Stopping Carvedilol (Coreg): When will the effects wear off?

Posted by teatime @teatime, Apr 28, 2016

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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@shawn2018

Hi I have been on Coreg for over a year now. Seemed to work better with less side affects then metoprolol.but after about 4 months started getting dizziness and occasionally a very sharp pain under my right rib.Last 2 months dizziness has been almost constant. Switched to toprol xl and then generic coreg(Carvedilol).No change so per doc weaned off ALL meds.I was on low dose of lisinopril. But after 4 days my hands are shaky! So now I called doc and told him via voicemail I’m going bk on. Can’t take the shaking.havent heard bk as of 5 hrs ago but will let you know. Vicious cycle these drugs!,,

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I have been taken coreg for about 8 months and at first I thought it was bad but my pressure goes down when I take it but I'm having some soDE effects my Johnson won't stay up !!! I'm a young guy and can't have that is anyone having this problem and also I finally got my adrenal glands tested cat skan and found a benign tumor on my left adrenal this may be why my pressure has been out of wack I looked it up and your adrenal glands control mostly everything in your body from hair growth to blood pressure I am going to the ecronoligist today and talk about getting it removed anyone had this problem or should I say these problems ....I'm also on clonidine, hydrolazine, and a water pill and sparalactone ......

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@shawn2018

Hi I have been on Coreg for over a year now. Seemed to work better with less side affects then metoprolol.but after about 4 months started getting dizziness and occasionally a very sharp pain under my right rib.Last 2 months dizziness has been almost constant. Switched to toprol xl and then generic coreg(Carvedilol).No change so per doc weaned off ALL meds.I was on low dose of lisinopril. But after 4 days my hands are shaky! So now I called doc and told him via voicemail I’m going bk on. Can’t take the shaking.havent heard bk as of 5 hrs ago but will let you know. Vicious cycle these drugs!,,

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When I got off Coreg my BP readings went up a slight bit. Coreg is a Beta Blocker and it is complicated. My Losartin was increaased in place of the beta blocker. As for your "Johnson", lowering you BP is what causes that drooping of your guy. We need our BP lower, but maybe an adjustment in dosage? My son was found to have one of those incidentalomas on his left adrenal gland and they took the gland and tumor out and due to other health problems was kept in hospital for an overnight. It was benign as we can hope yours is. They are called incidentalomas due to being incidentally found. Don't know what your other meds are for, but have a good discussion with you doc or look up the meds.

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So are u still off the coreg and how are u?

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@shawn2018

Hi I have been on Coreg for over a year now. Seemed to work better with less side affects then metoprolol.but after about 4 months started getting dizziness and occasionally a very sharp pain under my right rib.Last 2 months dizziness has been almost constant. Switched to toprol xl and then generic coreg(Carvedilol).No change so per doc weaned off ALL meds.I was on low dose of lisinopril. But after 4 days my hands are shaky! So now I called doc and told him via voicemail I’m going bk on. Can’t take the shaking.havent heard bk as of 5 hrs ago but will let you know. Vicious cycle these drugs!,,

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@krj1213, glad to hear that you're going to see an endocrinologist today, and I hope you will consider a longer list of questions than whether to have a benign tumor removed from your adrenal gland. Do I understand that your current medication load includes five different medications for treating high blood pressure -- Coreg (Carvedilol), Clonidine, Hydralazine, Spironolactone, and an unnamed "water pill?" You and I have a lot in common (with this exception): My medical team never suggested that I take more than three antihypertensive medications at one time.

I also have a tumor on one adrenal gland, and the key question for my nephrologist and my endocrinologist was whether the tumor was, in fact, acting as a rogue gland-in-the-wild, producing excess hormones that inflate blood pressure. Lab tests showed that it probably was NOT a rogue gland, but simply a cyst, discovered by accident by an MRI a few years ago. Since then, we check it for any change in size or composition -- so far, no change.

Of the five medications you listed, I have been on all of them at one time or another. Right now, my daily meds include Coreg (25mg x 2), Amiloride (10mg x 2, potassium-sparing water pill), and Lisinopril (40mg x 1, a vasodilator relaxing arteries). In the past, I also took Clonidine (centrally acting with hormones issued from the brain), and Spironolactone, a powerful diuretic (water pill). The fifth med, Hydralazine, is a vasodilator (relaxing arteries) similar in effect to my Lisinopril and, several years ago, to Minoxidil.

Against that background, I know you will understand the importance of a detailed conversation with your medical team about why a half-dozen medications are suitable for treating your personal symptoms. In my case, an endocrinologist was crucial to testing for every conceivable cause of my high blood pressure, but my real angel is the leader of my medical team -- a nephrologist, whose genius and persistence found the source of my problems and eliminated the excess medications I had taken.

