Beta Blocker Medications

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,047 Member
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    All medications should be considered ONLY if your medical need for them is your primary motivating factor, not their weight loss effects. Taking drugs for weight loss is risky and sometimes it comes back to bite you in other ways. Increasing exercise and decreasing food will *always* make you thinner, no matter how thin you get. You just have to keep it up for long enough. There's no magical point where you stop losing weight because your body thinks you're too thin, unless you literally starve yourself, and even then you slowly keep losing. If you've hit a plateau you just need to exercise more or spike your metabolism or revise your idea of healthy eating or something.

    Beta blockers actually make it harder to lose weight. If you don't know about the drugs, please reserve your comments.
  • NordenJenn
    NordenJenn Posts: 82
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    I take propranolol (which is a beta-blocker) to prevent Migraines. It has been heaven set for me! I have wondered the same thing….. I bought a HRM and I tend to burn ½ the calories mfp was giving. I asked one of the Internal Medicine doctors I work with and she told me to get rid of my HRM, because it will only make me crazy. She told me to just log what mfp gives me, or a little below and that will be more accurate then my HRM. It is frustrating not being able to get up into my target zone! But the trade off for me is migraines….I’d rather take the wt off slow.

    This is what i'm on too, i'd trade not losing weight for migraines ANY DAY!
  • willidewbaby
    willidewbaby Posts: 26 Member
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    As a trauma nurse we give these drugs all the time to patients who have chronic or acute problems. Beta blockers are usually only for smooth muscle which works for the heart and blood vessels, where as the calcium channel blockers work with the lungs, heart, and vessels so it is not as specific as a beta blocker.

    EITHER way just ask your NP or doc what you want to do before you try and do it.
  • hausofnichele
    hausofnichele Posts: 531 Member
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    All medications should be considered ONLY if your medical need for them is your primary motivating factor, not their weight loss effects. Taking drugs for weight loss is risky and sometimes it comes back to bite you in other ways. Increasing exercise and decreasing food will *always* make you thinner, no matter how thin you get. You just have to keep it up for long enough. There's no magical point where you stop losing weight because your body thinks you're too thin, unless you literally starve yourself, and even then you slowly keep losing. If you've hit a plateau you just need to exercise more or spike your metabolism or revise your idea of healthy eating or something.

    I have been on mine for a year plus water pills for my heart issues. As far as I know these types of medications aren't used as weight loss aids that anyone off the street can buy. These are not 'drugs for weight loss'. They are for serious medical conditions.

    I am glad to hear the stories about HRMs because I was considering buying one but I think I will save my money and stick to MFP like I have been doing since October. I am getting results and feeling way better. High intensity exercise is difficult for me personally so I bought a recumbent bike and I absolutely love it. It isn't hard on the heart, back, knees and body in general but burns plenty of calories and has truly been a blessing.
  • ATLsMommy76
    ATLsMommy76 Posts: 16 Member
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    I looked up "Toprol" on here because that's what I am on, and I wanted to know if anyone was having a problem losing weight. It seems to be taking FOREVER for me....maybe I'm just impatient. I've lost 13lbs so far, since Christmas. I have 40 more to go to get to my first goal of 145 I'm eating my goal net calories of 1400 per day, and burning over 500 per day doing cardio. I've been STUCK at 185 for weeks now....
  • monaluv44
    monaluv44 Posts: 3 Member
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    Im having a hard time losing weight on beta blocker,dont have the energy to move most of the time?im on carvedilol12.5 mgs,help please!!!
  • k_winder
    k_winder Posts: 65 Member
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    I too am having difficulty losing anything more than water weight. I now believe it is my beta blocker. I began taking Atenolol in 2007 for inappropriate sinus tachycardia. In that time I've had to triple my dosage as my body has developed a tolerance. I now take 75mg a day. Since I began the med I have gained 40 pounds. I was underweight when I started on it, so didn't mind the first 10 pounds or so. But then I kept putting on weight. Now I cannot seem to lose it.

    I've been reading about beta blockers and it seems some of the older ones, like the one I take, is notorious for causing weight gain and an inability to shed pounds easily - apparently long time users of some beta blockers end up with metabolisms that are slowed down 30-50%!

    I see my doctor on April 2. I will be asking if we can

    a) try weaning me off over a period of two months, to see if the tachycardia has resolved itself

    or

    b) if that doesn't work, go with a NEWER beta blocker that doesn't have such drastic side effects - like Coreg.

