Exercising Whilst Taking Medication

We are very lucky in Australia to have great access to affordable and safe to use medications, that can help us manage our health. Whether it be for a short period of sickness or a long term condition that may influence the way we live our life. Despite having these available to us, it remains essential that we maintain a healthy balance between exercise, sleep and diet to live young and live well. However, sometimes when provided a new medication, it can feel as though there’s a barricade up to exercising…

The Australian Prescriber lists the top 10 most commonly consumed medications for 2022-2023 and they are definitely the most common medications we will see our clients using.

Statins, namely atorvastatin and rosuvastatin, saw the number one and two spots on the list. These are largely prescribed for treating high cholesterol (LDL cholesterol, in particular) and are important for reducing the risk of cardiovascular issues due to the presence of high cholesterol levels. They are often prescribed with the advice of taking up regular exercise and assessing one’s diet, to ensure their effectiveness is compounded for better long term outcomes.

However, the most common side effect of statin use is myalgia, or muscle pain. This can understandably make it both difficult and undesirable to exercise, because your muscles are already sore or very prone to cramping.

Blood pressure medications, in amlodipine, perindopril, telmisartan and candesartan came in third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Irbesartan rounded out number ten on the list and falls into this category of medications. These are often used to reduce blood pressure or manage various cardiovascular conditions. As with statins, these are usually prescribed with the advice of taking up regular exercise and assessing your diet.

Some of the top side effects for these types of medications can include fatigue, dizziness or lightheadedness often characterised by a drop in blood pressure due to the action of the drug.

When exercising, your blood pressure will normally increase with the increased load on your body and then drop slightly below your usual resting blood pressure for a short while following. As a result, starting exercise for the first time after commencing this style of drug can be very difficult, due to your blood pressure responding slower than usual, or very little at all. Following exercise, your blood pressure will often drop below your normal resting pressure, which can occasionally bring on those symptoms of fatigue or dizziness, which can be quite deterring when going to try exercise again.

Anti-depressants, including sertraline (or zoloft) and escitalopram (or cipralex) made up seven and eight most consumed medications on the list. These are a particular class of anti-depressant called SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) – in essence, they are used for a variety of conditions, largely associated with mental health and work by acting on serotonin presence in the brain.
Anti-depressants in general, have long been linked to changes in body composition and weight gain. Aside from this, they can occasionally give you feelings of sleepiness and fatigue. When significant enough, this can often make it hard enough to just get out of bed and make breakfast, let alone exercise at a good intensity.

Metformin, came in at number nine most consumed medications for its use in managing type 2 diabetes. Metformin works by helping regulate how much glucose is absorbed from the blood stream as well increasing the effectiveness of your body’s insulin.

Due to its action on blood glucose, it can make you feel quite tired and fatigued, generally weak, or bloated and heavy. Understandably, this can make it difficult to exercise or have the motivation to get started on exercising.

It is important to note, the side effects listed for the above medications are commonly listed symptoms, and not everyone will experience these. There are also lots more possible common side effects, these are simply more inclined to limit one from exercising regularly.

Like doing most things for the first time, going all in and doing a high intensity exercise session isn’t the best idea. Starting somewhere easy, and enjoyable is a great place to start. It might be a walk around the block, it might be squatting half the weight you were previously, it might be running 5km instead of 15km – depending on your starting point.

Working toward a good balance of resistance training and aerobic exercise is the ideal place to aim for. So starting with the simplest and easiest of the forms is what we recommend. For example, a graded resistance exercise program at 2-3 times per week, can start at lighter intensities and gradually build on difficulty within sessions. Then adding an aerobic exercise day after 6-8 weeks is much more achievable. You could just as well do this in the reverse order, starting with walking of increasing intensity, then maybe working toward a light run, or cycle session within the week, slowly increasing the intensity of these sessions as weeks pass. One of the keys to this is that is should be enjoyable. It doesn’t necessarily need to be running, cycling, or weight training. It could be pilates,

If you’re feeling unsure about exercising while on medication, working with a professional can make all the difference. At Precision Physio, we specialise in tailored exercise programs designed to meet your individual needs and help you overcome any barriers—whether they stem from medication side effects or health concerns.

Book an appointment today with one of our experienced team members or schedule a session directly with Liam Palmer, our trusted Exercise Physiologist. Together, we’ll help you move better, feel stronger, and live young!