beta blockers vs exercise

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irishgal44
irishgal44 Posts: 1,181 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone on beta blockers and have a regular exercise routine? I have IST (Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia)...when I exercise such as run, my bpm get as high as 210 bpm...was told back in March that I could try beta blockers if I wanted and I said no...was scared and still in shock over my diagnosis. But now, months later, I'm sick of being exhausted and the high heart rate during exercise and want to start taking a small dose just to see how I feel. Anyone on them? Do u feel a lot better? Would love to hear your experience. I assume I will burn less calories while on them...that's not a concern. Just looking to find a solution to feeling better. :)

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  • irishgal44
    irishgal44 Posts: 1,181 Member
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    :heart:
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    Bump :smile:
    Sorry you haven't gotten any responses.....this would be very scary to me. Hopefully you are seeing a cardiologist? If you trust your doctor, then I would try it. You could also get a second opinion too. :) Good luck. Hopefully someone out there has had a similar experience.
  • irishgal44
    irishgal44 Posts: 1,181 Member
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    Bump :smile:
    Sorry you haven't gotten any responses.....this would be very scary to me. Hopefully you are seeing a cardiologist? If you trust your doctor, then I would try it. You could also get a second opinion too. :) Good luck. Hopefully someone out there has had a similar experience.

    Thanks - you're sweet. :) Yes I am seeing one - pretty sure I will try it - will be interesting to see how I feel with exercise!
  • Tree72
    Tree72 Posts: 942 Member
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    Hopefully you'll get some answers soon. Beta blockers are frequently prescribed to people with high blood pressure. So I'm sure there are some people around here who've experienced them. My mom was on them for a while till they switched her to calcium blockers instead. I do know that she often feels tired/sleepy now, and it was worse on the beta blockers. But maybe she just had too large of a dose.
  • irishgal44
    irishgal44 Posts: 1,181 Member
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    I was warned I may feel tired in the first few weeks of taking them - would be on a very lose dose since my blood pressure is around 105/70. Thanks for the info!! I wonder if I'm the only one on MFP with a heart condition - LOL
  • daydream58
    daydream58 Posts: 572 Member
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    I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy... my heart walls are scarred from abnormal growth so I have an ICD in case my heartbeat gets confused and disorganized and suddenly stops. It also beats too fast, so I used to take the beta blocker metoprolol (toprol) but it turned my feet black! So I switched last summer to a calcium channel blocker called verapamil and am doing GREAT now.

    I do think BBs make people very sleepy and tired, and a little foggy headed actually. But I still have days where I'm quite tired the first few hours or at least until I do my work out and really get my heart working.

    My resting heart rate on the CCB is in the high 40s to low 50s and my work out rate is about 95. I have to manually work out all my calorie counts, but once you get the hang of it, it's not too hard. I do a TON of workouts: Zumba, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, fast treadmill walking, outside walking, hiking, geocaching, kayaking, figure skating, tennis, Wii workout and fitness games, bike, stationary recumbent bike, dancing - you name it - you can do it all on a heart drug if you're anything like me.

    And think how much happier your heart will be when you're at a lower weight right? So far I haven't had any problems but I get a LOT of input from my cardiology team. In fact the first three months of my fitness program I was in the hospital's cardiac rehab program so they could keep a real close eye on me. But nobody needed to worry - I was fine. It did give me a tremendous sense of confidence to have their support at first though.

    If you are sleepy/tired after the first couple of months on a heart drug, you could always try a different one. The BB and the CCB both help my heart, but they do it in completely opposite ways, so there's a lot of playing around you can do there.

    Add me if you're looking for a heart buddy!!
    Deedee
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Hey girl.

