Albuterol and weight loss

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ItzShoTime
ItzShoTime Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone take albuterol for asthma and notice significant weight loss while taking it? Anyone heard of a link between fat loss and albuterol? I take my regular prescribed dose which is 1 puff from inhaler and lose a pound per day sometimes. When I don't take it I don't lose as fast even with a significant calorie deficit. Just curious if there is a link

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  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I was on an albuterol inhaler earlier this year for a few weeks for some respiratory problems. The doctor told me that it would get my heart rate up and make me jittery, and she was right. I accidentally took two puffs at a time for the first few days (miscommunication about dosage) and repeatedly almost passed out.

    For me, even when I only took one puff, it made me jittery so I would go for a walk to try and calm myself down. I probably lost extra weight because of the increased activity, to be honest.
  • medic2038
    medic2038 Posts: 434 Member
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    Albuterol is a beta adrenergic agonist- essentially it causes a part of "fight or flight". If you've ever heard of "performance enhancing drugs" used by athletes, well beta agonists call into that category. Given that, it makes sense you might see a little "boost".

    More isn't better though, there's actually been a few studies that related long term efficiency decreases, and chances of severe complication goes up!
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
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    I've been taking albuterol, as well as five or six other medicines/steroids, every day since the day I was born for extremely severe asthma. Didn't stop me from getting up to 400 pounds and it hasn't helped me lose 105 of that.

    I don't get light headedness from the inhaler anymore, even with 4+ puffs but I do get it very badly when using albuterol in the nebulizer. I have to make sure I can stay sitting for a bit after I finish because I'm so dizzy it's hard to focus. With a treatment every four hours that makes me pretty sedentary on those days.

    In short, I wish, but not for me.
  • breeze_brat
    breeze_brat Posts: 65 Member
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    i use albuterol as well as 3 other medications 1 being a steroid for my asthma. wish i could say the albuterol helps me lose weight but not the case
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I wish. I can't seem to get off the stuff since the middle of July (I only take it when symptomatic), and I've gone up and down a few pounds (been on a break). The side effects make it nice before a workout, but I don't reccommend using it for that purpose.
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
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    Sorry, Shohanna. I am on a daily regimen of inhaled cortosteroids, as well as albuterol, when needed. If albuterol could make me lose weight, I would be leaning on it more heavily. No such luck.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    I've taken albuterol since I was a child off and on and it has had zero effect on weight. I think what you're experiencing may be coincidence, but if you find it excessively speedy it is possible that it is suppressing your appetite some. Most likely this side effect will diminish as you get used to it. Less is more, do not increase your dose hoping to lose more weight as you can damage your body. On another note, it's doubtful you are losing a pound of fat a day at time like you said, that mean you burned 3500 additional calories than you consumed for the day which is pretty tough to achieve ;) The weight fluctuations you're experiencing are most likely water weight fluctuations.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited September 2016
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    ShohanaABencomo wrote: »
    Does anyone take albuterol for asthma and notice significant weight loss while taking it? Anyone heard of a link between fat loss and albuterol? I take my regular prescribed dose which is 1 puff from inhaler and lose a pound per day sometimes. When I don't take it I don't lose as fast even with a significant calorie deficit. Just curious if there is a link

    Weight naturally fluctuates, so you are not losing a pound of fat per day. Unless you have a medical condition that reqiures immediate medical intervention, the only way to lose weight is to eat at a calorie deficit. I'm afraid your medication has no magic to it. :)
  • ItzShoTime
    ItzShoTime Posts: 50 Member
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    Thank you everyone for the great insight!!!

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