Carvedilol and Weakness: What Users Say

• Coo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I’ve had just horrible side effects. My blood pressure would spike throughout the day, getting as high as 184/94, which caused lots of anxiety. Trouble sleeping. Arrhythmias throughout the day caused headaches at the top of my head and around the carotid artery. Shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and bloody sinuses. At one point, I thought I was going to have a stroke or get kidney disease. It’s been 2 weeks, and some of the symptoms have decreased. I don’t think I want to stay with this product. I hope there’s no damage to my arteries or organs. Time will tell, but I hope the FDA takes this one off the market! I prefer to go back to Metoprolol. It was a lot of praying, day, noon, and night that got me through this!"

• Jel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2019

For Heart Failure "I was taking metoprolol for a couple of years for heart failure and high blood pressure with absolutely no problems. Then my cardiologist left the clinic and the new guy switched me to Carvedilol 25 mg twice a day. Immediately, I suffered shortness of breath, profound weakness, and dizziness to the point where I almost passed out a few times. I demanded to be taken off it and put back on the metoprolol. This was just my experience with Carvedilol and yours may be different. But doctors who think nothing of playing with a patient’s medications for no good reason make me sick."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2012

For High Blood Pressure "I was on this for a month. I also have COPD. I have been getting weak, couldn't walk farther than a few steps without having to rest and totally exhausted about an hour after taking this medicine. Dr. thought my COPD was getting worse but couldn't control it. I remembered I started feeling this way right after being switched from Metoprolol to this medicine. I refused to take it again and after missing two doses, I can breathe and walk again. Back on Metoprolol."

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 24, 2014

Carvedilol for Heart Failure "I had an EF of 12 - no cause or history of heart disease. My doctor put me on Coreg along with other meds and 6 months later, my EF is 55-60. I have some side effects from the Coreg, mainly some weakness and occasionally some dizziness, but it is nothing compared to being in heart failure. Very thankful my doc prescribed this med."

• Mal...
• December 13, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "My high blood pressure started getting bad in the last year. Dr. tried 2 different meds and they almost killed me. But I was desperate to feel better and tried again. Dr. gave me carvedilol 6.25 mg BID. The first dose made me dizzy for about 45 min. The 2nd dose did nothing! The next day, nothing again. Still felt weak, shaky, dizzy, ED, no motivation, sleeping way too much. Day 3 (without doctor's permission), I doubled the dose to 12.5 mg BID (twice daily). And wow, BP dropped from 185/112 to 124/78 after one hour, and I feel like I'm 35 again-happy, strong, active, and my girlfriend is very happy if you know what I mean. Dizziness is gone, and so far (1 month), I have not noticed any side effects. It really helped me!"

• Ree...
• June 15, 2021

For Heart Failure "I was diagnosed with CHF and EF less than 35% in March 2021. 3.25 mg of carvedilol twice a day, doubling dosage every two weeks until 25 mg 2x a day was reached. Immediately starting this medication, I felt like my heart was getting worse. I had read the side effects, and I waited for my side effects to calm down. They didn't, they got worse, with a good day tucked in here and there. The pain in my upper legs was unbearable and constant chest pains, the feeling of disconnect with my surroundings, constant fighting off dizzy spells and weakness. I went from doing handyman work up a ladder all day in January to barely able to get out of bed by the end of May. My blood glucose levels went completely nuts. Beware of this med. I felt trapped, and I was told I had to take it to help my heart, but then felt as if it was really bad for me, making me worse than I was. It made me completely nonfunctional in a matter of months. I felt so much better in a matter of hours after discontinuing its use."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 30, 2019

For Left Ventricular Dysfunction "Started this drug when I went into the hospital for takotsubo cardiomyopathy. After the 3rd day of using carvedilol, I felt weak and felt nauseous. We called 911, and I went to the hospital. The doctors think the medicine may have contributed to my low drop in blood pressure. They advised me to check my blood pressure before I take the medicine, making sure my blood pressure is high enough."

• EMT...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2016

For Atrial Fibrillation "I am 24 years old. I was put on Coreg following quadruple bypass after sudden cardiac arrest. For the first month or so, I felt amazing, I even went back to work on the ambulance at my 6-week mark. But then, I started having very bad dizzy spells and sudden spikes and drops in BP. I was readmitted to the hospital, and they could not find anything. I saw an ENT for possible vertigo. Finally, four days ago, my PCP told me to stop the Coreg, and for the most part, I'm feeling better. I haven't had a dizzy spell in those four days, but I still haven't felt 'right', I've been weak and lightheaded. Hopefully, in the next few days, I can tell a major difference."

• Jlf...
• July 8, 2016

For Heart Failure "Symptoms using Generic: Sudden severe weakness nearly always occurring mid-morning, blood pressure plummets, and one time it went so low my defibrillator had to zap me. There is a difference between Coreg brand drug and generic carvedilol. I have been in the ER many times in the past because of it, and they found nothing each time. Thanks to O-care, Coreg costs $110 out of pocket now, and I cannot take the generic for very long without the side effect I stated. Cure: Short term: drink some V8. The potassium in it will help reregulate your heart quickly. Long term: Pay for Coreg BRAND prescription. Well, it is very hard to afford this, so what I do is take Coreg once every 3-4 days, and this seems to keep the issue from occurring."

• Kaw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2019

"I was hospitalized for two days and had left spasm on my chest, troponin level rose a bit. I had an angiogram, and I am blessed no blockage of arteries, diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome. I was discharged after two days of observation. I checked after a week with a cardiologist, he gave me 25 mg carvedilol. At the age of 63, I had never taken any kind of beta blockers like carvedilol, 25 mg. After an hour, I became weak, had blurry vision, ice-picking ache in my left eye, shaking, and could not stand. My BP became 70/50 and pulse rate 56. I had a slow heart rate and hypotension, which scared me to the bone. I reported and was told to continue that my body was just adjusting, still, the side effects were the same. I was advised to reduce the amount to 12.5 mg, 2x a day, still, the side effects were making me weak, and my ankles and feet swelled like retaining fluid. I slowly stopped taking it, and I feel better."