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Do Beta Blockers Cause Diabetes

S

Silverdogs

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HI all I'm new to this forum and have been advised to use it to hopefully find the information I am after. I am not currently diagnoised as diabetic but suffer from bad anxiety/depression. I recently came across an article that said taking BB's can cause diabetes and it has really freaked me out. I have been taking propranonol at various doses for years currently 10-20mg per day. What I'm trying to find out is if there is a realtion to the dose of BB taken and the risk of diabetes. I.E. The higher the dose taken then the greater the risk of developing diabetes. Also is there a link between the duration of time BB's are taken and the likelyhood of developing diabetes. None of the studies I have read make any of this clear just that BB's can cause blood sugars to rise.

Any info on this will be greatly appreciated thanks Owain
 
Thia atudy says yes
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2006/sep/beta-blockers-increase-diabetes-risk.html

This one says No
https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6745

This little piggy here says my BB does nothing to my blood sugars, but my diuretic certainly does.

If you are on a BB solely for BP reduction, then it might be wise to use a different medication. If the BB is for heart condition, then see what the cardiologist says. There may be a more recent BB to use instead. But then again, new meds come with increased risk of having other hidden disadvantages not yet proven to be a problem.
 
Hi thanks for the reply I'm on the BB purely for anxiety control not to lower my BP. Im just trying to find out if risk is dose related. I.E does a higher dose of a BB have a greater effect on blood sugar levels. I'm only on 20mg of propranonol where as the normal dose for BP control is 80mg twice a day up to 160mg twice a day. So does that mean there is far less risk of diabetes related problems. Also Ive noticed with all the other BB's the doses are much smaller than with propranonol? Have you any idea why that is, is it just because they are much stronger drugs.
Thanks again im just trying to put my mind at ease as I'm going through a bad anxiety time just now and the added fear of getting diabetes from one of my meds is making me worse.
 
Not able to anwer your query. We do not know what causes diabetes, nor is there an obvious mechanism why this med might possibly induce diabetes. So I cannot even hazard a guess as to whether it is dose dependant or not. Obviously they will not run studies to find out since that breaks the Do No Harm edict. It raises blood sugar levels a little (maybe - mine doesn;t) but that in itself is not causative since what we eat and drink also does that, and most people avoid diabetes.

The dose for anxiety is 40 mg to 120 mg a day, so you are on low dose it seems. There is a 5 mg and a 10 mg pill so you can ask the doctor for a lower dose, but that is for you to discuss with your doctor or specialist. You have to weigh up the benefits against the possible, but not proven, link to diabetes.
 
Hi @Silverdogs , many years ago I was put on Beta Blockers for hypertension. I can't claim they raised my blood sugars, but a very astute GP wrote to my hospital doctor and asked why they had put me on BB's since they are known to mask the signs of hypoglycaemia. I was immediately taken off them and put on an ACE Inhibitor instead.
 

Thanks I have been on a BB since 2008 (80mg) from 2008-2016 then 40 mg from 2016-2019 then off for 2 years, Now back on the 20mg.

If they were going to have any effect on my blood sugar levels would it have happened by now?
If I was going to get diabetes cause of the BB use do you think it would have happened by now?

During the above mentioned periods all my blood tests have come back normal and my HbA1c was 37 last time it was measured in 2019

Thanks again
 
Last edited:
Grant_Vicat said:
since they are known to mask the signs of hypoglycaemia
Click to expand...
Ohhh, didn’t know that nor am I sure what that means? Lol

I don’t know the answer OP but I have been on BB 18 months since a heart operation and can’t say I’ve noticed any effect on blood sugar.
 
Fenn said:
Ohhh, didn’t know that nor am I sure what that means? Lol

I don’t know the answer OP but I have been on BB 18 months since a heart operation and can’t say I’ve noticed any effect on blood sugar.
Click to expand...
You lose your hypo awareness. Sorry I was quoting the GP without thinking!
 
There are lots of options for anxiety and depression. I can’t comment on why you were put on beta-blockers but whatever side effects do occur, I have not heard about them causing diabetes. A number of drugs can either raise or lower blood sugar so if they’re working otherwise, sometimes it’s best to just adapt to that.
 
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