What does the drug amiodarone do?

What does the drug amiodarone do?

Amiodarone (Cordarone) is used to treat and prevent an irregular heartbeat. It slows down nerve activity in the heart and relaxes an overactive heart.

What are the most common side effects of amiodarone?

More common

• Cough.
• dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting.
• fever (slight)
• numbness or tingling in the fingers or toes.
• painful breathing.
• sensitivity of the skin to sunlight.
• trembling or shaking of the hands.
• trouble with walking.

What are the long term side effects of amiodarone?

Amiodarone has been associated with multiple systemic adverse effects, including bradycardia, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, pulmonary toxicity, ocular deposits, and liver function derangements.

What should be avoided when taking amiodarone?

amiodarone food You should avoid consuming grapefruits and grapefruit juice while taking amiodarone. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor. Grapefruit can raise the levels of amiodarone in your body and lead to dangerous side effects.

Can I take vitamin D with amiodarone?

Interactions between your drugs No interactions were found between amiodarone and Vitamin D3. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist.

Is amiodarone hard on the kidneys?

Amiodarone can interact with simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin, increasing the risk of severe muscle breakdown and kidney failure or liver disease.

Is there an alternative to amiodarone?

Dronedarone has been viewed as a potential therapeutic alternative for amiodarone because of a lower risk for pulmonary, thyroid, and dermatologic adverse effects. Compared with amiodarone, dronedarone has poor bioavailability and a shorter terminal disposition half-life, which dictates a twice-daily dosing regimen.

Is amiodarone a last resort?

Although amiodarone is the most effective antiarrhythmic agent for maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation, it is generally used as the drug of the last resort in the United States.

Is there withdrawal from amiodarone?

Withdrawal or reduction of amiodarone therapy may lead to considerable improvement in neurological side-effects. Patients on amiodarone should have regular cardiac, hepatic, thyroid, pulmonary, dermatological, ophthalmological screening and assessment of neurological function, particularly in older people.

Do you need to wean off amiodarone?

Do not stop taking amiodarone without talking to your doctor. You may need to be closely monitored or even hospitalized when you stop taking amiodarone. Amiodarone may remain in your body for some time after you stop taking it, so your doctor will watch you carefully during this time.

What lung problems does amiodarone cause?

Several forms of pulmonary disease occur among patients treated with amiodarone, including interstitial pneumonitis, eosinophilic pneumonia, organizing pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), pulmonary nodules and solitary masses, and also (rarely) pleural effusion.

What are the symptoms of amiodarone toxicity?

The clinical presentation of amiodarone pulmonary toxicity is very nonspecific. Common symptoms are shortness of breath, dry cough, fever, respiratory distress, and fatigue; sometimes it can mimic acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Is there a lawsuit against amiodarone?

Some amiodarone lawsuits have already been filed in court. In 2015, for instance, the family of an Alabama athletic director filed a wrongful death lawsuit against amiodarone drug makers, claiming the medication caused the director’s death.

How bad is Amiodarone?

This medication has the risk of serious side effects. These include serious lung problems, liver problems, and a worsening of your irregular heart rate. These problems can be fatal. If you need to be treated with amiodarone for an irregular heart rate, you’ll need to be admitted into the hospital to get the first dose.

How long does it take for amiodarone to leave your system?

Amiodarone has a very long half-life (this is the time it takes for 50% of a dose of amiodarone to be eliminated by the body) of 15 to 142 days. It also has an active metabolite, desethylamiodarone that has a half-life of 75 days.

What is the safest antiarrhythmic drug?

Of all antiarrhythmic agents, dofetilide and amiodarone have been proven safe in patients with heart failure.

Is weight gain a side effect of amiodarone?

Amiodarone can also affect the thyroid in up to 10 per cent of people. An overactive thyroid can cause a range of symptoms, including anxiety, tiredness, dry skin, thinning hair, swelling in the neck and weight loss. An underactive thyroid can lead to weight gain, tiredness, dry skin and swelling in the neck.

Does amiodarone cause memory loss?

One study reported short-term memory loss in 8.6% of subjects, but the dose of amiodarone was unusually high in this sample (600 mg/d). Although not reported in larger clinical studies, three case reports have described amiodarone-induced delirium.