Coreg Side Effects: An Overview
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with
Coreg® (
carvedilol). However, not everyone who takes the medicine will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate Coreg quite well. If side effects do occur, they are generally minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or a healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common, but can still occur.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Coreg. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Coreg side effects with you.)
Common Side Effects of Coreg
Coreg has been studied extensively in people with
high blood pressure,
congestive heart failure, and a recent
heart attack. In these clinical studies, side effects are always documented and compared to those that occurred in a similar group of people not taking the medicine.
Congestive Heart Failure
Based on these studies, the most common Coreg side effects seen in people with mild, moderate, or severe congestive
heart failure or following a heart attack include:
- Dizziness -- in up to 32 percent of people
- Fatigue -- up to 2 percent
- Low blood pressure -- up to 14 percent
- Diarrhea -- up to 12 percent
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) -- up to 12 percent (see Coreg and Blood Sugar)
- Increase in weight -- up to 12 percent (see Coreg and Weight Gain)
- Slow heart rate -- up to 10 percent
- Nausea -- up to 9 percent.
Other common side effects of Coreg (occurring in more than 3 percent of people with congestive heart failure or those following a heart attack) include but are not limited to:
- Swelling of the arms, legs, hands, or feet
- Shortness of breath
- Vomiting
- Fainting (syncope)
- Changes in vision
- Anemia.
High Blood Pressure
The most common Coreg side effects seen in people with high blood pressure include:
- Dizziness -- in up to 6 percent of people
- Insomnia -- up to 2 percent
- Slow heart rate -- up to 2 percent
- Drop in blood pressure when standing from either a sitting or lying down position -- up to 2 percent
- Diarrhea -- up to 2 percent.
Side effects tend to increase as the
Coreg dosage is increased.
