Nursing Drug Reference & Checker

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Nursing Drug Reference & Checker

FDA labels · Drug interactions · Beers Criteria · NIOSH 2024 · RxNorm · v3.0.0

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💊 CARVEDILOL

Generic: CARVEDILOL
ORAL FDA Label
Quick reference
RouteORAL
ManufacturerQPharma Inc
SourceFDA Label
✅ Indications & Usage ›

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Carvedilol tablets are an alpha/beta-adrenergic blocking agent indicated for the treatment of: mild to severe chronic heart failure ( 1.1 ) left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction in clinically stable patients( 1.2 ) hypertension( 1.3 )

1.1 Heart Failure Carvedilol tablets are indicated for the treatment of mild-to-severe chronic heart failure of ischemic or cardiomyopathic origin, usually in addition to diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and digitalis, to increase survival and, also, to reduce the risk of hospitalization [see Drug Interactions ( 7.4 ), Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )] .

1.2 Left Ventricular Dysfunction following Myocardial Infarction Carvedilol tablets are indicated to reduce cardiovascular mortality in clinically stable patients who have survived the acute phase of a myocardial infarction and have a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than or equal to 40% (with or without symptomatic heart failure) [see Clinical Studies ( 14.2 )] .

1.3 Hypertension Carvedilol tablets are indicated for the management of essential hypertension [see Clinical Studies ( 14.3 , 14.4 )] . It can be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents, especially thiazide-type diuretics [see Drug Interactions ( 7.2 )] .

💉 Dosage & Administration ›

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take with food. Individualize dosage and monitor during up-titration. ( 2 ) Heart failure: Start at 3.125 mg twice daily and increase to 6.25, 12.5, and then 25 mg twice daily over intervals of at least 2 weeks. Maintain lower doses if higher doses are not tolerated. ( 2.1 ) Left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction: Start at 6.25 mg twice daily and increase to 12.5 mg then 25 mg twice daily after intervals of 3 to 10 days. A lower starting dose or slower titration may be used.( 2.2 ) Hypertension: Start at 6.25 mg twice daily and increase if needed for blood pressure control to 12.5 mg and then 25 mg twice daily over intervals of 1 to 2 weeks.( 2.3 ) Carvedilol should be taken with food to slow the rate of absorption and reduce the incidence of orthostatic effects.

2.1 Heart Failure DOSAGE MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED AND CLOSELY MONITORED BY A PHYSICIAN DURING UP-TITRATION. Prior to initiation of Carvedilol tablets, it is recommended that fluid retention be minimized. The recommended starting dose of Carvedilol tablets are 3.125 mg twice daily for 2 weeks. If tolerated, patients may have their dose increased to 6.25, 12.5, and 25 mg twice daily over successive intervals of at least 2 weeks. Patients should be maintained on lower doses if higher doses are not tolerated. A maximum dose of 50 mg twice daily has been administered to patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure weighing over 85 kg (187 lbs). Patients should be advised that initiation of treatment and (to a lesser extent) dosage increases may be associated with transient symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness (and rarely syncope) within the first hour after dosing. During these periods, patients should avoid situations such as driving or hazardous tasks, where symptoms could result in injury. Vasodilatory symptoms often do not require treatment, but it may be useful to separate the time of dosing of Carvedilol tablets from that of the ACE inhibitor or to reduce... [See full FDA label]

🚫 Contraindications ›

4 CONTRAINDICATIONS Bronchial asthma or related bronchospastic conditions. ( 4 ) Second- or third-degree AV block. ( 4 ) Sick sinus syndrome. ( 4 ) Severe bradycardia (unless permanent pacemaker in place). ( 4 ) Patients in cardiogenic shock or decompensated heart failure requiring the use of IV inotropic therapy. ( 4 ) Severe hepatic impairment. ( 2.4 , 4 ) History of serious hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, anaphylactic reaction, angioedema) to any component of this medication or other medications containing carvedilol. ( 4 ) Carvedilol tablets are contraindicated in the following conditions: Bronchial asthma or related bronchospastic conditions. Deaths from status asthmaticus have been reported following single doses of carvedilol tablets. Second- or third-degree AV block. Sick sinus syndrome. Severe bradycardia (unless a permanent pacemaker is in place). Patients with cardiogenic shock or who have decompensated heart failure requiring the use of intravenous inotropic therapy. Such patients should first be weaned from intravenous therapy before initiating carvedilol tablets. Patients with severe hepatic impairment. Patients with a history of a serious hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, anaphylactic reaction, angioedema) to any component of this medication or other medications containing carvedilol.

