What Is Nebivolol?

Nebivolol is a prescription beta blocker medication often used to treat hypertension. Hypertension is a condition where an aspect of blood pressure is elevated, and a beta blocker is a class of drugs often used to treat cardiac conditions like hypertension. As a beta blocker, nebivolol acts by limiting the ability of hormones to affect a person’s system. Nebivolol is taken as a tablet and ultimately works to slow down heart rate and lower blood pressure. This prescription hypertension medication can cause serious side effects such as difficulty breathing, as well as minor side effects like headache.

A brand of this medication once violated the United States Food and Drug Administration's advertising regulations by exaggerating the drug's capabilities. The advertisements also minimized the drug’s potential side effects and safety issues. Therefore, advertisements about nebivolol dating to 2008 or earlier might need to be viewed with a healthy level of skepticism.

Health professionals sometime express concern about nebivolol patients stopping the drug suddenly. This prescription beta blocker can take up to two weeks to show effect, and this may dissuade some patients from continuing to take the medicine. Like with many medicines, a sudden stop in medication without a doctor’s direction is dangerous. It can lead to serious pain, heart attack, or even death.

Swelling of the extremities can be dangerous, and it is generally recommended that such side effects be reported to a medical professional. In addition, unusual rashes, odd weight gain, or difficulty breathing are also less common side effects of the medication that should be given medical attention. Not all possible side effects are observed during a drug’s trials, so any unusual physical or mental health problems should also be monitored.

Some of the side effects are usually mild but can be dangerous if they linger or increase in severity. Numbness or other strange sensations in the patient’s extremities are normal unless the patient experiences an unusual amount of discomfort. In addition, gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and diarrhea are fairly common. Physical ailments are also sometimes experienced, typically in the forms of stomach pain and general feelings of weakness. Feelings of tiredness, difficulty staying asleep, and headaches are also relatively common when on nebivolol.

It is possible to overdose on this medication. There are specific side effects to look for when an overdose is suspected, and these side effects should be dealt with using extreme caution. A few of these side effects are mental, and include feelings of confusion, anxiety, and strange changes in behavior or general state of mind. Some other side effects of overdose are more generalized and physical, like shakiness, dizziness, and sweating. Other side effects of nebivolol overdose that are a bit more extreme include seizures, jerky movements, and sudden unexpected feelings of hunger.