Beta Blockers Carvedilol for Portal ... - British Liver Trust

British Liver Trust

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Beta Blockers Carvedilol for Portal Hypertension with Cirrhosis.

vinylcollector profile image
19 Replies

Has anyone started on 12.5 mg, had problems?

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vinylcollector
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19 Replies
Liver3 profile image
Liver3

i have been taking it for a few years now! So far no side affects. Although I did experience last year months of dizzy spells.unknown why it just went away on its own! Dont know if the drug caused it or not!.still taking it going in on Wednesday for upper GI to see.how things look!.

vinylcollector profile image
vinylcollector in reply toLiver3

Thanks for replying. What dosage did they start you on?

Liver3 profile image
Liver3 in reply tovinylcollector

Sorry didn't see.this it was 3.125

vinylcollector profile image
vinylcollector in reply toLiver3

I asked them to start me on the lower dosage, thankfully they changed it.

redpoint72 profile image
redpoint72

hello there.

Ive been on carvedilol for over 3years now. Was started at 12.5mg,and my dose has stayed the same,as at last endoscopy i still have several small varices.i haven't had any side effects. My best,Chris

oap74 profile image
oap74

I’m on 3.125mg twice a day as recommended by the hospital felt fine ever since no side effects at all. All the best

Frananncru profile image
Frananncru

morning I have been on 12.5 mg Carvidalol daily for 3 years .

I take it at night as makes me light headed .

I have dry eyes , blocked nose , disturbed sleep , all since brining on Carvidalol .

I read the information with in the drug box and my symptoms are very common .

I have discussed with my consultant but would rather have the inconvenience of the side effect than increase the risk of my stage 2 varicease bleeding .

Good luck

JAM44 profile image
JAM44

Hi yes I alsohad a problem with the 12.5 tablet. My dose had been upped in the summer from 6.25 to 12.5 so was happily taking 2 x6.25 mg tablets together in the morning with no problem side effects, then moved onto a single 12.5 mg tablet and I couldn’t function as normal! I went back to being really tired and needing a long afternoon sleep - not great when you are trying to get back to working! And the roof of my mouth felt like it had been burnt in texture and my taste buds were dulled. After a couple of weeks of persevering and no improvement I went back into 2x6.25mg taken together in the morning (so 12.5 dose still) and symptoms cleared up and I am back to ‘normal’ again. I am taking itfir the same reason - portal vein hypertension - mine caused bleeding varices in April and emergency banding and hospital stay. Am still having 6 weekly Endoscopy’s and banding and have enlarged spleen and low platelets too, but my insides are looking better now than a few months ago. Hope you can get your dose sorted out. You don’t mention what symptoms you have about how you are not getting in with it, but my liver nurses recorded my reactions and got the tablet changed quite quickly. Obviously something in the bigger tablet didn’t agree with me. Hope this helps. Wishing you all the best.

vinylcollector profile image
vinylcollector in reply toJAM44

I am told I am early stages of Cirrhosis and Portal hypertension, just worried about the tablets.

JAM44 profile image
JAM44 in reply tovinylcollector

I wouldn’t worry about the tablets if you have not got any side effects. They seem to be doing the job they were designed for. Lowering heart rate to reduce pressure of blood flowing into liver from portal vein to help reduce the back up into other veins. Once I sorted my issue out I am back to having no complications with the drug and a nice lower steady pulse.

Cat-B profile image
Cat-B

hi I started on 12.5 and been taking it for years and my portal vain is continuing to flow beautifully and after a year or two my varicies went away. Good luck

Ewife profile image
Ewife

please speak to your consultant if you have any issues with this med. My husband felt like he was feeling worse on this med and stopped for a bit, resulting in a serious bleed. We had no idea how vital it was, or that there was other options available if only we had asked! Looking back, he was probably deteriorating anyway, and the consultant might have picked this up sooner if we had checked in.

Atb

Ewife

I started off on 12.5 mg in Oct 2017, but after a couple of days I noticed a pretty severe reaction, shortness of breath, rash, slight dizziness, pain in chest, and chills, very unpleasant, fortunately they stopped the medication and put me on Propranalol. Similar type of drug, but does not cause me any of those complications, the only thing I noticed from this is that it makes me Happy 😃

Propranalol is used to treat a variety of conditions including depression, which fortunately I don't suffer from, presumably this is why it makes people happy, I gradually got a higher and higher does before my consultants started reducing it, think at one stage I was on 240mg, now I am on 10mg twice per day...🙁the most annoying thing is whenever I go to hospital they insist on red banding me with Carvedilol allergy, but its all in the "lols" right?😃

oap74 profile image
oap74

It was explained to me in hospital that it was better to take a smaller dose twice a day rather than one larger dose. I have to say that the number of people I know who’ve been taking 20+ tablets per day are taking less than half of this when they come out of hospital is amazing that’s why I think the hospital knows best.

Mufan99 profile image
Mufan99

I think the replies you have already had covered most of what I would say. I will add that my partner was on 12.5mg and got quite dizzy and lightheaded . So we reviewed all his medication with our consultant and completely removed another blood pressure pill that he was on and reduced the Carvedilol to 6.25 since then it has all been OK.

I’ve had no issues with it at all

vinylcollector profile image
vinylcollector

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I hope you all stay well.

Porcupine_Tree profile image
Porcupine_Tree

My pulse rate became dangerously low on CV ( 12.5 mg). Now on Enoxaparin

vinylcollector profile image
vinylcollector

Very worrying.

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