For those who love their exercise routines but now take beta-blockers, beta-blocker-induced exercise fatigue may be an issue you want to understand better.
There’s no reason to stop exercising altogether, provided you obtain your doctor’s advice beforehand on the level at which you can get your daily exercise. But you would naturally want to make sure there won’t be any issues if you do. And you might be wondering what beta blockers actually do while you’re exercising?
We’re going to provide a guide to beta blockers and exercise fatigue, with a recap of how beta blockers work and their impact on your exercise routine. Starting with a quick overview.
Beta-blockers and exercise fatigue? Beta-blockers are a class of medications that aim to lower your heart rate to treat conditions involving a fast heart rate. You should not exercise to reach an expected heart rate while on beta-blockers. Results may vary, but doing so can lead to overexertion and fatigue.
With that summary in mind, please note that the effects of beta-blockers and exercise fatigue can vary from person to person.
This variation stems from the severity of a person’s health conditions that require beta-blocker use. Below is a breakdown of beta-blockers and exercise fatigue, how it happens, and the recommendations often given by doctors on what ot do.
Beta blocker types
Many different forms of beta-blockers exist. Some of the most popular beta-blocker medications include:
- Propranolol (Inderal)
- Acebutolol (Sectral)
- Bisoprolol (Ziac)
- Nadolol (Corgard)
- Atenolol (Tenormin)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor)
- Nebivolol (Bystolic)
Those currently using any of these medications may wish to consult their doctor on best practices regarding exercise and beta-blockers.
And if you struggle to afford your monthly beta-blocker expenses, then you may find Prescription Hope’s medication access service useful. For those who qualify, access to meds like these is a simple $70.00 per month, per medication. Even if one savings opportunity for a beta-blocker cannot be used, Prescription Hope continues advocating for patients by exploring coupons, discount cards or discount programs, savings programs, and alternative medication patient assistance programs.
Here’s the truth about beta blockers and exercise fatigue.
Beta-blockers and exercise fatigue – How Beta-blockers work
Beta-blockers are medications commonly used for the treatment of heart conditions such as heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms, angina, and heart failure. Not only that, but Beta-blockers are also used for treating hypertension (high blood pressure).
Typically, beta-blockers help manage these conditions by lowering heart rate and thereby easing the heart’s workload.
Beta-blockers, also called “Adrenergic blocking agents,” block the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline in certain parts of the body, further reducing the stress-load placed on the body.
By helping the body manage these areas, a beta-blocker reduces the force with which the heart pumps blood.
The net result is a lower heartbeat, better stress management, and better control of heart conditions and high blood pressure.
It’s this mechanism that primarily affects how beta-blockers and exercise fatigue come about. There are other heart medications that make you tired.
Fatigue is a side effect of Beta-blockers without exercise
Unfortunately, one common side effect of beta-blockers is fatigue.
Meaning even if you don’t exercise, you may still feel fatigued while taking beta-blockers.
Fatigue, in simple terms, is extreme tiredness. Typically, fatigue as a result of beta-blockers is due to the medication’s anti-adrenaline mechanism of action.
Beta-blockers have anti-adrenaline effects, making them effective for treating heart conditions.
However, it’s this same anti-adrenaline effect that makes you feel fatigued after having them.
Adrenaline is a hormone that helps your body prepare and react. The hormone helps your heart to beat faster, increases blood flow to the brain and muscles, and helps the body perform better under stressful situations.
Above all, it’s this adrenaline that stimulates your body to make use of the sugar in your body for energy.
So, naturally, when you don’t have enough adrenaline, your body’s capacity to make energy reduces.
In addition to this, the low heart rate and low blood pressure, all supported by anti-adrenaline effects from beta-blockers, are likely to make you feel naturally fatigued.
So if you think it’s the exercising while on beta-blockers that is causing fatigue, then there’s a good chance that is incorrect. If you take small doses of beta-blockers these fatigue effects may be less apparent and can increase with exercising.
