carvedilol vs digoxin

PlainMeds reviewed this comparison against our methodology in August 2026. It places FDA and CMS record fields side by side, without recommending either medication.

Side-by-side comparison of carvedilol and digoxin. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

( 7.4 ) Cyclosporine or digoxin levels may increase. Digoxin concentrations are increased by about 15% when digoxin and carvedilol are administered concomitantly. Therefore, increased monitoring of digoxin is recommended when initiating, adjusting, or discontinuing carvedilol tablets [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.5 )] .

Drug Class
carvedilol Beta-Blocker (Alpha/Beta)
digoxin Cardiac Glycoside
Type
carvedilol Prescription
digoxin Prescription
Summary
carvedilol

Carvedilol is a medicine that lowers blood pressure and helps your heart work better. It belongs to a class of drugs called alpha/beta-blockers.

digoxin

Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better. It is used to treat heart failure and control irregular heartbeats.

What It Treats
carvedilol

Carvedilol treats a few different heart conditions. It is used for long-term heart failure to help you live longer and go to the hospital less. It also helps people who had a heart attack and have a weak heart pump. Carvedilol can also treat high blood pressure.

digoxin

Digoxin is used to treat mild to moderate heart failure in adults. It helps the heart pump more blood with each beat. Digoxin is also used in children with heart failure to help their heart work better. In adults, it can control a fast and irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.

How It Works
carvedilol

Carvedilol works by blocking the effects of certain natural chemicals in your body, such as adrenaline. This helps to relax blood vessels and slows down your heart rate. As a result, it lowers blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood.

digoxin

Digoxin belongs to a class of drugs called cardiac glycosides. It works by making the heart muscle contract more strongly. It also slows down the electrical signals in the heart, which can help control irregular heartbeats.

Common Side Effects
carvedilol
  • Dizziness
  • Tiredness
  • Low blood pressure
  • Diarrhea
  • High blood sugar
digoxin
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
FAERS Reports
carvedilol
  • Fatigue 8,669
  • Dyspnoea 8,178
  • Diarrhoea 6,867
  • Dizziness 6,776
  • Nausea 6,492
digoxin
  • Dyspnoea 6,065
  • Nausea 4,754
  • Dizziness 4,439
  • Fatigue 4,175
  • Atrial Fibrillation 3,974
Serious Warnings
carvedilol

Do not stop taking carvedilol suddenly if you have heart problems. This can make chest pain worse and may cause a heart attack. If you need to stop taking carvedilol, your doctor will slowly lower your dose over 1 to 2 weeks. Carvedilol can also cause your heart rate to slow down too much or lower your blood pressure too much. If your pulse rate drops below 55 beats per minute, talk to your doctor about lowering the dose.

digoxin

Digoxin can cause serious side effects, including dangerous heart rhythms. You are at higher risk if you have certain heart conditions or kidney problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, vision changes, or an irregular heartbeat.

Pregnancy
carvedilol

It is not known if carvedilol will harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Beta-blockers like carvedilol may cause low blood pressure, slow heart rate, and breathing problems in newborns.

digoxin

It is not known if digoxin can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. The medicine passes into breast milk, but it is unlikely to harm the baby.

How to Read This carvedilol vs digoxin Comparison

carvedilol is classified in the Beta-Blocker (Alpha/Beta) drug class, while digoxin sits within the Cardiac Glycoside class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, carvedilol has 36,982 submissions while digoxin has 23,407. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to carvedilol can cause the body to hold onto more digoxin, which increases the amount of digoxin in your blood.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for carvedilol or digoxin.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.