beta blocker and weight gain

[lucy_nic87]

hi everyone
ive been having great success for flushing with 30mg mirtazipine pm and 5mg bisoprolol am, but have started gaining weight despite exercising and watching what i eat. has anyone else had this problem? and was it a temporary thing that eventuallu adjusted or did the weight just pile on?

[arb161]

I came off remeron because it made me want to eat the entire contents of my referigerator every day. Gained 15 pounds in a short period of time and it took me a long time to get it off. For me, the addition of remeron with clonidine did not make a difference in the flushing and was not worth it.
Arlene

[Melissa W]

Hi Lucy, I never tried this drug but I do remember some posts/threads on this in the past. I cannot remember the specifics but one dose caused people to eat and gain weight while the other dose didn't have this side effect as much. I cannot remember which dose (15mg vs 30 mg) did what though. I think it was counterintuitive and the higher dose caused less of the weight symptom (which unfortunately is what you are already on) but perhaps it was the other way around? Try a search re Remeron and see what turns up.

As Arlene posted everyone is different so what might work for some will not work for others unfortunately. It is the nature of the rosacea beast.

Best,
Melissa

[lucy_nic87]

thanks for the replies. yes maybe it is the mirtazipine thats causing the weight gain more than the beta blocker, i just seem to have read a lot on beta blockers and weight gain so guess i attributed it to that. i'm going to stop the mirtazipine and see how things go for a few weeks before i go back to see dr crouch for my second ipl
thanks!

[Melissa W]

Hi Lucy, just wanted to add that it seems many meds have the potential side effect of weight gain unfortunately. Even Oracea which I have been taking for years. It hasn't affected my weight thankfully but again there are so many medications that can cause weight gain. So I don't doubt that beta blockers also can have that effect.

Good luck with your ipl!

[lucy_nic87]

Hi Lucy, just wanted to add that it seems many meds have the potential side effect of weight gain unfortunately. Even Oracea which I have been taking for years. It hasn't affected my weight thankfully but again there are so many medications that can cause weight gain. So I don't doubt that beta blockers also can have that effect.

Good luck with your ipl!

thanks melissa. you're right i think any medication has the potential for weight gain! ive been off mirtazipine just under 2 weeks and have dropped 7 lbs so im thinking that was the culprit!

[Melissa W]

Definitely sounds like Remeron was the culprit.
Glad you are back to your fighting weight Lucy.

[nat007]

Hi,

I have been using mirtazapine for 6 years now for flushing (first years 30mg, the last 3 years 15 mg at night, helps me improve the flushing for I'd say 70% or something), I also take clonidine, propranolol (beta blocker) and Xyzal. They all made my very severe vascular rosacea pretty manageable, although not gone for sure.
Anyway, I did gain weight on these meds, went from 50 kg to 65 (and even a few kilo's more at my worst times). I have always been skinny and could eat everything I wanted in big big portions, just like most of my family members, and it is definitely the side effect of the meds. I would blame mirtazapine most and foremost in your case. It not only makes you hungry (for the carbs and sugars mainly, but if not available anything else at hand), but it also seems to mess a bit with your glucose levels and fat storage. My dad uses it as well and he is an avid sportsman, he has not gained anything on it, but he sports so much that he might not be a good test person. Antihistamines like Xyzal have a similar effect. Mirtazapine acts as an antihistamine at doses of 15-30 mg, and starts to work as an anti depressant at 30 mg and above.
I think the beta blockers also make you gain a little bit on average.

I find the pro's of these meds too big to stop taking them (the times I did the flushing came back full force) and I chose to accept the extra weight. But I can totally understand when people find it literally too much to bear. Excersize and a diet helped me along the way, although I tend to jojo, but when I stick to 1 hour excersize a day at least and healthy foods, I manage to keep my weight stable around 62 kg nowadays. Still heavier though then normal.

I hope you can find a way to limit the weight gain,

best wishes Natalja