What is amiodarone Hydrochloride used for?
Amiodarone is used to treat life-threatening heart rhythm problems called ventricular arrhythmias. This medicine is used in patients who have already been treated with other medicines that did not work well.
Can amiodarone damage your heart?
Amiodarone may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.
What should be avoided while taking amiodarone?
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.
Is amiodarone a safe drug?
CONCLUSION: Amiodarone, as part of a strategy to achieve and maintain sinus rhythm, appears to be safe and effective in patients with persistent AF. However, some patients may not tolerate the adverse effects of this agent.
How long can a patient take amiodarone?
Toxicity can occur at any time during the course of treatment. Those at the greatest risk are patients who have taken a daily dose of 400 mg or more for more than two months, or a lower dose, commonly 200 mg daily, for more than two years.
Does amiodarone affect sleep?
Neurologic side effects were reported in 20-40% of patients, at times associated with tremor, ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, malaise or fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, and headaches.
What is the best time of day to take amiodarone?
Try to take your doses of amiodarone at the same times each day, as this will help you to remember to take them regularly. You can take amiodarone either before or after meals.
How long should a person take amiodarone?
This meta-analysis shows that use of amiodarone, as part of a strategy to achieve sinus rhythm, in the treatment of persistent AF (>30 days’ duration) appears to be safe and effective.
Is amiodarone taken for life?
This medication must be taken regularly for one to three weeks before a response is seen and for several months before the full effect occurs. Due to the drug’s long half-life, it will remain in your body for up to two months. How should it be used? Amiodarone comes in tablets.
Can amiodarone be taken for years?
Our results showed that long-term amiodarone therapy, as part of a strategy to control rhythm, is more effective than a placebo or rate control drug in achieving and maintaining sinus rhythm. These results are consistent with the results of a recent study on the effectiveness of dronedarone in treating persistent AF.
Is it better to take amiodarone in the morning or at night?
Always let your provider and pharmacist know when you start or stop other medications, since some of them can interact with amiodarone (Pacerone). Can amiodarone (Pacerone) be taken at night? Amiodarone (Pacerone) is okay to take at night.
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.
How long can u stay on amiodarone?
How long is it safe to be on amiodarone?
It is very important that you take amiodarone exactly as your doctor tells you to. You will be started on a high dose, for one week only. Your dose will then be reduced over the following two weeks to a maintenance dose….About amiodarone.
| Type of medicine | An anti-arrhythmic medicine |
|---|---|
| Available as | Tablets and injection |
What are the side effects of amiodarone?
Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic agent. During therapy, intracytoplasmic lamellar deposits occur in the cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve. The most common symptom, reported by 1.4-40.0% of patients, is colored rings around lights. The most common ocular finding is corneal epithelial opa …
Is amiodarone a dangerous drug?
Amiodarone is so dangerous that the FDA requires a separate warning from whatever instructions or warnings the physician may give. The drug must also be accompanied by a medication guide. Simply because a drug becomes generic doesn’t change things.
What are the side effects of stopping amiodarone?
Cough
Is amiodarone bad for kidneys?
Is amiodarone bad for kidneys? Cordarone increases the blood levels of digoxin, flecainide, phenytoin, and procainamide. Amiodarone can interact with simvastatin, atorvastatin, and lovastatin, increasing the risk of severe muscle breakdown and kidney failure or liver disease. Cordarone is harmful to the fetus and to infants.