Tracy Colman  |  December 3, 2019

Category: Heart Health

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Patients should not stop taking amiodarone, a heart medication, without doctor supervision due to the health risks of untreated arrhythmias.Patients should not stop taking amiodarone, a heart medication, without doctor supervision due to the health risks of untreated arrythmias.

What is Amiodarone?

Amiodarone is an oral drug used to treat ventricular arrhythmias. Ventricular arrhythmias are life-threatening heart rhythm irregularities that interfere with the way that the heart pumps blood. According to the Mayo Clinic, amiodarone works to treat these conditions by working within the heart’s tissues and slowing the nerve impulses in the heart.

Amiodarone is sold under several brand names including Cordarone, Nextrone, and Pacerone.

What Are The Side Effects and Risks Of Amiodarone?

Like other drugs, amiodarone has side effects. Common side effects of amiodarone may include fatigue, eye deposits, tremors, unsteady gait, nausea, vomiting, constipation, weight loss, dizziness, and vision changes.

Although many of the above side effects seem mild or manageable, amiodarone is also associated with an increased risk of toxicity which can affect the lungs, liver, and heart.

The most notable risk is amiodarone toxicity, or lung toxicity. This can occur in a variety of forms including inflammation, fibrosis (scarring), pneumonia, and more problems. This toxicity can be life-threatening and reportedly occurs in between 10 to 17 percent of patients given the drug.

Liver injury is reportedly another common complication, but is usually mild. The only sign of amiodarone liver injury may be increased liver enzymes. However, there have been cases of severe liver disease which has been fatal.

Amiodarone may also be associated with heart problems such as heart failure, bradycardia (slow heartbeat), low blood pressure, cardiac arrest, and cardiogenic shock. Additionally, the drug may interfere with the thyroid, causing hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

Because of the serious complications associated with amiodarone, the drug is considered a last resort in the treatment of arrhythmias. Only if patients are at a high risk of arrhythmic death, meaning that amiodarone toxicity is an acceptable risk, will the drug be prescribed.

How Does Amiodarone Work?

According to The Cleveland Clinic, amiodarone is often initiated at least the first half-month on a much more frequent dosing basis than later on during treatment. The first effects may not be seen by this regimen for up to three weeks. Several months later, full therapeutic value may be reached in a way not previously achieved. As indicated by this source, the drug has an amazingly long half-life—meaning it takes a long time for the levels of the medication in the body to be reduced to half the level of what they were upon first taking it.

For this reason, it also remains in the body for a significant amount of time even if the patient stops taking amiodarone regularly. It can take two months or longer to eliminate the medication. This said, it is important to realize that the side effects associated with it can also be experienced long after the last dose has been taken.

Can I Stop Taking Amiodarone Suddenly?

After learning about the serious, life-threatening side effects of amiodarone, patients may become scared that they are taking an unsafe drug. Their first instinct may be to stop taking the drug, but this should not be done without direct guidance from a doctor. While it may continue to have a therapeutic effect and expose them to the possibility of continued side effects for a while, it also might open them up to the possibility of a life-threatening arrhythmia.

Although it is unlikely a patient would experience withdrawal symptoms or be left without some of its better benefits when stopping amiodarone suddenly, consumers should always talk with their doctor before they stop treatment schedule. Arrhythmias can be life-threatening if left untreated, so patients who wish to stop taking amiodarone should have another treatment option initiated beforehand to provide protection.

Another thing to be aware of when stopping amiodarone—even if this is done gradually and with the oversight of your physician—the medication’s lengthy half-life means that interactions with other prescriptions taken may be a possibility for several months after ending treatment.

Amiodarone has the potential to interact with other drugs, such as antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-virals, asthma inhalers, blood thinners, cancer medicine, diuretics, heart medication, blood pressure medication, “statin” cholesterol medications, and more. Because of the numerous drugs that can interact with amiodarone and the length of time that the drug stays in the system after treatment is stopped, patients should not only be monitored by a medical professional when stopping amiodarone, but should take note of any new and unusual physical symptoms or sensations that pop up. These should be brought to the attention of the physician.

In the case of any extreme symptomology, a patient weaning off of amiodarone should report to the local emergency room or call 9-1-1. 

If you or a loved one suffered from a serious amiodarone side effect, you may qualify to join this amiodarone toxicty lawsuit investigation. Filing an amiodarone lawsuit may help you recover some of the medical costs and lost wages associated with the amiodarone injury. See if you qualify by filling out the form on this page for a free case evaluation.

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