How to Increase Coreg for Cardiomyopathy

Coreg is a drug that doctors use to treat heart failure caused by a weakening of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy). Increasing your dose of Coreg for treatment of cardiomyopathy and heart failure requires talking with your doctor, careful monitoring as the dose is adjusted, and communicating with your doctor and his staff should you experience any negative side effects.

Instructions

Increase Coreg for Cardiomyopathy

• 1

  Talk to your doctor about why you feel you need to increase your dose of Coreg. Is the drug not helping with your symptoms at its current dosage? Are symptoms worsening? Carefully explain to your doctor why you want to increase your dosage. The initial starting dose of Coreg is usually 3.125 milligrams taken twice daily for two weeks, but if your symptoms are not getting better, or if they are getting worse, you will need to talk to your doctor about adjusting the dosage and frequency. Coreg comes in a variety of dosages; your doctor will choose the appropriate steps to adjust the drug based on your individual circumstances.

• 2

  Work with your doctor as he adjusts your dosage. Your doctor will want to measure your fluid retention, as this affects how your body reacts to the medicine, and he will carefully monitor you over time as he gradually increases the dose. You may find that he also increases your dose of diuretics to control fluid retention as he increases your doses of Coreg. Your doctor will want to keep you on the lowest safe dose that will relieve symptoms and help you, and this involves gradually increasing the dosage of Coreg and the frequency with which you take it, and then watchful monitoring to make sure you have enough of the drug in your system to help without causing negative side effects.

• 3

  Avoid driving or complex tasks for the first hour or so after your doctor adjusts your medication and you take the first few doses. It is not uncommon for increased doses of Coreg to make patients feel dizzy or lightheaded, but individual tailoring of increased dosages and taking Coreg with food should manage this to some degree.

• 4

  Contact your doctor immediately if your symptoms worsen, if your fluid retention increases, or if your heartbeat feels slower than usual. In some cases, patients with increased dosages will suffer negative side effects; should this happen, be sure to contact your doctor immediately.