Coreg and Dry Eyes: An Overview
Several side effects are possible with
Coreg® (
carvedilol). Dry eyes, however, does not appear to be one of them. This data comes from clinical trials that studied this drug extensively and documented its side effects. In thousands of people studied worldwide, dry eyes were not reported as either a common or rare side effect. Dry eyes have been reported rarely (less than 1 percent) with other
beta blockers. With these drugs, in most cases, symptoms improved when the medicine was stopped.
Interestingly, although the physician's prescribing information does not list dry eyes as a possible
Coreg side effect, the patient information (a simplified, shortened version of the prescribing information) states that dry eyes are a possible side effect of Coreg and may be bothersome for people who wear contact lenses. This statement was most likely included based on information from other beta blocker medications.
Keep in mind that just because dry eyes were not seen during clinical studies with Coreg, it does not mean that the medicine cannot cause this problem. Clinical trials are designed to factor out many possible variables in order to understand whether the medicine works and its possible side effects. Once the medicine is approved, a wider range of people begin taking the medicine and for longer periods. As is often the case, this can lead to other side effects being reported. However, once a medicine is approved, there are usually no more studies conducted on it. This means that certain side effects that occur only rarely may never be reported, especially if it is not a serious side effect. The end result is that in some people, a medicine may cause a side effect that hasn't been reported before.
