Bisoprol

[mandylloyd1]

Hi, has anyone noticed weight gain with bisoprol. Sorry if it's spelt wrong

[marypw]

I'm not sure how much is related to lockdown (boredom, anxiety, creative baking, staying at home) etc or recovery from a non-cardiac surgery or bisoprolol, but I certainly don't think bisoprolol helps!

Mine has gone up about half a stone, particularly since upping the dose from 1.25 to 2.5mg.

[Smarticus]

Hi, I'm on so many meds that i couldnt say exactly, but from what I can remember the side effects do not list weight gain. You can get a dicky tummy from it. I would put it down (as marypw says) to the world we are living in at the moment, and hob nobs

[Chappychap]

I was prescribed Bisoprolol after bypass surgery. Consequently I decided to improve my lifestyle by eating a healthy Mediterranean diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight.

So at the same time as first taking Bisoprolol I lost two stones.

I don't think I'm unique in this. Being prescribed heart related medication, such as Bisoprolol, is a wake up call for many people. And part of that wake up message is "lose weight"!

So many people have experienced something similar that I'm pretty sure Bisoprolol won't prevent you losing weight if you that's what you want, and neither will it add any weight unless you do something else to pile on the pounds.

[Sunnie2day]

My experience is it can contribute to weight gain and make losing the extra weight a little more difficult BUT it is possible to get control back and lose the extra. I also think it depends on age and 'stage of life' - I'm post-menopausal so losing weight was always going to be harder.

From what I've been able to work out, Bisoprolol slows metabolism (it's prescribed to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and helps control angina) - and that can pile on the pounds and make losing it more difficult. But again it is definitely possible to overcome the effect.

Just. Get. Moving. (slowly, build up slowly, and stop if breathless and recovery takes longer than you feel it should, or in pain that doesn't resolve on ceasing the activity that brought on the pain).

[Chappychap in reply to Sunnie2day]

"From what I've been able to work out, Bisoprolol slows metabolism (it's prescribed to lower heart rate and blood pressure, and helps control angina) - and that can pile on the pounds and make losing it more difficult"

I can see why someone might be tempted to conclude that Bisoprolol slows metabolism. But I think that would be a mistake.

A lower heart rate or lower blood pressure doesn't necessarily mean a lower metabolism. Indeed, the more you exercise the more you'll find your metabolism increasing at the same time as your resting heart rate and blood pressure are decreasing. So it's perfectly possible for the two metrics to move in opposite directions.

Furthermore, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that physical activity is actually a fairly small part of the metabolic equation for most people. The really big components are things like keeping a level body temperature, operating our whopping great human brains, and maintaining our immune systems!

The real culprit behind weight gain is more likely to be biscuits than Bisoprolol!

[Sunnie2day in reply to Chappychap]

Biscuits haven't been on my plate in years - I've been on a low-sodium diet since 2003. And interestingly, my HR and BP rise when I work-out and do my twice daily walks. Within a few hours it goes back to what passes as normal for me but during and immediately after, I get higher readings.

Everyone is different, lol, including in opinions

As I wrote in my reply to the OP, I think it depends on age and where a person is in life (other medical conditions, medications, 'natural' stages like The Change). And that it is possible to counter the weight gain.

My cardiologist, the cardiac nurse, and my GP all three warned me I might gain weight on Bisoprolol and owing to the way it works it might be harder to lose - but again, I'm a 64yo lady (with PCOS, and a few other non-heart related conditions), someone else with different conditions will have a different experience.

[Yasyass]

I have noticed increase around stomach area also on the subject of bisporol I usual lay write down th I have taken my dose at night but being lazy not finding a pen I couldn’t remember if I had taken the tablet so I took another one now I’m worried Incase I took two instead of the usual one tab

[Snowlock64 in reply to Yasyass]

Subject aside and just to raise your point in remembering to take meds. I am useless at remembering to take mine so I have a med reminder app. It’s very persistent and will not give up until you tell it you have taken the meds. As for bisporol i have gained weight but as so many others have said no idea if it’s the meds or the biscuits (can probably guess which). When I was furloughed I was out taking regular walks and my weight was steady. Now back at work (from home) the weight has crept on. We are probably all tired of hearing it but there is no substitute for a sensible diet (with the odd biscuit here and there) and regular exercise. I try to keep to the 80/20 rule. Be good 80% of the time and a little less so for the 20%. Have a great day everyone.

[Yasyass in reply to Snowlock64]

Thanks for reply just how I feel can’t completely cut things out need odd piece of cake or biscuit then look in mirror say oh tomorrow I’ll stop but as the saying says tomorrow never comes

[Smarticus in reply to Snowlock64]

I use a dosset box sp? I feel a fool, but since being left with brain damage I have no choice

[Gail1967 in reply to Smarticus]

I resorted to a box- well 2 due to meds before I venture downstairs & rest split into morn & eve- but I feel it really helps me be organised for the week so def a good idea 👍🏻

[Sunnie2day in reply to Smarticus]

I love my meds box so much I bought two more just like it to keep as spares. No more 'did I take my meds this morning?', no more 'did I take the prn aspirin today' - now I know just by looking at the box if I'm on track or not.

[Cards21]

Yes I’m heavier now than I’ve ever been. But I’m on 5 different medications.

[Derbados]

I have taken Bisoprolol 1.25mg for nearly two years and have put on weight (nearly a stone)

I think the above comments on it slowing down your HR are probably correct. You really do need to look at your diet though and take responsibility for what you eat.

