Medicine pack check sheet

Source-linked reading points

• The label says to take it with food and not crush or chew the capsule. For swallowing difficulty, one whole capsule may be carefully opened and all beads sprinkled over a spoonful of applesauce that is not warm, then consumed immediately in its entirety. Do not store the mixture; absorption on other foods has not been tested. Do not divide, estimate half a capsule or grind the extended-release beads.
• COREG is an immediate-release carvedilol tablet; COREG CR is an extended-release carvedilol phosphate capsule. Although the label contains a clinician conversion table, older people or those at higher risk of hypotension, dizziness or syncope may require a different starting approach. Do not self-convert, combine, alternate or substitute from a brand stem, daily immediate-release milligrams, CR capsule milligrams or frequency.
• Do not stop abruptly. The label warns that abrupt beta-blocker withdrawal may worsen angina and may be followed by myocardial infarction or ventricular arrhythmia. Do not stop from one blood-pressure or pulse reading; use local emergency care immediately for chest pain, fainting, severe breathlessness or another acute severe feature.
• A slow pulse, postural dizziness, fainting, hypotension or rapid change in weight or swelling requires prompt contact with the care team. The label reports a higher combined rate of dizziness, hypotension or syncope in people over 65 switched from the highest immediate-release dose to the highest CR dose; this is why a website must not automate conversion.