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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Hello! I know this post is from 2017 but I’m curious to know if you were able to come off of Coreg? I was put on it for blood pressure as well and when I try to stop it my heart rate increases smh. The doctors are idiots and don’t believe that this is a side effect of the drug.
I know this was all
The way back in 2017 but did Coreg make you have heart arrhythmias when trying to stop it?? I am also on it bc of my blood pressure and when trying to stop it I go in Afib smh
I really appreciate Mayo Connect, and have been participating in the Chronic Pain forum. Now I’d love some feedback about medications for hypertension and headaches. I’m taking Coreg and yes I’ve encountered head and gum “tightness “. When doctors have added anything else; calcium channel blockers and diuretics, the headaches become pounding. My PC just discerned that the added diuretic was most likely the problem, therefore I’m here asking for feedback from anyone who may have had a similar experience. Did you find any solution?
Thanks!
Sandy
(reply to original post by teatime) Hi! Obviously, I have a similar problem, and just happened to be looking through the internet when I saw this post and joined the forum. You may have written further posts on this topic and I am interetsed in what happened with you. After I post I will check some of the other posts. Whatever the case, I see this post was written some time ago, and Im sure you're better now.
So I am a 72 year old man who has had high blood pressure for many years. I no longer smoke, I exercise and am at a reasonable weight. However it seems HBP runs in the family, regardless. I have taken Nifedipine for many years, too, and it did a great job until recently. Also, I have had on and off again problems with anxiety. My Dr prescribed Coreg, 6.25 twice a day, in addition to the Nifedipine.
It has been almost a month. No problem until a week or so ago. My BP was managed well, heart rate down. Then, I began to feel fatigue. At first I thought it was depression, but there was no sadness, no low self-esteem, just overwhelming fatigue!
I finally contacted to Dr after hours, tonight, and he said to simply quit taking it. The way he reacted made me think he has heard this from other patients before. I asked him if he would like to prescribe another BP med to take its place, and he said that we would discuss this next week when I was "back to normal". He also said that I was in no danger if my BP went up somewhat. We'll see.
I know this stuff works by calming the body down from the effects of adrenaline, and it did that job well, much TOO well, as a matter of fact, I felt my motivation and energy dissipate to almost nothing. Good thing I am retired, I doubt if I could work under this drug.
Not sure if I will have any withdrawal symptoms. I took the 6.25 twice a day, in fact. some days I took a half pill. I have now found I cannot tolerate this drug at all.
Been on carvediol 40 mg. for about 4 years now. Given this drug because I have tried over 20 others over 30 year period. My bp was 230/95 at er 30 years ago. After 6 or more doctors no one got my bp below 140 with 2-3 meds daily. Went to a cardio surgen who put me on this med. My bp dropped to the 120's /70..........but my heart rate was down to 40. I was told that that was the rate of a marathon runner. A year ago I ended up in er with 20 heart rate and 900 blood sugar. After research I found this drug can trigger diabetes. Doctors can not see how I was walking and driving. This year I ended up in hospital with clogged kidneys from 7.4 diameter stones. They did not want to operate because my 40 h/r I told them that was normal for me. They thought I was crazy. Was taken off all meds in hospital. No blood pressure meds no Jardiance or insulin. I questioned this but they were the doctors. Was given 2 units of insulin after 4 days...........my normal dose is 40 units daily. Was taken off carvediol after discharge from hospital. My heart rate is about 56 now. Sleeping a lot better too. Was tired all the time before......told was my age. Not as tired all the time like before.
