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Coreg

Generic Name: carvedilol (KAR ve dil ole)
Brand Names: Coreg, Coreg CR

What is Coreg?

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Coreg is in a group of drugs called beta-blockers. Beta-blockers affect the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins).

Coreg is used to treat heart failure and hypertension (high blood pressure). It may also be used after a heart attack to improve survival in certain patients.

Coreg may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

What is the most important information I should know about Coreg?

You should not take Coreg if you are allergic to carvedilol, or if you have asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, severe liver disease, or a serious heart condition such as heart block, sick sinus syndrome, or slow heart rate (unless you have a pacemaker).

If you need to have any type of surgery, you may need to temporarily stop using Coreg. Be sure the surgeon knows ahead of time that you are using this medication.

Do not stop taking Coreg without first talking to your doctor. Stopping suddenly may make your condition worse.

Coreg can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert. Avoid drinking alcohol within 2 hours before or after taking extended-release carvedilol (Coreg CR). Also avoid taking medicines or other products that might contain alcohol. Alcohol may cause the carvedilol in Coreg CR to be released too quickly into the body.

Coreg is only part of a complete program of treatment for hypertension that may also include diet, exercise, and weight control. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely if you are being treated for hypertension.

Hypertension often has no symptoms, so you may not even feel that you have high blood pressure. Continue using this medicine as directed, even if you feel well. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Coreg?

You should not take Coreg if you are allergic to carvedilol, or if you have:

asthma, bronchitis, emphysema;
severe liver disease; or
a serious heart condition such as heart block, sick sinus syndrome, or slow heart rate (unless you have a pacemaker).

Before taking Coreg, tell your doctor if you have:

diabetes (taking Coreg can make it harder for you to tell when you have low blood sugar);
low blood pressure;
congestive heart failure;
depression;
kidney disease;
a thyroid disorder;
myasthenia gravis;
pheochromocytoma; or
problems with circulation (such as Raynaud's syndrome).

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether Coreg passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take Coreg?

Take Coreg exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts or for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Coreg comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Take this medication with a full glass of water. Take Coreg at the same time every day. Do not skip doses or stop taking this medication without first talking to your doctor. Stopping suddenly may make your condition worse.

You may open the carvedilol extended-release capsule and sprinkle the medicine into a spoonful of applesauce to make swallowing easier. Swallow this mixture right away without chewing. Do not save the mixture for later use. Discard the empty capsule.

If you are switched from Coreg tablets to Coreg extended-release capsules, your daily total dose of this medicine may be higher or lower than before. Follow your doctor's instructions.

To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood pressure will need to be checked on a regular basis. It is important that you not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.

If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon that you are using Coreg. You may need to briefly stop using this medication before having surgery.

Store Coreg at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If your next dose is less than 4 hours away, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Coreg overdose symptoms may include uneven heartbeats, shortness of breath, bluish-colored fingernails, dizziness, weakness, fainting, and seizure (convulsions).

What should I avoid while taking Coreg?

Coreg can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert. Avoid drinking alcohol within 2 hours before or after taking extended-release carvedilol. Also avoid taking medicines or other products that might contain alcohol. Alcohol may cause the carvedilol in Coreg CR to be released too quickly into the body. Check the labels of any prescription or over-the-counter medicines you take to see if they contain alcohol (also called ethanol).

Coreg side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

slow or uneven heartbeats;
feeling light-headed, fainting;
feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;
swelling of your ankles or feet;
nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
depression; or
cold feeling in your hands and feet.

Less serious Coreg side effects may include:

decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm;
sleep problems (insomnia);
tired feeling; or
anxiety, nervousness.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect Coreg?

Before taking Coreg, tell your doctor if you are using:

allergy treatments (or if you are undergoing allergy skin-testing);
clonidine (Catapres);
cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin);
guanabenz (Wytensin);
rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate);
insulin or diabetes medication you take by mouth;
an antidepressant such as fluoxetine (Prozac) or paroxetine (Paxil);
a beta blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), esmolol (Brevibloc), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), and others;
an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil), or selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam);
a heart medication such as quinidine (Quinidex, Quinaglute, Quin-Release), propafenone (Rythmol), nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), reserpine (Serpasil), verapamil (Calan, Verelan, Isoptin), diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem);
medicine for asthma or other breathing disorders, such as albuterol (Ventolin, Proventil), bitolterol (Tornalate), metaproterenol (Alupent), pirbuterol (Maxair), terbutaline (Brethaire, Brethine, Bricanyl), and theophylline (Theo-Dur, Theolair); or
cold medicines, stimulant medicines, or diet pills.

If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to take Coreg, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.

There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Coreg. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about Coreg.

What does my medication look like?

Carvedilol is available with a prescription under the brand name Coreg. Other brand or generic formulations may also be available. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about this medication, especially if it is new to you.

Coreg 3.125 mg - white, oval, film-coated tablets
Coreg 6.25 mg - white, oval, film-coated tablets
Coreg 12.5 mg - white, oval, film-coated tablets
Coreg 25 mg - white, oval, film-coated tablets

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the condition prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.