I am wondering about my heart rate while doing any cardiovascular exercise. I know that verapamil keeps the arrythmias down and the aetenolol works on the blood pressure. I am a very healthy 48 yr. old. I just want to be safe exercising, and my heart rate doesn't rise on these medicines. Am I still getting the benefits of weight loss and building muscle even though these medicines are keeping me from going into arrythmia. If you are a cardiac nurse or doctor, please give me a fair answer. Plus my nutrition is excellent. I follow the body for life nutrition. Thanks for any help…..

1. Of course you will still get some health benefits from exercise. These meds may decrease your "exercise tolerance", meaning your ability to exercise as long and as hard as you might otherwise if you weren't on these meds. Atenolol is a beta blocker, which are notorious for reducing exercise tolerance. This is because beta blockers reduce the maximum heart rate and also may decrease the contractility of the heart muscle, ie. the strength of contraction of the heart muscle. The verapamil is a calcium channel blocker which can pretty much have the same effects. I don't know why you are on them. If you have had some cardiac arrythmia, such as PSVT (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia) or atrial fibrillation, then maybe you need to be on these drugs to keep you in a normal rhythm. If its just blood pressure control, it would be better to be on an ACE inhibitor or an ARB drug, both of which don't reduce exercise tolerance like the drugs you're on can. Your heart rate has to rise some when you exercise or you aren't getting much good out of the exercise. If you are worried about it, then don't go to running, just walk nonstop for a mile or more. It isn't as stressful as running, but will still improve your health and help you to lose weight.
2. I am ER doc.
3. You really should talk with the doctor that prescribed these drugs for you. Especially in regard to the weight lifting, your doctor may be concerned with exercise that works against a force that tends to stay put. (As opposed to an exercise like swimming for instance)

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