Coreg Information and Uses

Coreg

Coreg Overview

Coreg (generic: carvedilol) is a prescription medication used to treat heart failure and hypertension (high blood pressure) in adults. Coreg belongs to a group of drugs called beta blockers. It works to decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and the workload of the heart by blocking beta receptors.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken twice a day, with food and a full glass of water.

Common side effects of Coreg include hypotension (low blood pressure), weight increase, and fatigue. Coreg can cause dizziness. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how Coreg affects you.

Uses of Coreg

Coreg is a prescription medication used to treat adults:

with certain types of heart failure
who had a heart attack that worsened how well the heart pumps
with high blood pressure (hypertension)

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Side Effects of Coreg

Low blood pressure (which may cause dizziness or fainting when you stand up). If these happen, sit or lie down right away and tell your doctor.
Tiredness. If you feel tired or dizzy you should not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs you to be alert.
Slow heartbeat.
Changes in your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, tell your doctor if you have any changes in your blood sugar levels.
Coreg may hide some of the symptoms of low blood sugar, especially a fast heartbeat.
Coreg may mask the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
Worsening of severe allergic reactions.
Rare but serious allergic reactions (including hives or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing) have happened in patients who were on Coreg. These reactions can be life-threatening.

Other side effects of Coreg include shortness of breath, weight gain, diarrhea, and fewer tears or dry eyes that become bothersome if you wear contact lenses.

Call your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or don’t go away.

Coreg Interactions

Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, herbal products, and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Especially tell your doctor if you are taking:

cimetidine (Tagamet)
clonidine (Catapres)
cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)
digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin)
diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac)
epinephrine (Epipen)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
insulin
oral medications for diabetes
monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar)
paroxetine (Paxil)
propafenone (Rythmol)
quinidine
reserpine (Serpalan,)
rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
verapamil (Calan, Covera-HS, Verelan)

This is not a complete list of Coreg drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Coreg Precautions

Do not take Coreg if you:

have severe heart failure
have asthma or other breathing problems
have a slow heartbeat or irregular heartbeat
have liver problems
are allergic to any of the ingredients in Coreg

If you stop taking Coreg suddenly, you could have chest pain and a heart attack. If your doctor decides that you should stop taking Coreg, your doctor may slowly lower your dose before stopping it completely.

Coreg may make you feel dizzy, tired, or faint. Do not drive a car or operate machinery if you have these symptoms.

Coreg Food Interactions

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Coreg there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Coreg.

Inform MD

Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you are taking including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. See "Drug Interactions".

Tell your doctor if you:

have asthma or other lung problems (such as bronchitis or emphysema).
have problems with blood flow in your feet and legs (peripheral vascular disease). Coreg can make some of your symptoms worse.
have diabetes.
have thyroid problems.
have a condition called pheochromocytoma.
have had severe allergic reactions.
are scheduled for surgery and will be given anesthetic agents.
are scheduled for cataract surgery and have taken or are currently taking Coreg.
are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. It is not known if Coreg is safe for your unborn baby.
are breastfeeding. It is not known if Coreg passes into your breast milk.

Coreg and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or if you are planning to become pregnant. It is not known if Coreg will harm your unborn baby.

Coreg and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or if you are planning to breastfeed. It is not known if Coreg is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your baby.

Coreg Usage

Take Coreg exactly as prescribed. Your doctor will tell you how many tablets to take and how often. In order to minimize possible side effects, your doctor might begin with a low dose and then slowly increase the dose.
Do not stop taking Coreg and do not change the amount of Coreg you take without talking to your doctor.
Tell your doctor if you gain weight or have trouble breathing while taking Coreg.
Take Coreg with food.
If you miss a dose of Coreg, take your dose as soon as you remember, unless it is time to take your next dose. Take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take 2 doses at the same time.
If you take too much Coreg, call your doctor or poison control center right away.

Inactive Ingredients: Colloidal silicon dioxide, crospovidone, hypromellose, lactose, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80, povidone, sucrose, and titanium dioxide.