A month ago doctor upped my metoprolol dose to 75mg from 50mg since my BP was still high. But not much changed, except that my heart rate actually rose a little. So Brigette asked me if I'd like to try a different beta blocker. Carvedilol at 6.25 mg dose, twice a day. A rough equivalent to the 75mg of metoprolol. Off the bat, didn't like that I have to take twice a day. And if I drink alcohol it says it can drop my BP too low. Read up on the reviews... a bit scary. People complaining of massive diarrhea, crying all day, body pain,... Must take with food otherwise you'll be dizzy... They said dizziness should kick in at about an hour. Took with food this morning and I was ok. But felt fuzziness in my head, towards early afternoon felt tightness in my upper back, mild shoulder area pain on left side, felt tired enough to lie down and take a 20min nap. Also started to feel irritated towards David. Kinda felt like I was on my period annoyance and overthinking.
Carvedilol vs Metoprolol:
Metoprolol is a beta(1)-selective beta-adrenergic antagonist while carvedilol is a non-selective beta-blocker with additional blockades of alpha(1)-adrenoceptors. Administration of metoprolol has been shown to cause up-regulation of beta-adrenoceptor density and to decrease nocturnal melatonin release, whereas carvedilol lacks these typical effects of beta-blocking drugs.
Carvedilol is considered a non-selective beta-blocker. This means that carvedilol can block both beta-1 receptors and beta-2 receptors. Beta-1 receptors are found in the heart while beta-2 receptors are primarily found in the smooth muscles. Carvedilol also blocks alpha receptors in the arteries, which helps lower blood pressure.
So carvedilol lowers heart rate and also relaxes the blood vessels, where metoprolol only lowers heart rate.
Common side effects of Coreg include
- dizziness,
- lightheadedness,
- drowsiness,
- diarrhea,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- weakness,
- tiredness,
- headache,
- joint pain,
- cough,
- dry eyes,
- vision changes,
- numbness or tingling sensation,
- decreased sex drive,
- impotence, or
- difficulty having an orgasm.
Contact your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Coreg including
- feeling faint,
- slow or irregular heart beats,
- chest pain,
- shortness of breath,
- difficulty swallowing
- loss of bladder control, or
- severe skin reaction.
945a: 138/107 (91)
1015a: 136/99 (91)
1045a: 134/99/ (83)
1145a: 128/94 (81)
1p: 153/104 (80), 140/99 (75)
2p: 145/92 (87)
2:50p: 139/86 (92) Took 20 min nap and lying down
420p: 150/115 (105) just finished vacuuming, 136/99 (104)
530p: 165/121 (97) Whoa, high!
6p: 133/113 (94)
720p: 164/110 (83)
8p: 147/117 (86) Salad, pork ribs, and rice for dinner
820p: Take 2nd pill. BP been high, didn't want to wait 12hrs. At about 10.5 hrs since dose #1.
930p: 148/102 (90), 138/95 (82)
10p: 128/95 (88) Minor muscle ache, upper right arm.
UPDATE 11/21/21: Ended up stopping carvedilol after four doses, BP and pulse kept getting higher. 159/106 (104) and went back to metoprolol. BP still high tho, around 160/110 but pulse is lower, generally in the 80s. Follow-up with Bridgette in two days.
UPDATE 11/23/21: BP follow-up with Bridgette. BP was 134/80, then 130/90. Came home and it was 160/114. So thinking the home monitor might be flawed. She also wants to up my dose again, this time to Metoprolol 100mg since my pulse is still high. We'll see what happens. Another follow-up in 4 weeks.
