A sufficient carvedilol dose is affected by factors such as the patient’s responsiveness to the treatment, the condition that the drug is being used to treat and the type of pill the patient is being given. A standard dosage of carvedilol for hypertension is 6.25 milligrams taken twice per day, but if the patient’s blood pressure does not improve, this can be increased, up to a maximum of 25 milligrams twice daily. If the patient is using special extended-release capsules, the sufficient carvedilol dosage can be 20-80 milligrams. The recommended initial dose for patients who suffer from congestive heart failure is 3.25 milligrams twice a day, which is about half the dosage taken for hypertension.
Carvedilol operates largely on the adrenergic nervous system within the body, blocking the receptors it uses on the heart. The system usually releases norepinephrine, a type of adrenaline, which attaches to the heart’s receptors and causes it to beat faster and harder. This chemical also attaches to muscles surrounding arteries, which can increase the blood pressure, and fighting to get blood into that pressurized system increases the strain on the heart. When a sufficient carvedilol dose is taken, the drug blocks the receptors on the heart as well as some of those on the arteries. This action reduces the blood pressure and the rate of the heartbeat.
The most prevalent factor in determining what constitutes a sufficient carvedilol dose is the patient’s response to the treatment. The changes in dosage based on this should be determined only by a healthcare professional. For example, a patient who is taking carvedilol for hypertension ordinarily has 12.5 milligrams of the treatment split across two doses, but this can be increased to 50 milligrams per day if the patient’s blood pressure doesn’t show improvement. If the drug is being taken for congestive heart failure, the initial dose is 6.25 milligrams per day, but this can increase to a maximum of 100 milligrams in patients who weigh more than 187 pounds (85 kilograms). If the patient weighs less, the maximum sufficient carvedilol dose is 50 milligrams per day.
Other factors that can affect the amount of a sufficient carvedilol dose are the type of pill being taken and the condition that the drug is being used to treat. The drug is available in an immediate release pill or an extended-release version. Patients who have hypertension take 12.5 milligrams per day initially if they are using the immediate release pills and 20 milligrams per day if they are using the extended-release pills. The dosage for congestive heart failure is initially half of the dosage required for angina or hypertension and is doubled if the patient doesn't react negatively with the treatment.