However, if you take a high dose of beta-blockers, take time to observe how it causes fatigue.
One of the best ways to do this is to sit back and observe the effects beta-blockers have on you before exercising. You’ll realize you probably feel fatigued – even before exercising begins.
How beta blockers cause fatigue while exercising
When we exercise, our heart rate increases.
Heart rate is measured by counting the number of heart beats per minute. Some forms of exercise require an increase of heart rate and continued measurement of the heart rate to ensure the cardiovascular system is being worked.
However, beta-blockers can affect this process by lowering a patient’s heart rate.
For many people, this means that it may be more difficult to reach a target heart rate due to the beta-blocker’s effects.
To achieve a proper heart rate for their workout regimen, some people push their workouts far past their normal exercise program, putting them at risk of serious fatigue.
Although you do this intending to reach your targeted heartbeat rate for the perfect workout session, what you overlook is that you’re simply exhausting yourself. In truth, this is what results in beta-blockers and exercise fatigue.
How to experiment with beta blockers and exercise fatigue
Pairing these 6 practical tips to keep your heart healthy with your professionally-provided exercise program, may help you reach your goals for your cardiovascular exercise regimen.
For those hoping to continue to make progress with their cardiovascular fitness and achieve their goals for their heart, a discussion with your healthcare provider could mean the difference between not exercising at all or pushing yourself to severe fatigue while on beta-blockers.
Some doctors may recommend the following process:
- Work out before you take your daily dose of beta-blockers
- Check how long it takes to reach your targeted heart rate
- On another day, take the same routine or workouts and do them while on a beta-blocker
- Check your heart rate at the same amount of time it took to reach your target on the previous workout
- Adjust your workout or effort based on your doctor’s recommendations
How to avoid the struggle of beta blockers and exercise fatigue
One key tip to remember is that beta-blocker-induced fatigue and exercise fatigue occur only because of overexertion, i.e., doing too much exercise.
And, if you’re concerned about the level of exertion you’re having to give to achieve your desired heart rate, then pay careful attention to how difficult it is for you to talk while exercising. The harder it is to talk, the more exertion you’re giving during the workout.
If you are concerned about your health related to your exercise regimen, then it may be useful to ask your doctor for an exercise stress test. This tests the blood flow through your heart rate and can measure how hard your heart pumps while you’re exercising on beta-blockers.
Those who do not have access to an exercise stress test may be interested in learning how to make use of the Borg scale (Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion, or RPE).
This scale works by using a range of numbers from 6-20 and matches how hard you feel while working out. The higher the number on the scale, the harder you’re exercising.
Exercise is an important aspect of life. It helps us to avoid stress and other conditions such as depression. And direct health threats that can lead to more medications. Find out more about how exercise helps depression.
Understanding how beta blockers and exercise fatigue occur can provide useful insight for continuing exercise while on beta blockers.
Further help
Hopefully, this has provided some insight into the use of beta-blockers and exercise fatigue. As always, consult your doctor before starting any exercise routine while taking beta-blockers to get professional medical advice.
And if you’re currently taking Beta-blockers, but struggling to afford them on a monthly basis, Prescription Hope may be able to help further.
For $70.00 per med, per month, Prescription Hope patients get access to hundreds of name-brand medications. While Prescription Hope typically assists with access to Patient Assistance Programs, other options may be available. When a savings option cannot be applied, Prescription Hope keeps identifying other affordability pathways, including coupons, discount cards or discount programs, savings programs, and other resources.
Enroll for free today and find out if Prescription Hope can help!
For more questions regarding your specific condition, always consult your healthcare provider.
If you’re having trouble affording any of the medications you’ve been prescribed, visit our home page to learn more about Prescription Hope’s medication access service, compare the costs of your current prescriptions, and see how we can help obtain your medications at a cheaper price. Fill out an application today and start receiving Brand-Name prescription medications at your doorstep. Call us at 1-877-296-HOPE (4673) to speak to one of our representatives, we’re always happy to see how we can help.
