Does propranolol lead to insulin resistance?
Posted on Jan 17, 2010 under insulin resistance test | 4 CommentsI am worried about stopping propranolol (my bp is rarely below 190/110) and GP has recently had dose increased to 120mg per day. However, my weight is out of control and I suffer badly from blood sugar problems (which means I need to eat every 3 hours or I get panicky and sweaty) I have gained almost 5 stone over 8 years – can someone out there please give me some advice. I have been tested for thyroid and diabetes which came back as normal. I do struggle with dieting but even on bad days I rarely eat more than 2000 cals.
I am also on hrt following a TAH and my gp has just given me olestra with the result that I have actually gained another 2lbs despite eating only 30g of fat per day. What is going on?
Please be aware there are a large number of people on this site telling people to try acai berry please be aware of this in the first place As far as I am aware propranolol does not lead to insulin resistance. The only thing I can suggest is try looking at the GI. This measures how quickly the carbohydrates in the food are broken down and absorbed into the blood as glucose. Some diabetics have found that be watching the GI content of food that they gain better blood glucose control and lose weight, therefore you may find that this system works for you (see the web site below for more information)
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January 17th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Propranolol treatment attenuates hypermetabolism and does not cause increased incidence of infection and sepsis.
Propranolol and weight: Beta Blockers can cause weight gain. Research shows that beta blockers and diuretics, the drugs prescribed most often for high blood pressure, cause high blood sugar levels, weight gain, tiredness and impotence. Most people with high blood pressure have high blood insulin levels that increase their chances of suffering heart attacks, constant hunger and weight gain. Beta blockers, such as atenolol and propranolol, and diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide, reduce the body’s ability to respond to insulin, causing high blood insulin levels that increase risk for heart attacks, diabetes and weight gain. Because of this, drug companies have developed newer beta blockers such as dilevalol, carvedilol and celiprolol that do not raise insulin levels and therefore do not increase a person’s chances of suffering heart attacks, diabetes and weight gain.
Insulin resistance is defined as the relative impairment of insulin to promote glucose uptake in peripheral tissues.
Effect of beta-blockers and diuretics: The experience over the last 6-7 years is that betablockers and diuretics in general impair insulin resistance by about 20%. However, it has also been shown that this is not a pure class effect because among the betablockers there is a clear separation in effect between those that have intrinsic sympathetic activity (ISA) and those that do not have ISA. Thus, propranolol treatment is associated with a worsening of insulin resistance by 32%.
Precautions/contraindications: Propranolol should be used with caution in patients with:
•Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus , often referred to simply as diabetes , is a syndrome of disordered metabolism, usually due to a combination of genetic disorder and environmental causes, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels ….or hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is the term for overactive tissue within the thyroid gland, resulting in overproduction and thus an excess of circulating free thyroid hormones: thyroxine , triiodothyronine , or both…., since signs and symptoms of hypoglycaemia may be masked. Also, propranolol may affect blood sugar levels
Also read article on this web sites:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.support.diabetes/browse_thread/thread/68b4ea2f3c126b97
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17632586
http://colleges.ksu.edu.sa/CollegeofPharmacy/Documents/SPJ/1701/170103.pdf
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Please be aware there are a large number of people on this site telling people to try acai berry please be aware of this in the first place As far as I am aware propranolol does not lead to insulin resistance. The only thing I can suggest is try looking at the GI. This measures how quickly the carbohydrates in the food are broken down and absorbed into the blood as glucose. Some diabetics have found that be watching the GI content of food that they gain better blood glucose control and lose weight, therefore you may find that this system works for you (see the web site below for more information)
References :
Retired nurse
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
http://www.mendosa.com/gi.htm
January 18th, 2010 at 1:18 am
I took them for almost 10 years for depression but didn’t gain weight, although I was on off diets – I stopped taking them 4 years ago and last year was diagnosed type 2 diabetes diet controlled and an under active thyroid, 2 months ago I took Xenical Orlistat to help lose weight but after spending most of the day running to the loo I stopped taking them after a week and gained 3lb, my stomach and bowels have not been right since then. I am female 52 years old and menopausal. I don’t have a big appetite and doctor told me I am not loosing weight because I don’t eat enough?
References :
January 18th, 2010 at 1:39 am
Beta blockers can cause insulin resistance and increase your chances of becoming diabetic.
You can read about it here…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-403973/Beta-blockers-increase-diabetes-risk-50-cent.html
If your doctor agrees that you should change your medications make sure that you are tapered off the beta blocker very slowly. Its not safe to do it too fast.
I suggest you ask your doctor to test your blood sugar again. It may have changed and may now be borderline or high, even if you started out with hypoglycemia.
Ask for an HbA1c test, which doesn’t require fasting. It would probably be wise to get it checked every year or if its a little high, twice a year because of your other health issues and blood sugar problems.
Your results should be between 3.5 and 5.5 %. If its higher, you are prediabetic, or could even have full blown diabetes.
Getting panicky and sweaty are symptoms of low blood sugar, but if your blood sugar is higher than normal, you can get these symptoms as it goes down to normal. Your body gets used to the high levels and you feel terrible when it gets lower than usual. That’s why you can’t really be sure if its high or low just by your symptoms. You need to actually test your blood sugar levels.
It would also be helpful if you got a glucometer and tested your blood sugar before breakfast and about two hours after breakfast, each day. This would give you an idea what’s really happening. Your doctor can write a prescription for it, and the test strips. You can usually get the meter free when you buy 100 test strips (costs from $60 to $100 for a box of 100).
If you see your blood sugar rising higher than normal levels after meals, then you need to make changes to your diet. You can start by cutting back on processed foods and carbs.
Try the South Beach diet, phase two, it should help with hypoglycemia and it certainly helps with diabetes. Either way, talk to your doctor about all this before making changes.
Good luck!
PS. I recommend the Freestyle Freedom meter because it requires only a tiny blood sample and its very easy to use. You can see it here…
http://abbottdiabetescare.com/
References :
Personal experience with hypoglycemia that later developed into diabetes, in TWO members of my family.