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Stopping Carvedilol (Coreg): When will the effects wear off?
Hi everyone,
I am glad to be a part of this community. Please foregive the long post. I was wondering if anyone has had a hard time while being on and going off Carvedilol (Coreg).
I am an active 45 year old mom of a young child. I have always tried to eat healthily and keep in shape (I do yoga, pilates and, run about 5k 2x per week). My BP has always been pretty good, but since my 40´s it has gone up a bit (heredity factors play a role). My BP and heart rate also "spike" when I get stressed or anxious, but for the most part are pretty level during normal times. I do have anxious moments, but I would not say anxiety has been a major life problem. At my last check (Feb 2016), and after wearing a 24 hour BP monitor, my cardiologist suggested I start Carvedilol 6.25 1x per day (quite a low dose) for the spikes and to keep the heart from getting too excited. I agreed that maybe it was a good idea and started over two months ago. Other than stimulating rapid bowel movements, I did not notice any side effects at first. I would say about three to four weeks into taking the Carvedilol, I began not sleeping well. I also noticed my heart pounding, like a bass drum, slowly and steadily, at times. Then the heart pounding began to wake me up at night (it turns out my HR was down in the high 40s at night). Some nights I even felt my chest muscles vibrate, as if a phone on silence mode was on top of my chest. I started to notice this more and more and then I would have a few normal nights, so I figured I would just talk about this at my next cardio check (booked out in June). I also noticed I was getting more and more anxious. I wasn't too sure why little things were beginning to bother me. I thought it was hormones, PMS, whatever, and started looking for someone like a therapist to talk to.
The previous week was bad. I woke up from a few nightmares and I started to panic in bed, just woken up from sleep. I had three nights of waking up to panic attacks and body shakes. The experiences made me very nervous. At this point I started looking into the side effects of Carvedilol and I was seeing not only chest pounding, but in rare cases reported effects of nightmares, visual disturbances, tremors, anxiety. I also know one does not simply stop a beta blocker, so we talked about tapering down. I tapered down for four days, and then I got in to see another cardiologist on Monday and he said just stop immediately. The effects are rare, but they have been noted. Going off this medication has been frightening. I feel weak and shaky all the time, and I get sporadic periods of pounding and muscle tremors in my legs, anxiety and fuzzy vision. I frequently get so cold I begin to shake. Yesterday I went back to the clinic for an EKG (normal) and some blood tests (including thyroid) and everything was normal. I am just assuming this is my body reacting and readapting itself after being on beta blockers. It has only been five days, but I am wondering if anyone out there has had similar experiences. How long did it take you to feel normal again? I ran a 5k just two weekends ago and yesterday I could hardly take a walk. Thanks for listening.
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Hi, @ajm027. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm a volunteer mentor here to help people with an interest in medical care to find their way around our web site and provoke some conversations with others of a similar bent.
I also have some similarities with your medication regimen -- I'm on Carvedilol, Lisinopril (a relative of Valsartan), and Coumadin (similar to Plavix). More than anything else, though, I wish I were as successful with my exercise regimen as you are! I have high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation, but have not had a stent inserted.
As to your medications, some people have discomfort when they stop Carvedilol abruptly, but since you were on the lowest dose normally prescribed, you may not encounter any trouble. However, I'd encourage you to talk to your doctor (cardiologist?) again soon about whether the quick-stop may produce some discomfort problems. Incidentally, you may wish to raise a question about your dosage on Valsartan; I assume 80mg means a 40mg pill twice a day, which is a common high dosage for high blood pressure and kidney protection.
I look forward to hearing from you again and catching what others may add in the days ahead. Martin
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1 ReactionHello @ajm027,
I'd like to add my welcome, and thank you for joining Connect. @predictable has shared some great insight, and I'd like to add that both Carvedilol and Valsartan can cause low blood pressure, since both are prescribed to treat hypertension, amongst other conditions. Here's some information from Mayo Clinic that you may wish to read:
– http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/valsartan-oral-route/description/drg-20067355
– http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/carvedilol-oral-route/description/drg-20067565
I'm certain that @teatime @randypape @eileena @zany @doug_58, and others in this group will return to share their thoughts and experiences.
