IN HYPERTENSION CARVEDILOL IS GIVEN IN AN INITIAL DOSE OF 12.5 MG ONCE DAILY BY MOUTH, INCREASED AFTER TWO DAYS TO 25 MG ONCE DAILY. ALTERNATIVELY, AN INITIAL DOSE OF 6.25 MG IS GIVEN TWICE DAILY, INCREASED AFTER ONE TO TWO WEEKS TO 12.5 MG TWICE DAILY. THE DOSE MAY BE INCREASED FURTHER, IF NECESSARY, AT INTERVALS OF AT LEAST TWO WEEKS, TO 50 MG ONCE DAILY OR IN DIVIDED DOSES. A DOSE OF 12.5 MG ONCE DAILY MAY BE ADEQUATE FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS.
IN ANGINA PECTORIS AN INITIAL DOSE OF 12.5 MG IS GIVEN TWICE DAILY BY MOUTH, INCREASED AFTER TWO DAYS TO 25 MG TWICE DAILY.
IN HEART FAILURE, THE INITIAL DOSE IS 3.125 MG TWICE DAILY BY MOUTH. IT SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH FOOD TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HYPOTENSION. IF TOLERATED, THE DOSE SHOULD BE DOUBLED AFTER TWO WEEKS TO 6.25 MG TWICE DAILY AND THEN INCREASED GRADUALLY, AT INTERVALS OF NOT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, TO THE MAXIMUM DOSE TOLERATED; THIS SHOULD NOT EXCEED 25 MG TWICE DAILY IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE HEART FAILURE OR IN THOSE WEIGHING LESS THAN 85 KG, OR 50 MG TWICE DAILY IN PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE HEART FAILURE WEIGHING MORE THAN 85 KG.
IN PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTION FOLLOWING MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, THE INITIAL DOSE IS 6.25 MG TWICE DAILY, INCREASED AFTER 3 TO 10 DAYS, IF TOLERATED, TO 12.5 MG TWICE DAILY AND THEN TO A TARGET DOSE OF 25 MG TWICE DAILY. A LOWER INITIAL DOSE MAY BE USED IN SYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS.