Beta blockers and exercise

Nope. Best to have him ask his doc. You know there are many reasons people take that stuff. But as far as the exercise goes, if he doesn't know what to do, and it seems like the exercise deal might be very new for him he needs to talk to his doc.

My dad takes all his meds in the morning, including his metoprolol 25 mg prior to going to the gym. He had an MI a few years ago, (genetics got him, not high BP or for lack of caring for himself) he then goes to the gym and lifts heavy weights for 2 hours straight. No problem. But i taught him he must eat more than a banana if he is taking his meds......

Yeah, I did the "please check with your PCP before beginning any exercise program" thing, but it's just been rattling around my head. Researching on the net seems like a 50/50 split -- some feel like it makes them feel worse, thus making them either less likely to exercise or making them not want to take their pill -- one person said it's like "hitting the wall" when you're running, you just hit it almost immediately, and takes theirs after. Others worry about blowing up the BP or triggering an arrhythmia (if that's what you're taking it for, I guess) and they take theirs before.

What I wonder about is...okay, you take your beta blocker and hop on the treadmill/start running. Your body starts trying to raise your heart rate to give your muscles (including your heart!) O2. But there's an artificial cap placed by the beta blocker. Logic tells me you'd "hit the wall" and need to slow down as the muscles scream for O2. Eventually, your lung capacity would improve, but...in the first months? I keep coming back to oxygenation of muscle tissue, especially that big old important one in your chest. And it's not like I can call the patient up and go, "Hey, this is Nerd and I was your nurse....say, what did the doc tell you?"

This is the kind of stuff that makes me stare at the ceiling when I should be sleeping...

I would think in an unfit body, that that O2 demand would be more than the heart could keep up with: presyncope, angina, air hunger, dysrhythmia. Your body wants that O2 bad, and the heart's got a drag on it. Now if you've been exercising on a long term basis, you are just monitoring how you feel. I don't believe you are supposed to do high intensity stuff either way.

It's mostly the same as with somebody who doesn't take a BB. Your cardiopulmonary system becomes conditioned for the demands that are placed on it and it becomes much more efficient at balancing the body's demand vs delivery for O2.

As far as taking it before or after I would say it mostly doesn't matter. Many people are on controlled release BB for once daily dosing. You'd have to look at the pharmacokinetics of the particular BB they are on.