I think my weight gain is a combo, 20% meds, 80% biscuits and yoghurts after meals 😁

[Smarticus in reply to Derbados]

Love it 80% lol

[MountainGoat52]

No change in weight here due to Bisoprolol. All it does is make me light-headed when I stand up. I wouldn't mind, but I'm only on 1.25mg. 😯

[Hidden]

Yes I noticed it when I first went on it in Jan 2019 on 2.5mg. After pacemaker in Nov 2019 & 10mg, I developed a spare tyre around the middle which I am finding hard to remove despite daily walks & 1000 Cals a day. I lose 2kg one day and back on the next which doc said was fluid retention but she didn’t seem that fussed. I am going for the 5:2 diet as desperate now.

[mandylloyd1]

Thanks for all your comments. My diet hasn't changed nor has my fitness levels but since bisoprolol I have gained about 10lbs in 4 months. Will have to try harder

[Couldbeworse in reply to mandylloyd1]

The drug slows your heart beat and in my case from 72 beats per minute to 52 and works very well with as far as I can tell no side effects.

As the heart is now having a holiday and is taking it easy its not burning energy the same as it was so if my input energy is the same but my output has dropped I wind up gaining weight.

I put on a stone over a year and it took a while to catch on what was happening.

The answer was to re trig my diet and I have removed 1/2 stone over 3 months so am going the right direction.

It't not the exercise that you do that has the big effect on weight. It's what you put in your mouth is the problem.

Give up the biscuits chock and beer... or cut it by 50%.

Download an app (Free) called monitor my weight. or similar.

Weight yourself every morning.

Forget unislim and weight watchers as you won't need them.

Works for me....

Best of luck to you....

[Chappychap in reply to Couldbeworse]

"As the heart is now having a holiday and is taking it easy its not burning energy the same as it was so if my input energy is the same but my output has dropped I wind up gaining weight."

I respectfully disagree.

A top athlete will probably have a lower resting heart rate than anyone on this forum, but they'll also have a higher metabolic rate. There's absolutely no scientific reason why metabolism and resting heart rate can't move in opposite directions.

Let's not forget that about 80% of our metabolism is accounted for by things like operating our brains, running our immune systems, or simply digesting our food. In other words things that aren't associated with what we would normally describe as "exercise".

Since being prescribed Bisprolol I've added a lot of muscle through both resistance and aerobic training, consequently my metabolism is almost certainly higher now than when I wasn't taking Bisprolol!

[gladliz]

Lord, I hope not, I've been on 5mg twice a day for 8 years and yes I have put on quite a lot of weight. However that could be put down to other factors like dodgy knees making excersise painful, which stops weight loss and here we are on the merry-go-round again.

[Ryamber]

I am on 2.5 twice a day. I find it makes me sleepy. I did join Weight Watchers at the begining of the year and managed to loose 10lb in a couple of weeks, then shielding/lockdown stopped the meetings and I have gone back to where I started, mine is a yo yo weight problem, loose a couple of lb one day, put it back the next.

I do have an overactive knife and fork so may look at using chopsticks, to help with the weight loss

[Chappychap]

There's a concerning undercurrent to this thread. It would be a sad mistake if anyone concluded that Bisoprolol means they can't achieve a healthy weight.....and therefore doesn't even bother trying.

About 50% of all heart attacks, strokes, and cases of Type 2 Diabetes can be traced back to obesity and poor diet. The single most important thing we can do to take responsibility for our heart disease is to quit smoking, and after that it's getting our weight under control.

It's true there are some medications that may make weight loss extremely difficult, but Bisoprolol isn't one of them. Neither for that matter are any of the other commonly prescribed cocktail of heart medications.

The message for most people on this forum who have a weight problem is you absolutely have to do something about that. Yes, there will be many obstacles, but your heart medication isn't standing in your way, so don't use that as an excuse to give up.

Good luck!

[Hidden]

I’m insulin resistant requiring medication and an endocrinologist agrees I have a slow metabolism: to maintain my weight, I can only have 1700 calories a day maximum, other wise I start to gain despite being active and working out, when all the literature and advice says I should be able to eat 2500 calories without problems. I still managed to lose the better part of 10 stone whilst on bisoprolol without any additional difficulty. I know you say your diet hasn’t changed, but it might just be worth properly tracking what you’re eating for a few days - an extra slice of bread or a slightly larger portion of something, even something relatively healthy, all adds up and can easily go unnoticed.

[Alison_L]

Yes. I switched from Bis to Carvedilol 8 months ago, but that hasn't made any difference. Most cardiac professionals will snear at you if you ask if it's the meds, but there are plenty of us on here who have taken far more care over our food and exercise since our heart problems (and meds) started, but have still steadily put on weight. xx

[Philealing]

The following is a known side effect that means you should contact your doctor.

Shortness of breath, a big weight gain, or swelling in the arms or legs.

Good luck.

[Johnny_Griff]

I’ve put weight on, since my heart attack and started taking this beta blocker at the same time but like many of the replies I’ve put the weight gain down to more cups of tea and biscuits. The main legacy that the heart attack has left me with is tiredness, an overwhelming need to have a nap in the afternoon and apparently that may be down to this drug and I’dbeen advised to try cutting one tablet out in the morning - that made no difference and I’ve since been prescribed Spironolactone to try but it’ll be a week tomorrow and I can’t see that’s made any difference but having a nap small price to pay 😊