This NHS content is written for people in England. Medicine names, availability, prescribing and services may differ in other countries.
How to take carvedilol
When you start taking carvedilol, your doctor may advise you to take your first dose just before you go to bed. This is because it can make you feel dizzy.
After the first dose, if you do not feel dizzy, you can take your medicine in the morning. If you do feel dizzy, it's best to keep taking your medicine at bedtime.
It's best to take carvedilol at the same time each day.
If you take it twice a day, you'll usually have 1 dose in the morning and 1 dose in the evening. Leave 10 to 12 hours between doses if you can.
Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Do not chew or crush them.
Carvedilol does not usually make you feel sick, so you can take it with or without food. However, if you're taking carvedilol for heart failure, it's best to take the tablets with food. This will help reduce the risk of you feeling dizzy or faint when you stand up.
If you find tablets difficult to swallow, some tablets have a line across them to help you break them in half. Check the information leaflet that comes with your medicine to see if you can do this.
View the original NHS website page ↗. Refreshed 19 August 2026.
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