@ajm027, may I ask if the low blood pressure is causing any symptoms or discomfort?
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2 ReactionsThank you so much. I take 1 80mg tablet with breakfast every morning.
Nothing other than tired sometimes. I will see how this goes as I wean off the Carvedilol.
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1 ReactionGreetings! I have now reduced my Coreg by half. I am trying to figure out how to describe what I did. I omitted the evening dose and each week for the past 7 weeks I omitted it an additional day. I have had some tiny fleeting headache pains, but my BP readings have not increased. My heart rate still drops to the bottom if I exercise and do not keep moving after I climb stairs or walk hurriedly to the restroom at work. Need to approach my cardiologist with the images from my Fitbit recordings and let him know how very sleepy I get when this happens.
I'll begin omitting the morning dose in the same manner and in 7 more weeks I should be free of the Coreg. Then it is a wait and see period after that.
Have a great evening.
Eileena
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1 ReactionWhat do you mean by antihypertensive I really think that I have been over medicated I wish I never started taking blood pressure medicine I tried to stop coreg on my own but my heart was beating fast so I popped a pill of coreg and it settled down
it's crazy I was just searching about coreg and I ran across my own post and ur response crazy.....my BP is doing OK 158/91 little high but it's been steady for weeks but it seems I been ticking my own med my Doctor's are dumb as hell and seem like they know nothing I'm telling my cardiologist what to do know any doctors in jersey good with BP email me, anybody HELP!!!!
@krj1213,
Sounds like you need a good workup by one of th eMayo Clinic Docs.
BP is nothing to fool around with. yours is a bit highland does need brought down.
Hope you are able to get some help.
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1 ReactionHi @krj1213
I'm sorry that you are not feeling good, and not getting the care you seek. You will notice that I removed your personal email address from this public discussion. Posts to the discussion board are public, and we don't want you getting unwanted spam etc. We recommend sharing personal contact information by private message as it is a more secure option.
Thank you for understanding.
@krj1213, Mayo Clinic advises that people consult with their current care provider before making any changes to their existing medication or treatment plan. I would encourage you to seek a second opinion; if you wish to call Mayo Clinic, the contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/appointments
@predictable, @hopeful33250 do you have any additional suggestions that might help @krj1213?
Im a 35 yr old usually active mom of 2 teens who was recently put on coreg while in the hospital but given the generic medication form Carvedilol... Its been about a month and like ive previously read in a few before comments started having nightmares anxiety insomnia depression muscle pain feeling like im going to die and other weird feelings that i hadnt before... I started taking this med as an aide for my high blood pressure but now im wondering if my sudden symptoms are a result of this medications... Please help im calling my primary care doc on monday oct 31 and also seeing a cardiologist ive had several test and lab work done Thats all came back im healthy... This is really scary and i feel im driving my self crazy with worrying and multiple trips to the emergency room in the weeks since taking carvedilol... where they have begun to ask am i suffering mental illness... I wasnt having these issues before starting this medication and i really would like your input thanks.... Vernicia
Hello @vbrooks82 and welcome to Mayo Connect.
The drug you mentioned is a beta blocker and some beta blocker meds do produce the types of symptoms you described.
Here is some information from drugs.com regarding this drug, https://www.drugs.com/carvedilol.html
When I was taking another beta blocker med I was also having very vivid dreams and dizziness, etc. My cardiologist switched to another beta blocker and I do not have the same problems. It is probably good to take these types of meds with a meal and not too late in the day, I now take my beta blocker at noon with lunch.
I am glad to hear that you have an appointment on Monday. Will you let us know how your appointment goes?
Teresa
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