Medications That Increase Sun Sensitivity
Certain medications increase your photosensitivity, or sensitivity to the effects of the sun. Check with your prescribing physician to see if your medication(s) are in this group. A partial list is provided below.
| Type | Generic Name | Brand Name |
|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics | Tetracycline doxycycline ciprofloxacin sulfanomide | Achromycin, Sumycin Cipro Bactrim, Septra |
| Antihistamines | diphenhydramine cyproheptadine | Benadryl Periactin |
| Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) | Ibuprofen ketoprofen naproxen | Advil, Motrin Orudis, Oruvail Aleve, Anaprox Naprosyn |
| Diuretics | furosemide bumetanide hydrochlorothiazide | Lasix Bumex Esidrix, Hydrodiuril |
| Anticancer medications | dacarbazine methotrexate | DTIC Rheumatrex |
| Antiaging and acne medications | isotretinoin tretinoin | Accutane Retin-A |
| Antifungal medications | terbinafine | Lamisil |
| Hypoglycemics (treatment of type 2 diabetes) | glipizide glyburide | Glucotrol DiaBeta, Micronase |
| Oral contraceptives and estrogens | ethinyl estradiol and norgestrel conjugated estrogens estradiol | Lo/Ovral, Ovral Premarin Alora, Estroderm |
| Blood pressure and cardiovascular medications | amiodarone enalapril diltiazem quinidine | Cordarone, Vasotec Cardizem, Dilacor Quinidex Extentabs, Cardioquin |
Psychiatric medications
| amitriptyline,imipramine, nortriptyline chlorpromazine alprazolam, diazepam | Elavil, Tofranil, Pamelor Thorazine, Ormazine Xanax, Valium |
*This is a partial list of some common medications only. Check the drug information sheets that come with your medications or contact your doctor to see if you need to take special precautions in the sun.
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