Taking Norvasc For High BP. Have Itchiness. Alternative For Coreg?

Posted on Wed, 10 Apr 2013

Question: I have been taking diovan and Norvasc for about 15 years to control high blood pressure. Just before Christmas coreg was added, which has brought down the b.p. somewhat, but after the first few weeks of edginess and blurred vision which has gotten better, I developed an all over itchiness. It has continued for about 4 weeks and I would like to know if there is another drug which could be changed for the coreg as I feel it is definitely the causal factor in the itching? When I first began treatment for the b.p. years ago, I went through similar problems with Hyzaar, Lotrel, and Toprol. I was also switched from Zocor to Lipitor about the same time in December 2012. Any correlation with these drugs, the itching and the coreg? Please offer any alternate suggestions.

Answered by Dr. Luchuo Engelbert Bain (2 hours later)

Hi and thanks for the query,
Carvedilol (Coreg) has side effects, but itching is not actually one of its usual side effects. It has been reported in few patients too. From your description, Coreg should actually be the drug causing the itches. There are other drugs that have similar actions like Coreg, and you should actually seek the advice of your physician before taking nay of these drugs because cross reactions might actually exist. Other classes of anti hypertensive drugs like Calcium Channel Blockers or Diuretics could be added to your treatment plan. I suggest for now you take an anti histaminic drug (like Loratidine) to Stop the itches, then visit your treating physician to modify your treatment.
Abrupt arrest of these drugs are not advisable for they can have rebound effects with very adverse consequences. Taking an appointment with the physician is the best thing to do.
Do not hesitate asking further questions in case you have any more special concerns.
Thanks and best regards,
Luchuo,MD.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar