Beta Blockers and Exercise Tracking

Apple if you are listening I want to turn this off, I had no idea it would drop my VO2 score by 15 points! I am in my 60's, extremely fit, exercise daily, just saw my cardiologist and given an excellent bill of health. I do have my real VO2 score, I just took a stress test. I take the minimum amount of beta blockers on my Cardiologist recommendation, mainly to prevent me from going into AFIB when I redline my heart on Mnt Bike Climbs of several thousand feet. What Doctor on the Apple team decided that if I answer this question my VO2 scores drops by 15 points and I go from High, to below average in a day? The recommendation to improve my VO2 is to start climbing hills, really I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains I hike and bike hills daily, several thousand feet, but you can't figure that out from my fitness + score, geez! Because I signed up for fitness+ and answered this question my CFL went from 41 to 26, IN A DAY! I've gone from High VO2, to below average. If Steve were here, someone would be fired! Please respond and tell me how to turn this OFF!

Go to the watch app on iPhone. Then Health. Then Health Details. Scroll down to medications affecting heart rate. Select edit at top of screen and selectable options are there. I take bisoprolol which is a beta-blocker reducing heart rate but had to put no as otherwise my VO2 Max level drops ridiculously. I had open heart surgery 27/02/2020 and used the iwatch well before this option became available. Its only when apple did an update around October that all the faulty results started.

Hi Sajjad228,

did you ever solve this problem. I have the same issue.

if the betablocker option is not chosen I get about half the exercise minutes or less but my VO2 max level is 34_38 but when selecting the medication affecting heart rate setting, my VO2 max level drops 10 points. I had heart surgery so the information needs to be accurate. Such a shame as did work fine until this health setting was made available.

regards,

Andy

glad I'm not the only one, I take the smallest ammount of beta blocker... and like some folks say, this only started since that question was put in on the health app, made me feel like something was wrong with me for months, glad I found this thread

I’ve been using Apple products since the Lisa, I call this the Apple Intelligence Test. If not in the obvious place, then let’s hide it somewhere else. Not the fitness+ app where the issue is presented, not the native watch App, not the native Health App, no let’s hide it under in the health settings in the iPhone Watch App. Sorry, having to look in 4 different places is not cool, especially when you can find the data in all locations, but only edit in one.

I have the same problem. I’m 57, active/fit, but have elevated BP (130/90) and doc put me on beta blocker and calcium blocker. VO2 Max was consistently 35-40 prior to my toggle those meds on when I noticed the option last Fall. Similar to others here, my VO2 Max on the watch plummeted to 19. I have just completed an annual executive medical check and I see my heart doctor monthly. Stress test results are also Good to Very Good level. As with everyone here, my conclusion is this algorithm for adjusting readings for med usage is seriously flawed. Apple. Fix it or ditch it.

This answer was less than worthless. I take a beta blocker. It is difficult at times to score workout minutes when my heart rate is suppressed. Walking as fast as I can for 20 minutes often only scores 10 minutes of exercise. What are the effects to the exercise algorithm when this setting is checked?

Hello sajjad228,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand that you would like further information about how medications impact your workouts and scores.

We recommend having a look at Monitor your heart rate with Apple Watch for a bit of information about how heart rate is measured. Then, please reach out to Apple Support with further questions. You can reach out from Get Support.

Thanks!

Personally, I don't want Apple to be my Doctor, simply provide the tools to work with my Cardiologist, he is the one that should suggest I turn this feature on/off. I just found this book, which validates my path since I was 1st diagnosed with AFIB in 2011 and others may find it useful. I refused to accept that there is nothing I could do to change my AFIB condition and was on the bleeding edge of techniques to improve my health as I age. Just like I have been on the bleeding edge of Apple Technology my entire career. What is interesting is I consider myself an amateur athlete and I wasn't going to give up my fitness regardless of my age or society's definition. The biggest factors in this book for me are sleep and hydration, along with a magnesium supplement, which I initially tried, but didn't like taking horse pills and stopped. This books suggested a chewable dose taken over the day, duh! Just published in in 2020, and unlike Apple that wants to put you in a box, this book has detailed medical cases, which reenforces everyone is unique, and what works for one individual is not going to work for someone else. I am living proof that you just don't have to live with AFIB, you can recover, and it's not an elderly condition, young athletes suffer from AFIB as well.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restart-your-heart-aseem-desai/1135744212

Yes I do, I will be meeting with may cardiologist next week, who is already concerned about the false positives I have been getting from my Apple Watch. I also have a right to manage my data and it's none of Apple's business if I want to toggle this off, they need to respect my privacy. Tried to call into support and they are overwhelmed, did not return my scheduled call. One must specifically have a "Health Specialist" answer this question. It appears they have no solution as I simply asked how do I toggle this off and could they just please send me the instructions. I guess I will have to write an App to fix it.

Here is what my Garmin 830 registers from my ride yesterday in SDSF the other day. I take offense to fitness + calling me by name and indicating that I am a slacker because I need to climb hills. You are wrong Apple and I want it fixed!

I should add that my BP after a year of BP meds is 110/70. I’m in good health.

I don’t know what to make of it. I do have raised BP and I have been rowing this year and improving my VO2 max. I set the BP meds setting today and dropped from the middle of above average to just above poor. If it is correct I need to know but it was very demoralising! I turned it off and removed the results for now. I want to finish the year thinking I improved &

on the old calculations I did

Next year maybe start again with the low value

Thank you and good luck with your recovery. I was beamed up to Starship Stanford for repairs in 2012, it all worked out and my biggest concern was staying off blood thinners, so far, so good. I am currently in use it or lose it mode and take my fitness seriously with the help technology like smart eMTBs that can boost power when I start to redline my heart. I plan to be riding the trails into my 90's.

I'm glad I found this thread, I'm having the same issue. I'm on beta blocker (smalles dose) and since I activated it in my health data my cardio fitness level went down like a waterfall. Every day I lost around 0.1 points - even I do a lot of outdoor fast walking and increased my vo2 max over the last year. So I really think Apple should look into this to get this fixed. Also, there is no option to give different levels of beta blockers - I'm using the lowest dose but I know it can be higher. So far I deactivated the setting and waiting for a fix. Stand by for updates!

Without telling the apple watch 6 that I am on a betablocker my VO2 score was 35. I thought I was doing good.

When i told it I was on a betablocker my score fell to 25.

I'm 74.

So I tried the Rockport walking test at 4 mph for 1 mile, took me 16 min, and my score was 27.8

The Rockport test doesn't care whether you are on betablockers or not.

Whole thing was a wakeup call for me.

I'm not in nearly as good shape as I thought.