    First of all, you are so not alone. I suffer from Mitral Valve Regurgiation and have been on a beta blocker for going on 4 months now. I'm on 100mg of Toprolol XL (50mg tablets twice daily). My symptoms before the beta blocker kept me from doing any cardio workouts at all. I was in excruciating pain and discomfort with heavy palpatations and enormous pressure in my chest whenever my HR got above 130. The beta blocker has given me the ability to do the things I really like doing. My side effects have been minimal. The biggest one is a propensity towards lightheadedness from the drop in blood pressure and heart rate. I just have to be a little slower than I used to be when getting out of bed in the morning now.

    Secondly, I workout 6 days per week. 3 days are cardio only and 3 days weights only (sometimes mix in circuit training). There is a marked difference in the way my heart behaves now than the way it did pre-beta blocker. My standing resting HR is 60, and it used to be 75. My completely resting HR is 45 (lying down flat and completely relaxed). My max HR is about 150-160 and it will not go higher even if I push as hard as I can. I used to get my HR up to 210ish, although with hellacious pain from the MVR. I do have very long warm ups and cool downs though as I find that if I suddenly stop working out, my HR gets irregular, and the pain comes back. The trick is finding what is going to work for you. Every heart and body is different.

    As far as the calories burned, I usually just accept my HRM's estimates or MFP. I do not eat my workout calories very often, so it's not a huge deal for me. My workouts are for boosting fitness more than losing weight, though this may be different for you.

    My suggestion is to talk to your cardiologist about what drug is good for you. I'm on an extended release tablet that seems to work very well for me. It may take a few months to get you stabilized with the medication so be patient. For me, it's a godsend.

    Good luck to you!
  • ritajean3
    ritajean3 Posts: 306 Member
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    I was on a low dose of them for my tachy heart when I was pregnant it was sitting at 130 jumping to 180 just resting. My heart now sits at 100 and when I was exercising last night my guess would be it jumped to 200 or a bit over. Do you get chest pains while exercising because until last night I never did. I should really get a hrm lol

    While they can drop your bp I have taken them not just for my heart but also for migraines and they didn't do this to me either time and when I took them for my heart I was sooooooo much better I was like a totally new person!
  • GetReadyforZDAY
    GetReadyforZDAY Posts: 8
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    Hey, I have Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy and Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (heart muscle grows too thick and heart likes going real fast) Also have a Pace/Defib since October this year.

    I've been on beta blockers my whole life and they've worked just fine for me. I know when you first start them you may feel tired but it's something that within less then a week you'll be feeling just great.

    But definitely talk to your doctor some more and even pharmacists can talk to you about side effects and normal effects of beta blockers and different kinds. (Incase you want more information, Pharmacists CAN inform you about these, they just can't prescribe it to you)
  • Bookers23
    Bookers23 Posts: 187 Member
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    Certainly consult your doctor, life with IST can be a real pain and the side effects from beta blockers can be many. Do some research on ablation therapy, see what your doctor says. Highly recommended here, no need for meds after treatment. It is invasive, not open heart surgery but still has risks. they basically cauterize the channel that causes spikes in your heart rate.
  • foxbat2828
    foxbat2828 Posts: 391 Member
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    I was put on a beta blocker back when I had my stents put in to keep my heart rate down and keep my heart from overtaxing itself as it was recovering from the stent surgery. Had no real problems with exercise and the beta blocker. The only thing I do is avoid TRYING to get my heart rate into certain zones. Check with your doc, but it's nothing to be scared of as long as you get the lowdown on how to exercise while taking them.
  • hloftin32
    hloftin32 Posts: 86 Member
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    I was originally put on beta-blockers for my tachycardia, but I did more research and found out it actually makes insulin resistance worse. Make sure you just work with your doctor to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks. It made me terribly sleepy as well.
  • tbodieok
    tbodieok Posts: 1
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    I was diagnosed with ITS today and have been put on a very low dose pf a beta blocker. I'm 37 years old and have had heart palpitations for years, but they've recently become so strong I almost faint. I wore a heart monitor for 2 weeks and my bpm spiked to 190, even in my sleep! I'm anxious to see how this medication affects me, but I can promise you that I WILL NOT let it stop me from doing the exercise I love to do. It's what keeps me sane!!

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