Let me know of any questions you have about my experiences or about talking to your own medical team. And remember, one question on your mind when you meet with them might be whom they would recommend to give you a second opinion later this month. Martin

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I am having severe dizziness and my cardiac doctor thinks it might be my pills. My BP got done to 55/45 and so I stopped my Valsartan but Monday he told be to also stop my Coreg CR 20 too. In the mornings I get good BP about 100/70 but by bedtime it goes up to (just now) 148/84. Seems like a lot to go up over the day. Based on my Omron BP786N. I'm thinking I need to start again on something to keep it in a good range all day. All suggestions? Not doing the Coreg is helping the dizziness but the higher BP makes me nervous. It's a few months to see him again and I'm wondering if I need to go back for an adjustment sooner.

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There is a lot of good advice in the response by "predicable" for all of us dealing with hypertension. I have found that since I changed my primary care doctor, who is more open to discussions, and who suggested I stop taking the Lisinoprol because it made me so dizzy. So now I only take 1 Atenolol 25mg daily. He suggested that under 140/90 is acceptable for a person of my age.

Since then I have been experimenting using pure ginger tea and dried ginger and now have added 2 1/4 tablespoons of pure beet juice (bottled) in the morning during the last couple of days. Yesterday the systolic range was in the 120's most of the day. I don't suggest anyone else try the beet juice and I did a lot of research on the Internet about the latest blind studies results that show positive results in using beet juice for hypertension although there can be some side effects that should be checked out (information on the Internet) before experimenting with beet juice.

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Thank you, @predictable.

Hello @terryzx,
You may notice that I moved your discussion and combined it with this existing conversation on high blood pressure, Coreg, and side effects. I did this as I thought it would be beneficial for you to be introduced to the many members who have discussed much of what you are experiencing.
If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

Martin has provided some excellent insights, and I'm confident @eileena @zany @randypape and others will return with their suggestions.
This Mayo Clinic link, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058115 has some excellent information and expert answers, with regard to blood pressure readings, and daily pattern changes.

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@terryzx

I am having severe dizziness and my cardiac doctor thinks it might be my pills. My BP got done to 55/45 and so I stopped my Valsartan but Monday he told be to also stop my Coreg CR 20 too. In the mornings I get good BP about 100/70 but by bedtime it goes up to (just now) 148/84. Seems like a lot to go up over the day. Based on my Omron BP786N. I'm thinking I need to start again on something to keep it in a good range all day. All suggestions? Not doing the Coreg is helping the dizziness but the higher BP makes me nervous. It's a few months to see him again and I'm wondering if I need to go back for an adjustment sooner.

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Hello and Welcome, @bimbus1,

May I ask what brings you to Connect? We look forward to hearing from you.

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Thank you all for your replies. I know that my higher BP before bed is not horrible and some say acceptable for my age 70. However, the older I get the more I want to be in "THE ZONE" of 80/120 as so may studies suggest it's much safer there than higher.

I was in that zone for several years before but now I started getting too low with BP hitting 55/45 and so stopped my Valsartan. But this still left my pulse in the low 50's and ever mores I've been getting horrible dizzy spells. In fact I was trying to cut the grass last week and fell an smacked my face into a brick and ha to go to the ER and they did several CAT Scans. Wasn't serious "this time" but I was strongly cautioned that it could have severely injured or killed me it I hit other than my jaw.

I expressed my concern over this escalating dizziness to my cardiologist and so he stopped the Coreg CR 20 which I feel is the culprit doing that. I already stopped the Valsartan myself 6 weeks ago and he agreed that was good. He said he wanted to get all the drugs out of my system and then set me up with a Nuclear Stress for tomorrow and next month a visit with a Electrophysiology guy he called his "electrician".

That being because of a variance in my left and right arm BP both from one side to the other and from sitting to standing position.

This all kinna worries me as the older I get, the more I want to keep getting older....

I tend to think that this is all the fault of the Coreg CR 20. He had me stop starting Tuesday "cold turkey" and I mentioned about stopping suddenly. He tells me that the Coreg CR 20 is not all that much and it would be fine.

I'm thinking that this is the reason for the end of day spikes. But on the other hand, just these few days off, that dizziness is much less noticeable. I'm just concerned about being out of the good 80/120 that I was in. Also each morning I wake up and check and I am lost always about 100/60 or around that range. That is why I wonder my bp is spiking near 40points by the end of the day. Must be that Coreg I bet.

I know that for my age 140/80 is not so bad...or so they say. But getting older makes me feel like I need to be 80/120.

Also when I used Valsartan I was eating a LOT more on a high fat low carb diet for my diabetes. But when I went on an under 1500 calorie a day binge as I am now, my BP just plummeted when resulted in my stopping Valsartan 160. That was working great when eating a whole lot more, but I still had that horrible dizziness that caused me to fall numerous times.

I might be able to get back on the Valsartan 160's again, as those ARB's gave me no problems. Allergic to ACE.

This Electrophysiology guy is in the top 5% of doctor's ratings so I hope he can help find something besides a beta blocker that will do the job.

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Dena before my by pass surgery my Cardiologist put me on Coreg one night is all I took the next themes s and some other did effects where crazy,panic attacks ,anxiety ,he took me of right away I wasn't on that long but it will take your body time to reajust drink pl e th of water to clear your system My by pass is ,22 yrs old now I'm 75 ,good luck

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