Nadolol (Corgard and others)

How Medicare covers it

Part D (forms used at home). Part A during a covered inpatient stay. No Part B clinician-administered form in the CMS Part B spending file.

What it treats

Nadolol treats high blood pressure and is used for the long-term management of angina pectoris, which is chest pain from heart disease. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal heart and blood vessel events, mainly strokes and heart attacks.

What it is for, in depth

It is prescribed for long-term management of angina pectoris and for treating hypertension, and for high blood pressure it may be used alone or with other blood pressure drugs, especially thiazide-type diuretics. In studies, doses of 40 to 320 mg per day lowered standing and lying blood pressure for about 24 hours. It comes as oral tablets in 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg strengths; the label indications do not include migraine prevention, even though the package line mentions it.

How it works

Nadolol is a nonselective beta blocker. It blocks both beta1 receptors, mainly in the heart, and beta2 receptors, mainly in the airways and blood vessels, which lowers heart rate and cardiac output and lowers blood pressure at rest and during exercise.

How it is taken

It is taken by mouth as a tablet, and the dose must be individualized for each person. The label says it may be taken without regard to meals, and its 20 to 24 hour half-life allows once-daily dosing in people with normal kidney function.

Common side effects

Slow heart rate under 60 beats per minute occurs commonly, and dizziness or fatigue were reported in about 2 of 100 patients. Symptoms of poor circulation in the hands and feet, usually Raynaud type, occurred in about 2 of 100 patients, and nausea, diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, indigestion, and bloating were each reported in 1 to 5 of 1000 patients.

Serious warnings

The label warns that beta blockade can worsen heart block and can be risky when the heart depends on sympathetic drive, and beta2 blockade can cause bronchial tightening in people prone to bronchospasm. Stopping beta blockers suddenly after long use has led to worsening angina and, in some cases, heart attack and abnormal heart rhythms in people with coronary artery disease. Cardiac failure, low blood pressure, and rhythm or conduction problems each occurred in about 1 of 100 patients.

Who should be careful

Nadolol must not be used in people with bronchial asthma, sinus bradycardia, greater than first degree heart block, cardiogenic shock, or overt cardiac failure. People with kidney failure need care because nadolol is cleared mainly by the kidneys and its half-life gets longer. People with severely damaged hearts or bronchospasm also need special caution, as described in the label.

Major interactions

General anesthetics can make low blood pressure worse, and diabetes drugs, both oral agents and insulin, can lead to high or low blood sugar so their dose may need adjustment. Catecholamine-depleting drugs such as reserpine add to the effect and need close watching for low blood pressure or very slow heart rate, and digitalis glycosides also slow AV conduction and heart rate, raising the risk of slow heart rate. People taking beta blockers may not respond to the usual epinephrine doses for a severe allergic reaction.

Cost and saving notes

Nadolol is covered under Medicare Part D. If your plan's tier makes it hard to afford, you can ask your plan for a tier exception to pay a lower tier price. If you qualify for Extra Help, the Part D low-income help, your drug costs will be much lower.

Why it is in its tier

Nadolol (Corgard and others) sits on Tier 3 in 37.75% of the plans that list it (1945 of 5153 listing plans). Tier 3 is the preferred brand tier — mid-level copays or coinsurance. The data-visible drivers: It is a generic product, and the CMS dashboard puts its average Part D spending at about $223 per beneficiary for 2024 — a relatively low-cost drug, which matches where plans place it. It is listed by 93.78% of Part D plans. The tier shown is the most common one; individual plans vary.

Sources

• NADOLOL TABLET [BLUEPOINT LABORATORIES] — DailyMed
• MedlinePlus — National Library of Medicine
• MedlinePlus — Nadolol

What official patient guides say

Nadolol comes as a tablet to take by mouth (the oral tablet form in this package). Take it once a day, with or without food, at around the same time every day to help you remember to take it. Take nadolol exactly as directed — do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may start you on a low dose and gradually increase your dose to allow your body to adjust to the medication. Nadolol controls your condition but does not cure it. Continue to take nadolol even if you feel well, and do not stop taking nadolol without talking to your doctor; if you suddenly stop taking nadolol, you may experience serious heart problems. If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

Source: MedlinePlus — Nadolol

Part D formulary coverage

Source: CMS Prescription Drug Plan Formulary, Pharmacy Network, and Pricing Information Files — Monthly file 2026-10-15 (plan year 2027), file 2027_20261008.zip (data.cms.gov dataset ed1496ea-23e7-41f1-9292-172fa842ccfb): basic drugs formulary file + plan information file, both dated 20261031 inside the zip; downloaded and aggregated 2026-10-30. Medication RxCUI sets resolved through the NLM RxNav (RxNorm) API.

What you pay

Without insurance, the cash benchmark is 0.12739 per unit (NADOLOL 20 MG TABLET) — about nan for 30 units. NADAC benchmark — the average price pharmacies pay (CMS, as of 2026-11-04). Pharmacy shelf prices vary.

A tier is not a price; what you pay depends on your plan, pharmacy, and benefit stage; Extra Help or Medicaid can lower it further.

Sources: CMS Plan Benefit Package + formulary data; CMS NADAC · Checked 2026-11-08

Coverage by plan and tier

Of the 5,495 Medicare drug plans we track for 2027, 5,153 list Nadolol (Corgard and others) — 93.8% of plans. Most of those plans put it on Tier 3: 1,945 plans, 37.8% of the plans that list it. Other plans place it on Tier 4 (1,595 plans), Tier 2 (1,039 plans) or Tier 1 (488 plans). For example: Aetna Medicare Dual Extra (HMO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 4; Aetna Medicare Dual Extra Care (PPO D-SNP) puts it on Tier 4; Aetna Medicare Value Plus (PPO) puts it on Tier 4. You can compare these plans side by side on our Medicare Advantage hub. A tier is not a price. What you pay also depends on whether you have met your plan';s deductible, whether the drug costs a flat copay or a share of the price, and whether you get Extra Help or Medicaid.

Read next

• Part D in 2027: The $700 Deductible, the $2,400 Cap, and the $35 Insulin Rule
• Extra Help in 2027: Lower Drug Copays and Who Qualifies
• Checking Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

Part D spending averages (2024)

Source: CMS Medicare Part D Spending by Drug (Drug Spending Dashboard), release RY26 P04 V10, data through 2024 (DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv), downloaded 2026-10-30

Companies covering this drug

Part D and Medicare Advantage plan sponsors that list this drug on a formulary, 50 at a time.