You may have noticed that certain prescription medicines that you get filled at the pharmacy or through a mail-order pharmacy have warning labels (known as a Pharmacy Auxiliary Labels) on the container. One type of label may warn you to avoid extended or excessive exposure to sunlight and/or artificial light while you take the medicine. This is because that the medicine may cause photosensitivity.
You may have noticed that certain prescription medicines that you get filled at the pharmacy or through a mail-order pharmacy have warning labels (known as a Pharmacy Auxiliary Labels) on the container. One type of label may warn you to avoid extended or excessive exposure to sunlight and/or artificial light while you take the medicine. This is because that the medicine may cause photosensitivity.
Photoallergy is basically an allergy to sunlight. This condition is rare. However, certain medicines and other products that are applied to the skin can cause a photoallergy. Your skin may become itchy, red, and scaly, especially in areas where the medicine or product was applied. Other products that may cause a photoallergy include sunscreen, make-up, and lotions.
Phototoxicity is more common than photoallergy. However, phototoxicity occurs when a medicine you are taking is activated by the sun. This reaction can happen by using any form of the medicine. For example, the medicine could be a tablet, capsule, or topical cream. Some skin care products can also cause this phototoxic reaction. Once activated, the reaction can occur within minutes or hours after sun exposure. It appears as a severe sunburn or rash to the exposed skin.
34-year-old woman with severe redness, pain, and peeling of her face, shoulders, and arms visited an emergency department. She had spent several hours at an outdoor flea market and developed the worst case of sunburn she had ever suffered.
Three weeks earlier, she had started taking Rheumatrex (methotrexate), a medicine used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatrex is a medicine that is known to cause photosensitivity.
Ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist if any medicines you are taking can cause a skin reaction when exposed to the sun. Many times, your pharmacist will apply a special warning label on your prescription bottle to let you know whether to avoid the sun.
If you are taking a medicine that may cause a skin reaction to the sun, avoid tanning beds/booths and direct sunlight, especially between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. When you go outdoors, use a UV-A and UV-B combination sunscreen with at least a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15.
Wear protective clothing, such as a hat and sunglasses whenever possible. If a mild reaction occurs, apply an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream or place cool wet bandages or clean cloths over the area to help reduce pain and itching.
Call your doctor for more severe or worsening cases. Your doctor also might be able to switch you to a different medicine that does not cause photosensitivity
