Blood Pressure Meds and Calorie Burn

kristy_estes21

I am currently taking Tenormin (high blood pressure medication) in the lowest dosage. It's a beta blocker and lowers my heart rate to lower my blood pressure. It runs in the family apparently because I eat healthy, exercise regularly, don't drink (besides the occasional glass of red wine), and am not on birth control. Well, I started thinking more about it lowering my heart rate and wondered if that would affect my calorie burn. I did some research and came across this article: http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=16&gid=43414

Now I'm wondering if I should talk to my doc about switching me to something different. Maybe that's another reason my scale isn't moving. Not to mention, I can't take this if I get pregnant and they'd have to switch my meds anyways.

Anyone else have this issue or have input?

OSUalum

Interesting article! Thank you!
I had not heard anything about that before.

BeachLife76

I'm on micardis (blood pressure pills) to keep my bp lower due to kidney disease. I'm wondering the same thing. I have been finding it really hard to lose weight.

getfitdiva

I will have to check this article out. I never thought about the calorie burn conflict. I take atenolol now for my blood pressure.

sjackson902

Hi, Kristy. I'm on BP meds too - 50 mg of Metoprolol. I had never heard this about beta blockers. My doc choose this medicine because it's safe to use during pregnancy.

I do know that before I was on BP meds my heart would race and I would be out of breath before I really ever got into a good workout. Now that I've been on them a while my HR stays much more in line with my age's min/max range.

So far I haven't had any problems losing weight, but I have a LOT to lose. The problem you're facing now may hit me when I get to a lower BMI, though.

Here's where I am now:
33 yo
5'2"
188 lbs

Let us know what you find out. I'm very curious!

drasr

Tenormin is Atenolol. And Metaprolol is also a beta blocker. It is the first choice anti-hypertensive drug unless contraindicated due to some reason. It does slow your heart rate but it also causes blood vessels to dilate meaning more blood flows to the muscles and organs. It may affect the calorie burn but most of the anti-hypertansive drugs would do that to a certain extent because the basic principle as far as how they work is concerned is the same.
Only a handful of drugs are 100% safe during pregnancy [wrt the fetus] which are usually not prescribed otherwise because they do have some side effects. But talking to your doctor won't do any harm. Just saying protocol says beta blocker are the first choice anti-hypertensives unless contra-indicated.

kristy_estes21

I'll definitely let you know. When I first started taking it I got dizzy all the time and hated it. My body adjusted after a couple weeks though. The high bp was the original reason I got off birth control, doc's suggestion, but that ended up not being the cause.
My heart rate would get pretty high sometimes before I started taking it, but now it's usually between 120-145 during cardio. It was in the 160's before. Yesterday while doing Insanity I was DYING and my heart rate was only 150ish. Then I read that in the article about people on bp meds burn 30-50% less fat/calories after a meal and I was like, "WHAAAAT?!?!" Haha!! My resting heart rate now is around 60ish, which is normal for an athletic type person so maybe it's not affecting me. I dunno. It was just a thought I had.
I'll be 30 three months. 5'4" and 130lbs. So maybe it's just because I don't have a lot to lose. I dunno. AND I have been doing weight training too so that could be a big contributing factor to the scale not moving. My pants are a little looser so that's the best thing anyways.
I'm rambling now so I'll wrap it up. Haha! (I'm at work and bored! hehe)

kristy_estes21

Last time I was at the doc she said she was going to switch me to a different medication if/when I got pregnant. Although she's kind of a qwack anyways so who knows with her. lol

drasr

Do keep in mind that lowering your heart rate is a mechanism to reduce the load on heart and protect your body from complications associated with hypertension.

Mike523

Beta blockers definitely have an effect on your heart rate, which can also have an effect on your calorie burn during exercise. But I would say the difference is probably fairly minor, unless you're taking a very large dose.

Being that you have very little to lose, it's difficult to get your body to let those few pounds go. Losing the last 5-10 pounds is about consistently making good food choices and daily exercise.

And on a side note, if your profile picture is recent, you appear to be at a fantastic fitness level already. You have a good amount of lean muscle and it shows. You may have less to lose than you think...

xxquzme

Very interesting topic here. I actually am on the same type of medication for elevated blood pressure. last summer i had the same concerns that my caloric burn wasnt getting as high as it should due to the beta blocker that i was on. Now i dont reccomend that you stray from your physicians plan, but i will tell you that when i worked out without the medication in my system my calories burned was much higher. I wore a HRM during activity of the same type and recorded the information so that i could better understand the effect that it had. I wont get into details or numbers, but i can say that the medication does indeed lower your cals burned during workouts.

keeponkickin

I'm coming in a little late on this topic. Wanted to add that I am also taking a beta blocker in it's lowest dose, Atenolol. I just happened to talk to my doctor about this this morning. I do wear a heart rate monitor while exercising and I give some extra effort at the beginning of my cardio routine to get my heart rate where I need it. The equipment at my gym automatically picks up my HRM and shows it on the machine so I set my HRM to show me the calorie burn. I don't leave the gym until I hit a certain amount I want to burn. It's working. I've lost 60 pounds since January :-)

Azdak

The study you cited is one of those studies that provides interesting conclusions and reasons for additional investigation, but should not be seen as definitive. The sample size is too small, and there are too many potentially confounding factors to make an "if A, then B" direct conclusion. One must also be careful when looking at percentage changes vs the actual raw numbers. In this case, a "50%" decrease is still not very much. Also, in the general population, use of beta blockers is still relatively tiny, so to say beta blockers are "fueling the obesity crisis" is a stretch of breathtaking proportion.

However, those taking them should understand the effects. I am continually amazed at how many people are prescribed these powerful medications with seemingly little or no education on their effects. I see it all the time.

Beta blockers have wide-ranging effects on exercise performance. Maximum heart rate is decreased, VO2 max is decreased, fat oxidation is inhibited, as is gluconeogenesis.

It is important to note, however, that just because heart rate is blunted at a given workout intensity due to medication, that doesn't necessarily mean you are burning fewer calories. HRM calorie estimates are useless under these conditions. In other words, if you are running at 6 mph, you will most likely burn the same number of calories--or close to it--whether you are taking a beta blocker or not. The main effect will be that it may be more difficult to run 6 mph, or it will be more difficult to sustain the usual duration of your workout. If you burn fewer calories it would not be because heart rate is lower, it is because you can't exercise for as long or as hard.

And even with a calorie deficit, it is more difficult to oxidize body fat.

Now keep in mind that dose is going to make a significant difference. But there is no question that beta blockers can make losing weight more of an uphill battle. It's possible, but it will occur more slowly and take more effort.

In most cases, the protective effects of beta blockers FAR outweigh the negative side effects. And under no condition should you discontinue taking a beta blocker on your own without supervision.

However many doctors do not take exercise into consideration when prescribing these drugs. It's important that you make this known to your physician so that he or she considers alternatives.