Sports and Beta Blockers

Hi Guys, thanks for the info regarding my rate response and tennis. I have had the r/r put back on and do feel better, but still feel compromised on my athletic prowess . Met with Medtronic rep who seemed put off and deferred my questions to my doctor.
Did get him to raise the top to 150 though.

Is there anyone who is involved in sports that is taking Beta Blockers, and do you feel that you are getting enough pumping power from your heart and valves. My legs still tire easily when I run and I am not used to that.
Have read that certain b/b do not cross the blood brain barrier and cause fewer side effects. (Atenolol) Also are there some that are more cardioselective than others . New doc gave me samples of Bystolic which is a newly approved b/b that has far fewer of the same side effects. Has anyone heard of this drug.

It appears that b/b tend to have some curious qualities in relationship to cholestrol, weight gain, heart block,and low blood sugar. I am wondering if there is a dependency issue as well. .................Thanks for all the input, and continue to feel "blessed" that we have this great forum to keep us "going."

-Philman

8 Comments

I'm training for a 5k on betablocker

by Angelie - 2008-10-10 01:10:37

Hey there ya'll,
I'm 33, implanted with a pacer 2 months ago. I'm also on Toprol XL having just increased it to 100mg once daily. I feel just a little more tired than I did when I was only taking 50mg of the Toprol, but not so overwhemingly tired that I want to stop taking it. My 5k training is going well so far. I have never been able to run before the pacemaker implant. Running a 5k has always been a dream of mine.
I am beta blocker dependent as my pacer and the beta blocker both work together to keep my heart rate under control.
I have noticed that since being on the betablocker I have not been able to lose weight regardless of the 2-3 miles of walking/running every day on the treadmill. I find that kind of interesting but don't know if it's due to the drug or what.

Grrr

by winesap - 2008-10-10 05:10:45

I've been back and forth with my EP - he really wants me on the Beta Blocker. I've convinced him to allow me to take half the minimum dosage. I cut a 25mg Atenolol in half so my daily dose is 12.5. It still depresses my ability to exercise. Although in the last couple of days I've noticed some improvement - I've been on this dosage for a couple months so I'm not sure what is going on recently (nice change though). I have an appointment next week - including an echo so perhaps I'll get an explanation. Walking up hills (I work in San Francisco) - I need to take occasional breaks. I max out way too soon on the uphill portion of bike rides - thankfully I've got some low gears. I've had to bail from group rides - I could not get the pulse rate up enough. Post exercise my pulse quickly comes down - actually it runs low - under 50 when at rest. My minimum is set for 40. It is frustrating - an athletic heart and body in reasonable condition but with limited athletic ability because of depressed increase in pulse.

beta blockers

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-10 06:10:52

I'm not on beta blockers but my mom is and she's very active. They've switched her prescription and changed her dosage more times than I can count but her stamina has never come back to what it used to be. The way I understand it, even if you minimize the side effects beta blockers will always hold you back when you work out. By definition, they hold your heart rate down. I would love to know what you learn about Bystolic.

Medtronics Rep

by ElectricFrank - 2008-10-11 01:10:12

Sorry you had a bad experience with the Medtronics rep. Mine have all been excellent.

One possibility is that the doctor is insisting that all questions be referred to him. I ran into that on my first checkup. I bluntly asked the rep if he was free to discuss my settings with me and he confirmed that it was doctors orders not to. So I asked to have the doc (actually a cardiologist) to come in. I brought up the situation and told him that I wanted him to clear the rep to answer my questions and that I was perfectly OK if he wanted to be in the room at the time. He reluctantly OK,ed it. The next hurdle was when I announced the settings I wanted.

Medical politics are interesting. I've just learned to confront them head on. I let them know that I understand their culture, but I don't have a medical license so don't need to conform.

frank

grr

by Philman - 2008-10-11 12:10:00

You might want to read the information on rate response that Frank replied to on my last post. It appears yours is off and exercising with a low pulse is very dangerous. My PM is set for 55 daytime and 50 late night. The r/r is ON!!!! with a top of 150.

Atenolol

by dtread - 2008-10-11 12:10:35

For me a half a 25 mg tab (12.5 mg) really reduces the HR noticeably - both resting and during exercise. I cut the tab in half one more time (a quarter tab), so its about 6.5 mg. Even that is pretty strong, but I tried cutting it one more time but it just crumbled. You might try a quarter tab (6.5 mg), but get the okay from your doctor. This is not to be construed as medical advice.

Athletics and beta blockers

by meisel - 2008-11-11 10:11:53

All athletes or athletically inclined persons need to remember that cardiologists are trained to treat sick people. They are not familiar with and don't know how to treat healthy active patients. My first episode of AF hit me at mile 17 in my fifth marathon. I've been fighting with the docs since then about how much beta blocker I should take. The beta blockers do affect athletic performance, particularly high intensity exercise. My (former) cardiologist wouldn't listen to me so I started experimenting with lower doses on my own and got a new doc. The new doc does listen to me and we work together on adjusting dosage in response to my evolving condition.

Beta Blockers and glucose tolerance and cardiac output

by pizzicato - 2009-09-05 11:09:51

I had been on Toprol XL for about a year. I gained 10 pounds and could not walk as fast as I wanted to. I am a pharmacist and happened to have a conversation with the rep from SKB, manufacturer of Coreg. He gave me some articles showing that metoprolol (Toprol XL) reduced glucose tolerance while Coreg does not. Another article talked about maintenance or improvement of cardiac output by Coreg as oppposed to reductions with other beta-blockers. I asked my cardiologist to switch me to carvedilol (generic Coreg) and I have been pleased. I started losing a pound a month. My exercise tolerance and ability to walk fast or climb stairs without getting short of breath has improved greatly, but is still not back to pre-pacemaker levels. It has been a slow improvement.

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I'm 35 and got my pacemaker a little over a year ago. It definitely is not a burden to me. In fact, I have more energy (which my husband enjoys), can do more things with my kids and have weight because of having the energy.