Dronedarone for PAF

[Szelest]

Hi, I have paroxysmal AF, bisoprolol helped my AF episodes for 2 weeks, in and out of emergency a+E, so tryed me on sotalol 80mg x2 daily, which sent me back into daily AF attacks for a whole week, I'm now in normal rhythm, have been prescribed dronedarone 400mg x2 daily am also waiting for Ablation, how do people find dronedarone, does it stop /help frequent AF episodes, or common side effects

Replys welcome

Karen

[BobD Volunteer]

You may struggle to get many answers to that as dronedarone (Sanofi Aventis- Multaq) is little used here in UK. It was hailed as the great white hope when it was first authorised but there were problems in US due to inadequate screening of recipients and it fell out of favour to some extent.

[Szelest in reply to BobD]

Thank you bobD, interesting The great white hope'So it's from United States originally?

I hope it keeps me stable till my Ablation

Karen 🙂

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Szelest]

Sanofi I think is French actually.

[Szelest]

Thank you John, putting my mind at rest, I start them tomorrow morning and I'm, assuming when the odd break throughs fix itself back to normal rhythm?Karen 🙂

Any side effects to watch for?

[Jalia]

I was prescribed Dronedarone shortly after it was licensed . It turned our to be a bit of a damp squib and didn't live up to expectations. It was supposed to be like Amiodarone without the Iodine atoms. . I was closely monitored and can't recall any side effects. I was only on it for a few months prior to ablation.

[Pigleywigley]

Hi there I’ve just been prescribed this too was just reading the leaflet to decide whether to go on it hence my search for posts on the drug. heartrhythmalliance.org/res...

[Tomred]

Hi ive been on dronederone now for approx 2 years along with 1.25 bisoprolol when ep prescribed it he said hopefully i wouldnt be having anymore af but i do lately about every 10 to 14 days but my rate and rtyhym are much lower but I still find it debilitating but sometimes not just as bad I get regular blood tests to monitor but becauwe of C ovid I've missed this past few months will resume soon hopefully regarding side effects I seem to be tolerating it so far but blame bisoprol on tiredness and breathlessends occasionally I'd say give it a try but have a notebook and monitor yourself for any sides and report to gp if you have

[Rubymurray25]

I was on Amiodarone for 7 months and it gave me serious eye issues which were spotted during an annual eye test, I told me Cardiologist and he immediately took me off it and said I would be much better suited to Dronedarone, 5 weeks in all good so far, I have had two ablations and was due for a third but when being prepared in the hospital for the procedure the ECG was better than usual and he said he hoped the Amiodarone had calmed things down and didn't wish to upset anything by doing the 3rd ablation. I will be reviewed after 3 months on Dronedarone and am hoping it will also keep things at bay.

[Fibber222]

Hello John6, I hope you don’t mind me joining in. Currently I amOn highest dose of Sotolol but it appears to be increasing QT interval. Dronderone 400mg will be next drug to try if it goes any higher. Also ablation to be considered too. I have had PAF for about 2 years. It’s heartening to hear of some success. I really want to avoid amiodarone if I can. Can you take Donedarone long term?

[Fibber222]

Oh thank you. I’m not so apprehensive now should the need arise. What did you take before Droderone?

[Fibber222]

Thank you John6 you’ve been very helpful. I can’t take flecanide as I’ve 2 minor leaky valves. I take Apixaban and bisoprolol as a pip plus sotolol 160mg twice a day. I m due to see cardio in a few weeks and another ecg to determine QT level again. Depending on the outcome I may have to swap to Dronderone. Thank you again.

[Tomred]

Had last bloods done before last lockdown with isolating i never made appointment but will do soon

[john-boy-92]

Dronedarone is in the same family as amiodarone, in fact it can be simplified as amiodarone without the iodine element. It was thought that it wouldn't have the side effects of amiodarone. However, I was the subject of a published peer-reviewed paper that linked cryptogenic organising pnuemonia (aka pulmonary toxicity) with dronedarone and amiodarone. For the first two admissions to hospital I was misdiagnosed as having community aquired pnuemonia, but antibiotics had no affect. It was then though I had cancer, but no and after two weeks I was discharged with medication and a follow-up. A couple of weeks later I was admitted to North Bristol Lung Centre hot clinic with blood oxygen (SpO2) at 76% and dropping. Fortunately, Professor Ann Miller had looked at my x-rays and confirmed that it was pulmonary toxicity. Within hours I was close to critical. If you looked at my x-rays now, you would diagnose COVID 19, as both lungs had "ground glass" massess. The treatment was the same as COVID is now. I refused to be sedated and put on a respirator in ICU. A team worked through the night placing me on 25 liters / minute of oxygen, and injecting hydrocorsitone. Once stable, I was put on 20 litres / minute of 70% oxygen that was warmed and humidified. The prognosis was not good; I would either be on oxygen for the rest of my life on in a wheelchair. I knew from papers in the USA that 6 in 100,00 on amiodarone get pulmonary toxicity. Of those six, four die, one would have a lung transplant and, one would have long term issues. I'm still here, active and not in a wheelchair due to wonderful care by North Bristol Lung Centre.

The paper reference is: J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2015 45: 213–4

dx.doi.org/10.4997/JRCPE.20...

© 2015 Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

rcpe.ac.uk/Journal/organisi...

Things to watch out for on dronedarone and amiodarone: a sound like Velcro being pulled apart when you breath, coffee coloured urine, low SpO2 reading on an oximeter. If you are prescribed dronedarone by the hospital, there is a documented procedure for handing over your care to your health centre / GP.