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1 ReactionI just want to note that almost everything that you mentioned in your feed I went through the same thing. I cannot believe they have this drug on the market without further testing it's capacity. I am a 55-year-old man. I also have hypertension which runs in the family lucky me right? Well just to reiterate I saw my cardiologist today and he took me off carvedilol today but I already read of last week on how to wing off of it you should never just try to stop all at once as there will be greater effects. I am now going on day five and I feel perfectly fine every now and then I get a little bit of heavy breathing where I'm trying to catch my breath The doctor says a couple more days and I will be fine. I had a lot of horrible nightmares and I noticed several days ago I had uncontrollable anxiety while out at dinner and I felt like I was so agitated by everyone talking around me that I just wanted to get up and scream. Now I am good I feel like this drug is finally making its way out of my system. The effects of the drug can linger up to 2 weeks the doctor said but not intensely so I am counting everyday until this drug wears itself out. On a good note it turns out that none of my heart arteries are blocked which was the reason why he put me on this medication 2 months ago. I really feel bad for the next person who has to take this and feels like they are actually doing something to progress their health when they realize this drug turns you into Jekyll or maybe hide they will definitely discontinue like we did hahaha Good luck and much success on your recovery from this drug also read all the reviews on Reddit you will be up almost all night reading all the horror stories that other people have experienced from this drug!
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2 Reactions@denverpro Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It is always great to see new members, and to hear their stories. I am sure what you have related here will help others as they navigate their own health journey.
I also was on carvedilol for awhile. I can't recall why it was switched out, as it was many years ago. The reason for any blood pressure medication was to ease the stress on my kidneys as I am a chronic kidney disease patient. Now on dialysis, my medical team recently stopped both BP medications [verapamil and lisinopril].
Ginger
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2 ReactionsI know this is an old thread, but I just went through similar with Carvedilol after transitioning to it after a heart attack. I was first put on Metroprolol and then Lisinopril for high blood pressure after my incident, and then was switched to Carvedilol about a year later. Within 3-6 months of taking Carvedilol, I started experiencing insomnia, nightmares, panic attacks, and mood swings. I also had similar "hard" heartbeats like OP, along with excess weight gain and throbbing tinnitus that was unexplained. All of that combined turned out to be potentially contributing to my nervous system feeling like it was on high alert/survival mode; causing other issues. I was fortunate to learn about the adverse effects Carvedilol can have on some people due to the crossing of the blood-brain barrier. Some of it also boils down to regulating your nervous system through proper nutrition, weight loss, and adequate sleep. After losing 45lbs, I eventually was able to get off the medication completely with my cardiologist's recommendation, and have been feeling like my old self before the heart attack. Within two weeks of stopping, I was no longer anxious and the other symptoms stopped in kind. I'm now two months off and feeling better than ever. It has been a horrible, horrible, experience and in my case, the trade-off has not been worth the side effects and whatever decreased heart rate and blood pressure regulation was gained. Since exercising more, my system also feels more stable. Despite the increased intensity of workouts, my heart rate and blood pressure haven't spiked like it was doing while on the medication. It's been improving steadily. Of course, if you suffer from heart failure or other conditions, this may not apply to you - so make sure to get the right team in place to answer any questions.
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2 ReactionsI’m sorry for everything you are going through and I hope they figure it out soon. I have a similar problem but in reverse. I have been on carvedilol and flecainide for many years for atrial fibrillation and I have never had a problem with it.
Recently, I started having bad headaches so I went to go get checked, and they found 4 aneurysms in my brain. They did what was supposed to be a routine angiogram to get a better look at them and I had a stroke during the procedure. I am very blessed, however, that it was not worse than it was, and that it happened while I was in the hospital. They have me on blood thinners and other medication’s now and they took me off the carvedilol, which made me a little bit uneasy. Since then I’ve had terrible leg, cramps, and spasms especially my left knee. They’re horrible. And then today it feels like a mild case of a-fib. If it gets worse, I will take a carvedilol and perhaps go to the ER. But I’m praying that won’t be necessary.
Sorry I did everything but answer your question. For me at least withdrawal was similar to yours and it took about 2 weeks before I started feeling somewhat better. I even made out a will. Unfortunately for my wife I didn't croak and I told her I'm going to outlive her, I think the the neighbors could hear the groan.
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3 Reactions