Carvedilol is used for:

Treating high blood pressure or certain types of heart failure. It may also be used after a heart attack to improve survival in certain patients. It may be used along with other medicines. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Carvedilol is a beta-blocker. It works by relaxing the blood vessels, slowing down the heart, and decreasing the amount of blood it pumps out. This decreases blood pressure, helps the heart pump more efficiently, and reduces the workload on the heart.

Do NOT use Carvedilol if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Carvedilol
• you have moderate to severe heart block, sick sinus syndrome, very slow heartbeat (unless you have a permanent pacemaker), certain types of irregular heartbeat or severe heart failure, or shock caused by serious heart problems
• you have asthma or other severe breathing problems
• you have severe liver problems
• you are taking mibefradil

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Before using Carvedilol :

Some medical conditions may interact with Carvedilol. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances or are taking medicine for allergies
• if you have a history of other heart problems (eg, heart failure, slow heartbeat, angina) or low blood pressure
• if you have a history of liver or kidney problems, blood vessel disease, blood flow problems (eg, in the legs or feet), lung or breathing problems (eg, chronic bronchitis emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), diabetes, low blood sugar, thyroid problems, or glaucoma
• if you have an adrenal gland tumor (pheochromocytoma)
• if you will be having surgery

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with Carvedilol. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Mibefradil because the risk of serious heart side effects may be increased
• Many prescription and nonprescription medicines (eg, used for infections, inflammation, aches and pains, high blood pressure, heart problems, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, depression, mental or mood problems, immune system suppression, allergic reactions, asthma, high cholesterol, seizures), multivitamin products, and herbal or dietary supplements (eg, herbal teas, coenzyme Q10, garlic, ginseng, ginkgo, St. John's wort) may interact with Carvedilol , increasing the risk of side effects

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Carvedilol may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

How to use Carvedilol :

Use Carvedilol as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Take Carvedilol by mouth with food.
• Take Carvedilol on a regular schedule to get the most benefit from it.
• Taking Carvedilol at the same time(s) each day will help you remember to take it.
• Continue to use Carvedilol even if you feel well. Do not miss any doses.
• Do not suddenly stop taking Carvedilol. You may have an increased risk of side effects. If you need to stop Carvedilol or add a new medicine, your doctor will gradually lower your dose.
• If you miss a dose of Carvedilol , take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Carvedilol.

Important safety information:

• Carvedilol may cause dizziness, fainting, or blurred vision. These effects may be worse if you take it with alcohol or certain medicines. Use Carvedilol with caution. Do not drive or perform other possibly unsafe tasks until you know how you react to it.
• Carvedilol may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. These effects may occur within the first hour after you take your dose. They may be more likely when you start taking Carvedilol or if your dose is increased. Alcohol, hot weather, exercise, or fever may increase these effects. To prevent them, sit up or stand slowly, especially in the morning. Sit or lie down at the first sign of any of these effects. Tell your doctor if these effects occur.
• Do NOT take more than the recommended dose without checking with your doctor.
• Do not suddenly stop taking Carvedilol. Sharp chest pain, irregular heartbeat, and sometimes heart attack may occur if you suddenly stop Carvedilol. The risk may be greater if you have certain types of heart disease. Your doctor should slowly lower your dose over several weeks if you need to stop taking it. This should be done even if you only take Carvedilol for high blood pressure. Heart disease is common and you may not know you have it. Limit physical activity while you are lowering your dose. If new or worsened chest pain or other heart problems occur, contact your doctor right away. You may need to start taking Carvedilol again.
• Patients who take medicine for high blood pressure often feel tired or run down for a few weeks after starting treatment. Be sure to take your medicine even if you may not feel "normal." Tell your doctor if you develop any new symptoms.
• Tell your doctor or dentist that you take Carvedilol before you receive any medical or dental care, emergency care, or surgery.
• If you have a history of any severe allergic reaction, talk with your doctor. You may be at risk for an even more severe allergic reaction if you come into contact with the substance that caused your allergy. Some medicines used to treat severe allergies may also not work as well while you are using Carvedilol .
• Diabetes patients - Carvedilol may affect your blood sugar. Check blood sugar levels closely. Ask your doctor before you change the dose of your diabetes medicine.
• Diabetes patients - Carvedilol may hide signs of low blood sugar, such as a rapid heartbeat. Be sure to watch for other signs of low blood sugar. Low blood sugar may make you anxious, sweaty, weak, dizzy, drowsy, or faint. It may also make your vision change; give you a headache, chills, or tremors; or make you more hungry. Check blood sugar levels closely. Ask your doctor before you change the dose of your diabetes medicine.
• Lab tests, including blood pressure and heart function, may be performed while you use Carvedilol. These tests may be used to monitor your condition or check for side effects. Be sure to keep all doctor and lab appointments.
• Use Carvedilol with caution in the ELDERLY; they may be more sensitive to its effects, especially dizziness.
• Carvedilol should be used with extreme caution in CHILDREN younger than 18 years old; safety and effectiveness in these children have not been confirmed.
• PREGNANCY and BREAST-FEEDING: If you become pregnant, contact your doctor. You will need to discuss the benefits and risks of using Carvedilol while you are pregnant. It is not known if Carvedilol is found in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while taking Carvedilol.

