Beta blocker weight gain

[Caitlyn6]

I have put on 1/2 stone in 3 months since starting beta blockers for high heart rate (Bisoprolol) despite doing more exercise than before the beta blockers.

Is it a permanent side effect and how do u curb the weight gain? Thank u.

[Chappychap]

"how do u curb the weight gain?"

The short answer is, with great difficulty!

I'm going to the gym three times a week to complete the 150 minutes of aerobic exercise that the BHF and NHS recommends. But I believe all that hard graft totals to not much more than 1000 extra calories burned in a week, so basically those three gym sessions added together are the equivalent of a Big Mac With Bacon, Large Fries, and a Coke!

The only reliable way that I've found to lose weight is to eat quite a bit less food than I want, so there'll be a few hours each day where I'm feeling fairly hungry.

I wonder if a side effect of our heart medication is that it suppresses our metabolism? I used to play rugby at county level and I'm a big muscular guy, count in my exercising and I should easily be losing weight at 2000 calories a day...but I'm just not. In fact I've got to get below 1500 calories a day to reliably lose weight, and at that level I'm resigned to feeling hunger pangs.

However, I think it's worth it.

I love curry, but I love life more, so if I can only have one then I choose life!

[Caitlyn6 in reply to Chappychap]

Thank u.

[Olliemonty58 in reply to Caitlyn6]

I have put on weight throu tabs. Having thryoid blood test next week to see if it's the tabs. I use to run the checkouts but now have to sit all day. I take my dogs for walks but I get out of breath and my legs now hurt when walking. Wondering if I should cut my tabs to everyother day

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Olliemonty58]

Because if the half-life of many medications taking them every other day may not be appropriate. If you have issues or concerns you need to speak to your GP/cardiologist.

A thyroid blood test will indicate if you have thyroid issues or if you are on say, thyroxin, the dosage is correct.

[TinCool in reply to Chappychap]

I've struggled with weight all my life. I had lost 2 stone in 6 months last year but then everything went to pot when my appendix burst in August (I'm 42). Then the ectopics started and had an AF attack a week after I was discharged from hospital, which was resolved by a cardioversion. Ectopics continued and I was put on the lowest does of bisoprolol in December. Then bam, another AF attack in January and again resolved by cardioversion. The ER Dr. doubled my bisoprolol and haven't had an attack since. I still get ectopics but are not as severe. Some days I am lucky and have hardly any but other days I get them throughout the day. Yesterday was once of those days.

Since September I've put a stone back on as I wasn't really keeping track of what I was eating. My cardiologist recommended I loose 10% of my body mass as this is a common contributor to AF. I rarely drink and don't smoke. I'm back on the wagon so to speak and losing weight again. The only thing that works for me is calorie counting, and like Chappychap said, I have to eat little so I feel hungry about an hour before lunch and again the evening before my main meal. I try not to eat anything after 8pm. The weight is slowly dropping off again at about a 1lb a week. Hopefully I'll be back to what I was in August in a couple of months before all this began.

But, for me at least, losing weight has always been hard and you need to be determined and sacrifice your fried chicken or chinese or whatever you're weakness may be in order to make it happen.

[Jamse]

ive been on a 15mg per day of Bisoprolol for a month

initially i lost 3kg with diarrhoea but ive just weighed myself and its all back on

[Stueeee52]

Wow me too, I had not correlated the connection with my drugs but put it down to the decline in exercise due to the breathlessness.