Is anyone one here pharmaicist? Does Toprol (a heart med) slow down your metabolism?

My exercise physiologist at cardiac rehab told me it may slow down my metabolism (which explains a lot). I have been on Toprol for 4 months before my heart surgery and I am still on it (almost 3 months later).

Does it slow down your metabolism? This is so frustrating. I going to cardiac rehab Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They are kicking my butt and I am exhausted. I am meeting with the nutritionist on Friday and I was told I need to loose 35-40 pounds (I still have the baby weight and I could not loose it before surgery).

How can I do this when my meds are possibly slowing me down? Plus, taking Alli or anything else is OUT of the question. I just have to work my butt off (literally) and eat healthy stuff.

On a positive note, it felt so good to work out again with out having to worry about having atrial fribirlation from exercising. I am so happy that I am on the right track.

I feel like a mack truck hit me, but they say that should go away in a few weeks. I hope they are right.

Message edited 8/14/2007 10:05:00 PM.

Re: Is anyone one here pharmaicist? Does Toprol (a heart med) slow down your metabolism?

pharmcat2000 is a pharmacist.

Re: Is anyone one here pharmaicist? Does Toprol (a heart med) slow down your metabolism?

I am not a pharmacist so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I know the basics of how beta blockers like Toprol work. They basically slow down your heart rate and relax your blood vessels to decrease blood pressure. This may make it harder to exercise, which explains how bad you feel after exercising. I guess maybe since when exercising you are trying to increase your heart rate to burn fat, this drug may interfere with the natural signals to burn fat in your body (but I am just guessing with this part).

I checked the side effects on Wikipedia (yeah I know but their company website was annoying to read through) and one was unexpected or sudden weight gain. So it's possible it affects your metabolism. link to Wikipedia article.

Good luck, that is amazing that you're recovering from heart surgery and working so hard to exercise and lose weight, I wish you the best of luck!

ETA: I was still curious so during my break I checked on the internet, I found this article "Hypothesis: b-Adrenergic Receptors and Weight Gain

Another website about the link between b-blockers and problems losing weight

Message edited 8/15/2007 3:37:24 PM.

Re: Is anyone one here pharmaicist? Does Toprol (a heart med) slow down your metabolism?

I am not a pharmacist but I have to take pharmacology courses as part of my masters program.
Drugs that end in -ol are beta blockers and beta blockers work by slowing down the metabolism.

"I feel like a mack truck hit me, but they say that should go away in a few weeks. I hope they are right."
As long as you are on the drug, the slowed metabolism and fatigue will not go away.

Re: Is anyone one here pharmaicist? Does Toprol (a heart med) slow down your metabolism?

Thank you ladies

I am so depressed over this. I have to be on this for a year at least, if not the rest of my life. I went to cardiac rehab again today and asked them why work so hard at rehab, if the beta blocker is making me feel fatigued and preventing me from loosing the weight? If I cannot loose the weight and I will always feel this way; then why bother working my tail off? They reassured me that this will help, even just a little bit. A little help pis not good enough for me. I need to loose 40 pounds. I want to fit into my old clothes again.

I worked out like a mad woman and they told me to slow it down that Rome was not built in a day. I know I overdid it today, but I was so pizzed about being on these meds that I took it out on the treadmill. I am so upset. I mean its not like I am sitting on my butt, eating junk, watching TV and doing nothing. Iam eating right, working out at cardiac rehab to the point where they yell at me to slow it down and I am getting nowhere with my weight loss. THIS SUCKS!!!!

Thanks for letting me vent.

Message edited 8/15/2007 6:07:05 PM.