I exercise and take medication: what precautions should I know?

Which medicines can make a difference when you exercise, how to organise your doses on training days and what to bear in mind if you compete.

Yes, you can exercise even if you take medication every day, and in many cases it is highly recommended. What matters is knowing whether any of your medicines changes how your body responds to effort, heat or knocks, and adapting your training with the help of your doctor or pharmacist.

If you are starting to train or are about to step up the intensity a lot, and especially if you have a heart condition, mention it at your next appointment first.

Which medicines call for more care when you exercise?

The groups most worth watching are those that lower blood sugar, those that slow the heart or lower blood pressure, those that affect hydration and the kidneys, and those that increase the risk of bleeding. This table summarises what can happen and what to do.

If you train outdoors, bear in mind that some medicines also increase sensitivity to the sun: we explain this in photosensitising medicines.

What should you know if you take diabetes medication?

Exercise makes your muscles use glucose, so with insulin or some oral diabetes medicines your blood sugar can drop too low. According to MedlinePlus, blood sugar can keep falling for up to 12 hours after you finish.

• Check your glucose before exercising and, for long sessions, during and afterwards too.
• Always carry something that raises blood sugar quickly, such as glucose tablets or juice.
• Drink water before, during and after.
• Carry identification showing that you have diabetes.
• Ask your healthcare team when and what to eat before training and whether you should adjust your insulin. According to a public information guide from the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition, the adjustment depends on the type of exercise and on each person.

If you also work and find it hard to fit your doses in, our article on type 2 diabetes and work may help.

How should you organise your doses on training days?

Keep your usual times and organise your training around them, not the other way round. Moving or skipping a dose to train can be a problem; if a dose time does not fit with your sport, talk to your doctor.

1. Do not change doses or times on your own, and do not stop a medicine because you feel more tired when training: ask first.
2. If a medicine makes you dizzy, ask whether you should leave more time between the dose and exercise.
3. Stay hydrated and avoid the hottest hours, especially with diuretics or blood pressure medicines. The AEMPS points out that these medicines can worsen the effects of heat and that you should not change your treatment without advice.
4. Carry what you might need: sugar if you have diabetes, your reliever inhaler if one has been prescribed and your medication list.
5. Be careful where you leave your medication: do not leave it in a car in the sun. More tips in how to store medication in hot weather.

What if you compete with a sports licence?

If you take part in official competitions, some common medicines are on the list of substances prohibited in sport. In Spain, the list in force in 2026 was approved by the National Sports Council (Consejo Superior de Deportes) and published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) in December 2025.

• Diuretics and beta-2 agonists (a type of bronchodilator) are prohibited at all times, with some exceptions for certain inhalers.
• Glucocorticoids taken by mouth, by injection or rectally are prohibited in competition.
• Beta blockers are prohibited in certain sports, such as golf, shooting, archery, billiards, darts or motor sport.

If you need one of these medicines for a medical reason, do not stop it: tell your doctor that you compete and ask your federation about the therapeutic use exemption procedure.

A practical example: Marta trains for a summer race

Let us take the case of Marta, 52, a nurse with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. She takes a beta blocker and a statin and has signed up for a 10 km race in September. When she trains with her heart rate monitor, she never reaches the target her app shows and thinks she is doing something wrong.

1. She mentions it to her doctor, who explains that the beta blocker slows her pulse and suggests going by how hard the effort feels and whether she can talk while running.
2. She runs early in the morning or at dusk and carries water.
3. She tells apart the stiffness of the first few days from unexplained muscle pain, which she would get checked.
4. She keeps her doses at the usual time and does not skip any to "perform better".

How can IMA Health help you?

If your diary is full between work and training, having your medication already organised makes things much simpler. With IMA Health, a specialised pharmacy prepares your medication by the day and time of each dose, IMA coordinates with the pharmacy, delivers it to your home and provides personalised follow-up so you keep your treatment on track.

Sources

• AEMPS: Medicines and heat (in Spanish)
• BOE: National Sports Council resolution approving the list of prohibited substances and methods in sport (2026, in Spanish)
• MedlinePlus: Diabetes and exercise (in Spanish)
• Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition: Exercise in diabetes (patient information, in Spanish)
• NHS: Beta blockers

This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.