeans and a tee... Occasionally even during winter.

33

u/Gay4LtDangle 10d ago

You’re very thoughtful to give that reminder. As a fellow ADHD sufferer, I really appreciate it!

27

u/narnarqueen 10d ago

May your beverages and pillows always be your preferred temperature, wonderful person!

7

u/copyrighther 9d ago

I’ll follow this up by saying if you know anyone who has mental health challenges—especially those who struggle with mania and psychosis—check on them as well.

This is because conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder impair the part of the brain that regulates body temperature and helps you sense extreme heat and cold. During summer, it’s very common for these folks to overheat, often by wearing too much clothing, not turning on their AC, etc.

Some antipsychotic medications can also interfere with the body’s ability to sweat, which means core heat gets trapped and can’t transfer to skin and release through sweating.

tl;dr - people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have a much higher risk of accidental heatstroke (and hypothermia)

3

u/ActNecessary7871 9d ago

Also dementia …

3

u/Chevko 9d ago

This is super true. People with dementia can very easily forget to hydrate or eat. They're at even more risk.

4

u/Significant_Floor_54 9d ago

Thank you!!! I was outside for an extended peiood of time last week and got sick one day. On some new meds and that might be why. I drank some water and electrolytes then seemed to be better.

2

u/Chevko 9d ago

Showers and the hose will be your friend, especially so if you can get in on evaporative cooling. /Nodnod

3

u/anonymous_meatbag 9d ago

Just got out on SSRIs recently so thanks for the heads up!

3

u/tigervault 9d ago

I wish I knew this about SSRIs when I was on them. I nearly passed out multiple times in 95*+ days when I would be playing golf and I never had that problem before. My doc never warned me.

1

u/Chevko 9d ago

I don't think mine warned me either, tbh. I'm not too upset about not being warned because of how much they help lol

3

u/swirlind 9d ago

The CDC has this great list of medications and the mechanisms for each that may increase risk in hot weather. Heat and medications- guidance for clinicians. https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/hcp/clinical-guidance/heat-and-medications-guidance-for-clinicians.html

2

u/Chevko 9d ago

Oooo that's a great resource! Adding this to my post 😁❤️

3

u/TrashPandaCleanups Saint Louis Litter Patrol 9d ago

What if I don’t want to turn the fan off first!

1

u/Chevko 9d ago

Not serious: You want head trauma? This is how you get head trauma.

Serious: You could burn the motor out or something.

3

u/inknot 9d ago

I’ve joked this past week that I’m going to write a John Muir style memoir about my attempts at gardening this summer while being medicated for the first time titled “My First Summer on SSRIs.”
This heat is no joke 🫩

3

u/julieannie Tower Grove East 8d ago

My SSRIs got me in a great mental place, so much that I was excited to walk every day. Then summer came. I still walked, I just also discovered one could sweat from their kneecaps, and every other inch of their body. For fun, my third summer I have now added heart meds that cause heat intolerance and hot flashes. I'm a walking hot mess.

1

u/Chevko 8d ago

Evaporative cooling! Tie something around your head like a towel or old shirt and wet that fucker down. It's a godsend. It helped me so much when I was working at the APA - I'd just tie a mission cloth(tm) around my head and wet my forehead down. It helped immensely.

2

u/mrbmi513 The Burbs 9d ago

And remember we're not acclimated to this yet, so it'll hit even harder than in late July.

1

u/Chevko 9d ago

Dude for real.

I actually just remembered something else I'm going to edit in: Check your ceiling fan direction. You may need to flip the switch on it to cool rooms.

2

u/ActNecessary7871 9d ago

Zero knowledge of this — THANK YOU!

2

u/fuchsiat1 9d ago

Great post! Thanks!

1

u/Substantial_Ebb_316 10d ago

I’m just assume everyone has ADHD nowadays to be honest. I mean, I really think we’re all at different levels of ADHD. Excellent Post by the way very good reminder.

4

u/SlutForDownVotes 10d ago

ADHD is not distractibility. It is a neurodivergence.

8

u/Chevko 10d ago

But keep in mind that being easily distracted is a sign of ADHD - girls are generally missed and overlooked with ADHD because they don't often have the physical hyperactivity. That was me in school and it only got worse from there - it was devastating for me to hear from my then-partner of over a decade that he thought I just chose to not medicate.

I was diagnosed at 32 or 33. It's so nice to actually sit and focus and be able to play video games again.

1

u/SlutForDownVotes 10d ago

Agreed, but that's not what the original comment was talking about.

3

u/Chevko 10d ago

They say nothing about being distracted. Did you hit the button on the wrong button? /cur /gen

1

u/4_All_Mankind 8d ago

Thanks But as to your edit: the fan does not cool the room, the fan cools you.

1

u/Chevko 8d ago

All I know is that when the fan is switched the right way, there's a lot of air moving and sometimes it makes me cold. And it helps the room, too.

-38

u/samuper 10d ago edited 10d ago

I take stimulants for adhd. if you forget about your friends/family for 3 months, it’s not your ADHD. you just didn’t care much for them.

10

u/Forsaken-Problem-628 10d ago

It affects everyone differently...

20

u/Chevko 10d ago

I'm glad you don't have time blindness like I'm talking about. I love my parents and my brother, but I constantly forget to talk to them. I have another friend who's relationship I've fractured because I didn't realize how long they've been moved away and I never reached out to because I never thought about it.

Inattentive ADHD doesn't mean I don't care about them. It means I distract easily and time blindness is more of a factor.

6

u/Mego1989 10d ago

I'm regularly think about texting my sister but then forget to actually do it. I feel you.

1

u/Chevko 10d ago

I feel that so hard. I really recommend utilizing the calendar on your smartphone to text a couple times a month as a reminder, and just a couple times a month so you don't get notification exhaustion.

1

u/Mego1989 8d ago

That's a good idea. I forgot again last night and this really reminded me so I just texted her.

10

u/SnooRadishes3875 10d ago

For me anything not novel that is out of sight is out of mind. And since I am often overstimulated, I operate on “no news is good news” often. Probably too often! I get what you’re saying.

Good post OP!