⚠️ Warnings & Precautions ›

5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Acute exacerbation of coronary artery disease upon cessation of therapy: Do not abruptly discontinue. ( 5.1 ) Bradycardia, hypotension, worsening heart failure/fluid retention may occur. Reduce the dose as needed. ( 5.2 , 5.3 , 5.4 ) Non-allergic bronchospasm (e.g., chronic bronchitis and emphysema): Avoid β-blockers. ( 4 ) However, if deemed necessary, use with caution and at lowest effective dose. ( 5.5 ) Diabetes: May mask symptoms of hypoglycemia and alter glucose levels; monitor ( 5.6 )

5.1 Cessation of Therapy Patients with coronary artery disease, who are being treated with carvedilol tablets, should be advised against abrupt discontinuation of therapy. Severe exacerbation of angina and the occurrence of myocardial infarction and ventricular arrhythmias have been reported in patients with angina following the abrupt discontinuation of therapy with β-blockers. The last 2 complications may occur with or without preceding exacerbation of the angina pectoris. As with other β-blockers, when discontinuation of carvedilol tablets are planned, the patients should be carefully observed and advised to limit physical activity to a minimum. Carvedilol tablets should be discontinued over 1 to 2 weeks whenever possible. If the angina worsens or acute coronary insufficiency develops, it is recommended that carvedilol tablets be promptly reinstituted, at least temporarily. Because coronary artery disease is common and may be unrecognized, it may be prudent not to discontinue therapy with carvedilol abruptly even in patients treated only for hypertension or heart failure.

5.2 Bradycardia In clinical trials, carvedilol tablets caused bradycardia in about 2% of hypertensive subjects, 9% of subjects with heart failure, and 6.5% of subjects with myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction. If pulse rate drops below 55 beats per minute, the dosage should be reduced.

5.3 Hypotension In clinical trials of primarily mild-to-moderate heart fail... [See full FDA label]

🔴 Adverse Reactions ›

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS Most common adverse events ( 6.1 ): Heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction (≥10%): Dizziness, fatigue, hypotension, diarrhea, hyperglycemia, asthenia, bradycardia, weight increase. Hypertension (≥5%): Dizziness. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc. at 1- 877-993-8779 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

6.1 Clinical Studies Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Carvedilol tablets have been evaluated for safety in subjects with heart failure (mild, moderate, and severe), in subjects with left ventricular dysfunction following myocardial infarction and in hypertensive subjects. The observed adverse event profile was consistent with the pharmacology of the drug and the health status of the subjects in the clinical trials. Adverse events reported for each of these patient populations are provided below. Excluded are adverse events considered too general to be informative, and those not reasonably associated with the use of the drug because they were associated with the condition being treated or are very common in the treated population. Rates of adverse events were generally similar across demographic subsets (men and women, elderly and non-elderly, blacks and non-blacks). Heart Failure Carvedilol tablets have been evaluated for safety in heart failure in more than 4,500 subjects worldwide of whom more than 2,100 participated in placebo-controlled clinical trials. Approximately 60% of the total treated population in placebo-controlled clinical trials received Carvedilol tablets for at least 6 months and 30% received Carvedilol tablets for at least 12 months. In the COMET trial, 1,511 subjects with mild-to-moderate he... [See full FDA label]

💊 Drug Interactions ›

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS CYP P450 2D6 enzyme inhibitors may increase and rifampin may decrease carvedilol levels. ( 7.1 , 7.5 ) Hypotensive agents (e.g., reserpine, MAO inhibitors, clonidine) may increase the risk of hypotension and/or severe bradycardia. ( 7.4 ) Cyclosporine or digoxin levels may increase. ( 7.3 , 7.4 ) Both digitalis glycosides and β-blockers slow atrioventricular conduction and decrease heart rate. Concomitant use can increase the risk of bradycardia. ( 7.4 ) Amiodarone may increase carvedilol levels resulting in further slowing of the heart rate or cardiac conduction. ( 7.6 ) Verapamil- or diltiazem-type calcium channel blockers may affect ECG and/or blood pressure. ( 7.7 ) Insulin and oral hypoglycemics action may be enhanced. ( 7.8 )

7.1 CYP2D6 Inhibitors and Poor Metabolizers Interactions of carvedilol with potent inhibitors of CYP2D6 isoenzyme (such as quinidine, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and propafenone) have not been studied, but these drugs would be expected to increase blood levels of the R(+) enantiomer of carvedilol [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Retrospective analysis of side effects in clinical trials showed that poor 2D6 metabolizers had a higher rate of dizziness during up-titration, presumably resulting from vasodilating effects of the higher concentrations of the α-blocking R(+) enantiomer.

