Amiodarone Product Information

Amiodarone is a medication prescribed to people with heart rhythm disorders. Because it has potential to cause dangerous side effects, doctors usually prescribe this drug only to people who have not responded to other medications or cannot tolerate them.

Uses

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Amiodarone in 1985 to manage life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. But physicians also commonly prescribe it for the off-label use of treating atrial fibrillation.

Availability

• Amiodarone is available in tablet and injectable forms under the brands Cordarone and Pacerone, and also as a generic drug.

Initial Therapy

• Although Amiodarone is typically very effective, it can cause the arrhythmia to worsen and also can cause a new arrhythmia to develop. Patients beginning Amiodarone therapy receive their first few doses in a hospital, where they often stay for at least a week for monitoring.

Amiodarone Retention

• Amiodarone is fat-soluble and becomes stored in tissue. It cannot completely leave the body for several months after the drug is discontinued. Side effects on organs as the result of this storage can take years to appear. It can cause life-threatening lung damage or liver damage.

Additional Serious Effects

• Amiodarone also can cause thyroid problems, low blood pressure, and shaking, tremors and other uncontrollable movements. Many patients develop severe photosensitivity, which can cause sunburn, and in long-term use, a blue-gray skin pigmentation in areas exposed regularly to sun.