    My other big concern is that I am a newlywed. We aren't thinking of kids yet, but we will someday soon - and some beta blockers, especially the older ones like Atenolol, can be dangerous to a fetus. I want to be either totally off them, or on something deemed safe before we get pregnant.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I take a beta blocker and a calcium channel blocker. I have no hope of ever getting of the CHB, but hopefully can get off the beta blocker after I lose the weight. At least I can hope.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    bumping.........
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    I was on coreg along with a slew of other things. I don't remember the dosage I was taking but was the first thing my doctor weaned off me over time as I improved with my weight and fitness. I think it was about 7-8 months in and I lost around 60-70 lbs when I completely went off of it.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    These drugs are known to cause weight gain.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Is there anybody who takes any beta blockers?? I know that they prevent your heart rate from getting up too high, so I was wondering if anybody has been able to lose weight from exercise while taking any of these medications?

    I take Beta Blockers and I've lost 40 Lbs fairly easily. Your heart rate has no direct corrolation to calorie burn or your ability to lose weight...things like HRMs us your HR in an algorythm to determine an estimate of your level of effort as compared to estimated VO2 max. Again, there is no direct corolation other than if you have a high resting HR and BP issues and you're using a HRM, your calorie burn is going to be inflated because your HR is inflated which brings you outside of the statistical norm.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I take Propranolol ER for migraines and palpitations and weird spikes of heart rate (I have weird blood vessels and tendons, etc that are just too stretchy). I can lose weight, definitely.

    You can check with your doc and play around with the dosages if you remain dead tired (only under supervision). Usually that's just at first. My dosage just got bumped down, because my BP gets too low on occasion now. Maybe my metabolism will increase a touch, but it really is the main disorder than I'm more concerned with!

    Never, ever try to come off these without doctor's recommendation (and he'll taper you off). Sorry, I had to add that last part :)
  • carolwoodcock5
    carolwoodcock5 Posts: 2
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    I need help too, I have now put on over 2 stone since i started taking verapamil, clodidogrel ,aspirin,rosuvastatin ,perindrol, and naftidrofuryl all for heart and circulation problems. I have been struggling to lose weight for over a year now and the doc has just given me orlistat tablets which are meant to help me lose weight by not letting my body absorb excess fat ,but as i am on a low fat diet dont see how this is going to work,I am becoming obsessive with what i eat and considering i had an aorta bypass a year ago I walk at least an hour everyday and sometimes 2 hours and also exercise other ways aswell,i fill in my fitness pal everyday but getting nowhere,any of you have any suggestion please let me know
  • HelloSweetie81
    HelloSweetie81 Posts: 55 Member
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    I'm on a beta blocker, and I'm trucking along nicely. Don't let it worry you. Just exercise and eat right, follow your doctor's orders, and you'll do just fine.
  • Billybegood
    Billybegood Posts: 32 Member
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    I'm on a beta blocker (bisoprolol 10mg) once a day and a calcium channel blocker (tildium retard 90mg) twice a day for inappropriate sinus tachycardia and PVC. So far I've been loosing weight fine and knowing how awful I felt before taking the meds I'd be very unsure about stopping them.
  • mamawolfen68
    mamawolfen68 Posts: 3 Member
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    ditto here on taking beta blockers for migraines (and mild anxiety)! I don't like the slight lethargy but it is better than the constant migraines and anxiety!
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
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    side effects for beta blockers include heart attack and stroke, not worth it imo

    Actually, that is what Beta Blockers treats, too...

    I think you may be thinking of Calcium Channel Blockers - that class is dangerous.

    Wow, horribly wrong. Both of you. Please don't listen to this, folks.
  • mrsfickle
    mrsfickle Posts: 34 Member
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    I take a beta blocker (propanol) for anxiety. It doesn't give me the weight gain I have experienced with other anti-anxiety meds. No problems with exercise and I have lost a ton of weight since taking it.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Well, I exercised for that entire time. I always ate all my calories, I used a heart rate monitor, I also ate all calories earned by exercise. It took me about eight months to lose the weight.

    I'm not sure I understand your issue, I guess.

    Not speaking for OP, but when I was on them, if I tried to exercise vigorously, I felt awful because I simply could not get my heart rate up high enough to support the activity. Fortunately they were pretty much optional for me to take, so I was able to just quit taking them.

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