7.2 Hypotensive Agents Patients taking a β-blocker and a drug that can deplete catecholamines (e.g., reserpine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors) should be observed closely for signs of hypotension and/or severe bradycardia. Concomitant administration of clonidine with a β-blocker may cause hypotension and bradycardia. When concomitant treatment with a β-blocker and clonidine is to be terminated, the β-blocker should be discontinued first. Clonidine therapy can then be discontinued several days later by gradually decreasing the dosage.

7.3 Cyclosporine Modest increases in mean trough cyclosporine concentrations were observed following in... [See full FDA label]

🤰 Pregnancy ›

8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Available data regarding use of carvedilol in pregnant women are insufficient to determine whether there are drug-associated risks of adverse developmental outcomes. There are risks to the mother and fetus associated with poorly controlled hypertension in pregnancy. The use of beta blockers during the third trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of hypotension, bradycardia, hypoglycemia, and respiratory depression in the neonate [see Clinical Considerations] . In animal reproduction studies, there was no evidence of adverse developmental outcomes at clinically relevant doses [see Data] . Oral administration of carvedilol to pregnant rats during organogenesis resulted in post-implantation loss, decreased fetal body weight, and an increased frequency of delayed fetal skeletal development at maternally toxic doses that were 50 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD). In addition, oral administration of carvedilol to pregnant rabbits during organogenesis resulted in increased post-implantation loss at doses 25 times the MRHD [see Data]. The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated populations are unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Clinical Considerations Disease-Associated Maternal and/or Embryo/Fetal Risk: Hypertension in pregnancy increases the maternal risk for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, premature delivery, and delivery complications (e.g., need for cesarean section and post-partum hemorrhage). Hypertension increases the fetal risk for intrauterine growth restriction and intrauterine death. Pregnant women with hypertension should be carefully monitored and managed accordingly. Fetal/Neonatal Adverse Reactions: Neonates of women with hype... [See full FDA label]

🤱 Nursing / Lactation ›

8.2 Lactation Risk Summary There are no data on the presence of carvedilol in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. Carvedilol is present in the milk of lactating rats. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother's clinical need for carvedilol and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from carvedilol or from the underlying maternal condition.

👶 Pediatric Use ›

8.4 Pediatric Use Effectiveness of carvedilol tablets in patients younger than 18 years has not been established. In a double-blind trial, 161 children (mean age: 6 years; range: 2 months to 17 years; 45% younger than 2 years) with chronic heart failure [NYHA class II-IV, left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40% for children with a systemic left ventricle (LV), and moderate-severe ventricular dysfunction qualitatively by echo for those with a systemic ventricle that was not an LV] who were receiving standard background treatment were randomized to placebo or to 2 dose levels of carvedilol. These dose levels produced placebo-corrected heart rate reduction of 4 to 6 heart beats per minute, indicative of β-blockade activity. Exposure appeared to be lower in pediatric subjects than adults. After 8 months of follow-up, there was no significant effect of treatment on clinical outcomes. Adverse reactions in this trial that occurred in greater than 10% of subjects treated with carvedilol and at twice the rate of placebo-treated subjects included chest pain (17% versus 6%), dizziness (13% versus 2%), and dyspnea (11% versus 0%).

