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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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Your story sounds similar to mine when I was put on Carvedilol. As a matter of fact, when I talked with my GP about similar symptoms you are having, she said I had all the classic signs of anxiety and thought she should start me on Zoloft. I never had anxiety in my life! Pretty much always knew how to handle my stress. Worst thing I ever did. After only 4 days on the Zoloft, I thought (and I'm serious) that I was going to have to check myself into the psych ward. I weaned myself off the Carvedilol and the Zoloft. Occasionally I think I still have some residual feelings, but I think now they're manageable. Plus I think a little of it now is PTSD over everything that happened. Hope it all works out for you and hope this was helpful.
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1 ReactionThank you so much for you prompt response.. I will continue taking it until i speak with my pcp and also see a cardiologist on monday thanks again and i will post my findings...
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3 ReactionsThats why i was so concerned bc im usually very calm and like i mentioned before never had symptoms of anxiety... Im just ready to see my pcp on monday to discuss these issues because i know im not crazy lol but taking this medication is certainly pushing me there... And im afraid to abruptly stop it... This has been the worst 3 weeks ever lol.. Ive made changes in my lifestyle quit smoking cigarettes (i know i know) eating healthier if i even eat at all bc the anxiety has me questioning everything i eat that isnt a fruit or veggie... I just pray i can get back to some sort of normal because i felt better just dealing with they hypertension. ..
That sounds good, @vbrooks82
We look forward to hearing from you again,
Teresa
vbrooks82,
You are not crazy. Your pcp got ahead of the game. Losartin in a low dose is a better one to begin with or lisenopril. These are different and give different effects.
I am on Coreg for a heart problem. Had a quad bypass, then was on Metoprolol until my heart rate kept dropping below 55 (it still regularly does this trick) so then my cardiologist put me on Coreg which also contributes the low heart rate. I've been slowly weaning off the Coreg over the last 12 weeks. It had been helping to keep migraines at bay and I have not had one in about 4 or 5 months.
Yes, a visit with your pcp is a great idea. Sometimes weaning off Coreg is difficult as I found out the hard way. It is why it is taking me so long to get off the stuff. It did not mess with my head nor did I get those vivid dreams some do. I just want my heart to not drop so very low as I certainly don't want to have a pacemaker that looks likely. Will see in December when I go back to the Cardiologists office.
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2 Reactions@lola63
I appreciate your sharing your story. We all react to these meds differently and it's important to be proactive and educate ourselves and share our responses with our doctors.
Teresa
I do not quite understand something. The Core is supposed to help with blood pressure, is it not? I realize it was supposed to help with my heart and lowering my heart rate. What I don't understand is why is it that now I am weaning off the stuff that my BP readings are lower than when I was on it full time.
I take readings every day around the same time and find the upper number is now usually around 127, whereas prior it was around 134. The bottom number is a little higher now, 70 sometimes, but it was only at 66 usually prior to weaning off.
So I just don't really understand. My dose has never been but the lowest 3.125 twice daily.
I see my Cardiologist in December, however any insight will be helpful.
Eileena
@eileena Hello Eileena,
This is a question that should be referred to your doctor. Since your appointment is more than a month away, it might be good to call the office or send a message through the patient portal (like My Chart). At Mayo Connect, we are not medical professionals, just fellow patients, like yourself. We cannot advise you regarding your own symptoms and what they mean.
Will you contact your doctor's office and then get back with us and let us know how you are doing? I hope that you get an answer to your concerns. We look forward to hearing from you again.
Teresa
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1 ReactionGood morning @eileena. I think Teresa @hopeful33250 is on point with her recommendations a couple of hours ago. In the meantime, let me add that, as a Coreg user for a couple of years, I rely on this medication to both stabilize my heart rate and reduce my high blood pressure (I also take a diuretic and Lisinopril for my hypertension).
Your blood pressure levels are interesting in two respects: First, they are at the low levels that I'd prize; I rarely find my BP to be less than 140/88. Second, the variations you report (127-134 systolic and 66-70 diastolic) don't strike me as worrisome or particularly significant; BP often varies that much from hour to hour, from sitting to standing, from resting to walking, from before a meal to after one, from during an a-fib incident to after one. I'm also impressed with the minimum daily dosage of Coreg (6.25mg per day) you have been taking, since mine is 50mg.
As Teresa has advised, your experience with Coreg as you describe it is a basis for a good conversation with your cardiologist about the interaction of your BP, your heart rate, and the medication. Martin
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2 Reactions@predictable Martin:
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. As I've never taken this particular medicine or had A-fib, my experiences are not quite like yours. I hope that @eileena is helped by these thoughts.
Teresa