How does carvedilol affect the heart

When you start taking carvedilol, your doctor may advise you to take your first dose just before you go to bed. This is because it can make you feel dizzy. After the first dose, if you do not feel dizzy, you can take your medicine in the morning.

Leave 10 to 12 hours between doses if you can. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Do not chew or crush them. Carvedilol does not usually upset your stomach, so you can take it with or without food.

This will help reduce the risk of you feeling dizzy or faint when you stand up. If you find tablets difficult to swallow, some strengths have a score line to help you break the tablet in half.

Check the information leaflet that comes with your medicine to see if you can do this. Carvedilol tablets come in 4 different strengths — 3. If your child is prescribed carvedilol, the doctor will use their weight to work out the right dose. In this case, just leave out the missed dose and take your next dose as normal.

Never take 2 doses at the same time. Never take an extra dose to make up for a forgotten one. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

The amount of carvedilol that can lead to an overdose varies from person to person. Taking too much carvedilol can lower your blood pressure, slow your heart rate, and make it difficult to breathe.

Like all medicines, carvedilol can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones. These common side effects may happen in more than 1 in people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away:.

It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects when taking carvedilol. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to carvedilol. These are not all the side effects of carvedilol. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. If you're trying to get pregnant or you're already pregnant, talk to your doctor about taking carvedilol.

If your doctor or health visitor says that your baby is healthy, it's OK to take carvedilol while breastfeeding. There is no information about whether carvedilol passes into breast milk, but it would only be expected to pass through in small amounts.

If you notice that your baby isn't feeding as well as usual, or seems unusually sleepy, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, then talk to your health visitor, midwife or doctor as soon as possible. Find out more about high blood pressure and pregnancy.

There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with carvedilol. However, some herbal products, such as cod liver oil, hawthorn and garlic tablets may cause low blood pressure hypotension.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Carvedilol is a type of medicine called a beta blocker. Like other beta blockers, carvedilol works by slowing down your heart rate and making it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body. It also works like an alpha blocker to widen some of your blood vessels.

This helps lower your blood pressure. For angina, carvedilol works by improving the blood supply to your heart. Angina is chest pain that comes on when not enough blood gets to the muscles of the heart. It usually happens because the arteries to the heart become hardened and narrowed. Carvedilol widens the arteries so more oxygen gets to the heart and chest pain is prevented.

It also slows your heart down and makes it beat more effectively. This reduces the amount of oxygen needed by your heart muscle and prevents angina. Carvedilol usually starts to work after about 1 hour.

But it will take days or weeks to reach its full effect. Usually, treatment with carvedilol is long term. It may be for the rest of your life. Most people take carvedilol for a long time with no problems.

In fact, it works best when you take it long term. Talk to your doctor if you want to stop taking carvedilol. The main difference with carvedilol is that it can affect other parts of your body too, such as your lungs. Other medicines used to lower blood pressure work in different ways to beta blockers.

If you have pheochromocytoma, talk with your doctor. You may need to take another medication before starting carvedilol. Talk with your doctor before taking carvedilol if you have this condition.

For pregnant women: Carvedilol is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:. Carvedilol should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

If it does, it may cause serious effects in a breastfeeding child. For seniors: Seniors may be more likely to experience dizziness while taking this drug. For children: It has not been established that carvedilol is safe and effective for use in people under the age of 18 years.

This dosage information is for carvedilol oral tablets. All possible dosages and forms may not be included here. Your dose, form, and how often you take it will depend on:. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages. Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. Carvedilol oral tablet is used for long-term treatment. If you skip or miss doses: Your blood pressure or heart condition may not be controlled if you skip or miss doses.

If you take too much: An overdose of this drug could cause your heart to stop. Symptoms of overdose of carvedilol include:. If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once.

This could result in toxic side effects. How to tell if the drug is working: You may be able to tell this drug is working if your blood pressure decreases or your other symptoms improve.

A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription.

There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be more suitable for you than others. Talk to your doctor about possible alternatives. Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date.

However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.

Blood pressure medications help prevent many serious complications, such as stroke and heart disease. Learn about the types and possible side effects…. The diet has a strong influence on blood pressure.

Certain foods are scientifically shown to reduce high blood pressure, including berries, bananas…. People sometimes call high blood pressure the silent killer because it often has no symptoms, but it can lead to life threatening complications. When carvedilol therapy must be discontinued, the drug should be tapered slowly over seven to 14 days. Carvedilol is supplied in tablet form and is available in four dosage strengths: 3. Already a member or subscriber?

Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. He received a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and completed a residency in family practice at York Pa. Address correspondence to Bruce T. Vanderhoff, M. Grant Ave. Reprints are not available from the authors.

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