👴 Geriatric Use ›

8.5 Geriatric Use Of the 765 subjects with heart failure randomized to carvedilol in US clinical trials, 31% (235) were aged 65 years or older, and 7.3% (56) were aged 75 years or older. Of the 1,156 subjects randomized to carvedilol in a long-term, placebo-controlled trial in severe heart failure, 47% (547) were aged 65 years or older, and 15% (174) were aged 75 years or older. Of 3,025 subjects receiving carvedilol in heart failure trials worldwide, 42% were aged 65 years or older. Of the 975 subjects with myocardial infarction randomized to carvedilol tablets in the CAPRICORN trial, 48% (468) were aged 65 years or older, and 11% (111) were aged 75 years or older. Of the 2,065 hypertensive subjects in US clinical trials of efficacy or safety who were treated with carvedilol tablets, 21% (436) were aged 65 years or older. Of 3,722 subjects receiving carvedilol tablets in hypertension clinical trials conducted worldwide, 24% were aged 65 years or older. With the exception of dizziness in hypertensive subjects (incidence 8.8% in the elderly versus 6% in younger subjects), no overall differences in the safety or effectiveness (see Figure 2 and 4) were observed between the older subjects and younger subjects in each of these populations. Similarly, other reported clinical experience has not identified differences in responses between the elderly and younger subjects, but greater sensitivity of some older individuals cannot be ruled out.

🔬 Mechanism of Action ›

12.1 Mechanism of Action Carvedilol is a racemic mixture in which nonselective β-adrenoreceptor blocking activity is present in the S(-) enantiomer and α 1 -adrenergic blocking activity is present in both R(+) and S(-) enantiomers at equal potency. Carvedilol has no intrinsic sympathomimetic activity.

📊 Pharmacokinetics ›

12.3 Pharmacokinetics Carvedilol tablets are rapidly and extensively absorbed following oral administration, with absolute bioavailability of approximately 25% to 35% due to a significant degree of first-pass metabolism. Following oral administration, the apparent mean terminal elimination half-life of carvedilol generally ranges from 7 to 10 hours. Plasma concentrations achieved are proportional to the oral dose administered. When administered with food, the rate of absorption is slowed, as evidenced by a delay in the time to reach peak plasma levels, with no significant difference in extent of bioavailability. Taking carvedilol tablets with food should minimize the risk of orthostatic hypotension. Carvedilol is extensively metabolized. Following oral administration of radiolabelled carvedilol to healthy volunteers, carvedilol accounted for only about 7% of the total radioactivity in plasma as measured by area under the curve (AUC). Less than 2% of the dose was excreted unchanged in the urine. Carvedilol is metabolized primarily by aromatic ring oxidation and glucuronidation. The oxidative metabolites are further metabolized by conjugation via glucuronidation and sulfation. The metabolites of carvedilol are excreted primarily via the bile into the feces. Demethylation and hydroxylation at the phenol ring produce 3 active metabolites with β-receptor blocking activity. Based on preclinical studies, the 4'-hydroxyphenyl metabolite is approximately 13 times more potent than carvedilol for β-blockade. Compared with carvedilol, the 3 active metabolites exhibit weak vasodilating activity. Plasma concentrations of the active metabolites are about one-tenth of those observed for carvedilol and have pharmacokinetics similar to the parent. Carvedilol undergoes stereoselective first-pass metabolism with plasma levels of R(+)-carvedilol approximately 2 to 3 times higher than S(-)-carvedilol following oral administration in healthy subjects. The mean apparent terminal eliminat... [See full FDA label]

☠️ Overdosage ›

10 OVERDOSAGE Overdosage may cause severe hypotension, bradycardia, cardiac insufficiency, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest. Respiratory problems, bronchospasms, vomiting, lapses of consciousness, and generalized seizures may also occur. The patient should be placed in a supine position and, where necessary, kept under observation and treated under intensive-care conditions. The following agents may be administered: For excessive bradycardia: Atropine, 2 mg IV. To support cardiovascular function: Glucagon, 5 to 10 mg IV rapidly over 30 seconds, followed by a continuous infusion of 5 mg per hour; sympathomimetics (dobutamine, isoprenaline, adrenaline) at doses according to body weight and effect. If peripheral vasodilation dominates, it may be necessary to administer adrenaline or noradrenaline with continuous monitoring of circulatory conditions. For therapy-resistant bradycardia, pacemaker therapy should be performed. For bronchospasm, β-sympathomimetics (as aerosol or IV) or aminophylline IV should be given. In the event of seizures, slow IV injection of diazepam or clonazepam is recommended. NOTE: In the event of severe intoxication where there are symptoms of shock, treatment with antidotes must be continued for a sufficiently long period of time consistent with the 7- to 10-hour half-life of carvedilol. Cases of overdosage with carvedilol tablets alone or in combination with other drugs have been reported. Quantities ingested in some cases exceeded 1,000 milligrams. Symptoms experienced included low blood pressure and heart rate. Standard supportive treatment was provided and individuals recovered.

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