Anyone had experience good or bad with dronedarone?

[Munsterman]

I have just been changed to dronedarone from flecanide which had no effect on my AF. Previously I was on sotalol again with limited results. Interested in people's experience. I accept that everyone is different. My cardiologists view was that the next option was ablation rather than further drug based treatment. I'm not on any blood thinners bit am on low dose of beta blocker name escapes me now...

Thanks

[Hidden]

I had really hoped that dronedarone would work for me as it kept my exercise induced AF under control in the gym. I had a light non-productive cough two days after taking dronedarone for the first time. This rapidly worsened over the next eight days and my GP took me off dronedarone and sent me for a chest x-ray; I was admitted onto an acute assessment unit for several hours with a probability that I had community aquired pneumonia and given maximum doses of antibiotics. I continued to get worse and was admitted to hospital for eleven days when I was told "we don't know what it is and we are running out of drugs to treat it (IV'd antibiotics)". My blood pressure continued to drop despite 3.4 litres of saline being IV'd and, I quickly desaturated to 88% oxygen (I'm normally 100%) that would not change whether I was on 4 litres / hour of oxygen or room air. The "infection" triggered AF and I was put on IV amiodarone but had to be taken off as my blood tests showed that it was not compatible with my liver. I believe the brand new "super-hospital" where I was admitted Bristol holds the national biological database but they still haven't identified the organism.

I believe that the symptoms have a very good fit with pulmonary toxicity caused by dronedarone. The medical team in hospital were brilliant but they had never heard of dronedarone - I had to spell it - and never considered it as a potential cause despite convential treatment not working and consolidation continuing to spread from the right lung to the left confirmed by chest x-rays and contrast CT scan. Ihave another CT scan in early July. My GP is pursuing the possibility of viral or amoebic pneumonia and hasn't dismissed pulmonary toxicity.

If you get any side effects don't ignore them and, get medical advice.

[Varina8]

I have parox AF since 7 years and a pacemaker for bradycardia. Last summer My bisoprolol was changed to dronedarone when I had AF lasting 12h 2-3 times a week. It helped in a way, 1-3 weeks without AF, but then again 3-4 attacks/week with even longer duration. Kind of accumulation of AF and then bursting out. After 4 months the efficacy of dronedarone was not considered worth all the risks and since then I have had propafenone 150mg x 3. After the first "installation" week with some problems There has been no AF for 8 months. During the first months I eventually took bisoprolol 1,25 mg.

[Varina8]

Forgot to mention that I didn't have any problematic side effects of dronedarone, but according to literature it can cause pneumonitis, lung fibrosis, renal problems and very seldom severe liver damage. It should have less problems than amiodarone. So my risk benefit analysis was based on that information.