Written by Mandeep Sohal, PharmD | Reviewed by Amy B. Gragnolati, PharmD, BCPS Updated on February 6, 2023
Key takeaways:
- Routine physical exercise and a nutritious diet are recommended ways to support your health. When possible, it’s ideal to complement your medications’ health benefits with these healthy lifestyle habits.
- Some medications may make it more difficult to exercise. But with a few adjustments, you’ll usually be able to complete your exercise routine.
- Examples of medications that can interfere with your workout include long-acting sleeping pills, beta blockers, and opioid pain relievers.
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When you start taking a new medication, it’s standard practice to think about how it might interact with other medications you’re taking, other medical conditions you may have, and even foods you eat. But did you know that some medications can also affect your exercise routine?
Here’s a list of eight drug classes that could hinder your fitness routine. We’ll talk about why extra precautions may be necessary and how you can work around these drug-exercise interactions.
1. Long-acting sleeping pills
To help them sleep through the night, many people take long-acting sleeping pills like eszopiclone (Lunesta) or extended-release zolpidem (Ambien CR). The trouble with these medications is they can cause a “daytime hangover” effect. In other words, you may feel groggy and drowsy the day after taking them. This can make exercise feel like a big burden.
If you take these types of medications, you could plan a late-morning or early-to-mid-afternoon workout instead of exercising early in the morning. But remember: If you wait too late in the evening to exercise, you may have trouble falling asleep, which can make the sleeping problem worse.
You could also consider using a shorter-acting sleep medication. Regular zolpidem (Ambien) and zaleplon (Sonata) don’t stay in your body as long as Lunesta or Ambien CR, so you’re less likely to be groggy the next day.
2. Antihistamines
Instead of sleeping pills, some people take antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) if they have trouble sleeping. Diphenhydramine can also be useful for cold, allergy, and flu symptoms. Unfortunately, they can also cause daytime drowsiness.
Loratadine (Claritin) and fexofenadine (Allegra) are antihistamines too, but they don’t make you as tired as other antihistamines. These alternatives may be appropriate if you’re taking diphenhydramine for cold or allergy symptoms and want a non-drowsy alternative.
3. Diabetes medications, especially sulfonylureas and insulins
If you have diabetes, you know how important it is to keep an eye out for low blood glucose (sugar). Insulin and sulfonylurea medications, like glipizide, are two diabetes medications with a high risk of causing low blood glucose. On its own, exercise lowers your blood glucose, too. So, performing high-intensity exercise while taking these medications without the right precautions can be risky.
It’s important to speak with your healthcare provider about an appropriate exercise routine if you take diabetes medications. If needed, they may change your medication or dose and can let you know if your exercise of choice is the right intensity. Never change your diabetes medication regimen on your own without your healthcare provider’s OK.
4. Blood pressure medications
Several medications are used to treat high blood pressure. Beta blockers(drugs ending in “-lol”) are a common choice, with other options also available. But due to how they work, you may be curious: Will my blood pressure medication affect my workout? Should I take blood pressure medications before or after exercise?
Beta blockers
Beta blockers work well for high blood pressure and other heart conditions, but they can also cover up symptoms of low blood sugar (trembling, nervousness, shaking). In fact, sweating is the only sign of low blood sugar that beta blockers don’t mask.
But here’s the catch: it’s normal to sweat during exercise. This could make it harder to recognize an episode of hypoglycemia. You see why beta blockers can make exercise risky — especially for people who have diabetes.
Another problem with beta blockers is that they lower your heart rate. This means you can’t rely on your heart rate to accurately measure your exercise intensity. If you’re trying to reach a target heart rate while working out, a beta blocker may make it harder to reach.
Other blood pressure-lowering drugs
One of the many reasons exercise is good for your health is because it helps lower your blood pressure, even after your workout is complete. This post-workout blood pressure drop is expected, but it can be made worse if you’re also taking medications designed to lower blood pressure.
That means you’ll want to talk to your healthcare provider about how to safely monitor your exercise intensity to make sure your heart rate and blood pressure don’t drop too low. Here are a few suggestions:
- Stay hydrated
- Be careful when going from a lying down position to sitting or sitting to standing
- If you feel dizzy, faint, or light-headed, sit down and take a break, or call it quits for the day
You should also ask your healthcare provider about timing your medication doses with your workouts. In most cases, you won’t need to synchronize your blood pressure medications with your time at the gym. This is especially true after your body grows accustomed to your medication. Many blood pressure medications are designed to work gradually over time.
But, depending on your situation and symptoms, they may recommend otherwise. For instance, if you’re taking a beta blocker first thing in the morning and you find that it significantly affects your performance, they may recommend exercising later in the day.
5. Statins
Simvastatin (Zocor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) belong to a group of medications called statins. They’re some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the U.S. Statins help lower cholesterol, but they can also cause muscle pain as a side effect.
If muscle pain or muscle cramps are affecting you, keep in mind that they’re likely to subside after a couple weeks of taking the medication consistently. Until then, it may be best to stick to exercises that don’t strain your muscles too much (e.g., cardio as opposed to resistance training). If you’re not experiencing soreness, it’s not necessary to alter your workout routine.
If muscle pain lasts, your healthcare provider may suggest switching to a different statin.
6. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
Fluoroquinolones are strong antibiotics that can knock out substantial bacterial infections. Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (Cipro) are two popular examples.
A major downside of fluoroquinolones is that they can cause inflammation, muscle aches, and joint pain. Tears in your tendons, the tissue that connects your muscles to your bones, are also possible. High-intensity exercise could increase the likelihood of these side effects.
To be safe, consider taking a break from exercise until you finish your round of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. If that isn’t an option, you could also ask your healthcare provider about low-impact exercises that aren’t as rough on the joints and tendons, like swimming.
7. Oral decongestants
Oral decongestants like pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) are often found in over-the-counter cold, flu, and allergy products. But they can raise your heart rate and blood pressure — just like exercise.
If your heart rate or blood pressure are too high, you may get tired faster. This can interfere with your workout’s quality. But it can also increase your risk of arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) and other heart problems.
If potential heart rate changes are troubling for your situation, you could try wearing a heart rate monitor during exercise and keeping your heart rate within recommended limits.
8. Opioid pain relievers and muscle relaxants
Opioids, like oxycodone (OxyContin), and muscle relaxants, like carisoprodol (Soma), can affect your nervous system, causing symptoms like drowsiness, blurred vision, or dizziness. They can also prevent your nerves from telling your brain that you’re in pain. During exercise, this can be dangerous. These changes could lead to an accidental injury that goes unrecognized or underestimated.
Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to incorporate exercise into your life while taking either of these medications.
The bottom line
Combining medications, routine exercise, and a healthy diet is a recommended way to treat health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. However, some medications may not agree with your exercise routine. Long-acting sleeping pills, beta blockers, and opioid pain relievers are common offenders.
There are some adjustments you can make to ensure that you’re able to hit all of your health and fitness goals. Changing the time of day you take your doses or schedule your workouts are frequent suggestions. However, you shouldn’t make any medication changes without speaking to your healthcare provider first.
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