Possible side effects of Carvedilol :

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome:

Diarrhea; dizziness; dry eyes; headache; fatigue; lightheadedness; nausea; numbness or tingling of the hands or feet; vomiting; weakness.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); change in the amount of urine produced; chest pain; disorientation; fainting; fever; irregular or unusually slow heartbeat; persistent or severe vision changes; severe dizziness; shortness of breath; sudden unusual weight gain; swelling of the hands, ankles, or feet; unusual bruising or bleeding.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease.

Replantation: 1. Literally, the act of planting again. 2. In surgery, the restoration of any part of the body to its original site. Also known as reimplantation.

The Chinese surgeon Zhong Wei Chen (1929-2004) was the "father of replantation." Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963. Dr. Chen also developed many microsurgical procedures including techniques for preserving severed extremities, reattaching amputated fingers and thumbs, reconstructing muscles and repairing nerves and blood vessels.

Rheumatism: Rheumatism is an older term, used to describe any of a number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones.

Rheumatism conditions have been classified as either localized, regional, or generalized. Localized rheumatism conditions include bursitis and tendinitis. Regional rheumatism conditions include chest wall pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and myofascial pain syndromes. Generalized rheumatism conditions include fibromyalgia.

Another category of rheumatism is psychogenic rheumatism. With this term it is understood that the patient is reporting inconsistent pains of muscles and joints that do not correspond to true anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to have underlying psychological causes for the symptoms.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of the rheumatic diseases and conditions. Rheumatic diseases and conditions are characterized by symptoms involving the musculoskeletal system. Many of the rheumatic diseases and conditions feature immune system abnormalities. Therefore, rheumatology also involves the study of the immune system. Classical rheumatology training includes 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship in internal medicine, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of rheumatology fellowship. There is a subspecialty board for rheumatology certification. The American College of Rheumatology is the official organization acting on behalf of the field of rheumatology in the United States.

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.

There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients with HIV/AIDS and less frequently in other disorders.

T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature.

For example, "what is the true purpose of the nose?" is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological explanation of evolution.

"Teleology" comes from ancient Greek roots but it (and teleological) did not enter English until the 18th century. It is a compound of the Greek "tele-, telos," meaning "end or purpose" + the ending "logos" meaning "the science or study of" = the study of the ends or purposes.

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. Chemically, testosterone is 17-beta-hydroxy-4-androstene-3-one.

Testosterone is the most potent of the naturally occurring androgens. The androgens cause the development of male sex characteristics, such as a deep voice and a beard; they also strengthen muscle tone and bone mass.

High levels of testosterone appear to promote good health in men, for example, lowering the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack. High testosterone levels also correlate with risky behavior, however, including increased aggressiveness and smoking, which may cancel out these health benefits.

Testosterone may be given to treat medical conditions, including female (but not male) breast cancer, hypogonadism (low gonadal function) in the male, cryptorchism (nondescent of the testis into the scrotum), and menorrhagia (irregular periods).