Thank you so much for the replies regarding this drug they have been so useful and I am very grateful thanks, my next question is anyone aware of an alternative to this drug which may have less serious side effects or is it possible to have a cv without meds other than blood thinners please?
Thanks again much appreciated
Amiodarone is often used short term to aid the possibility of DCCV actually holding. Generally this use is restricted to a few months. It is also the drug of last resort and normally only used when normal DCCV has previously failed. Obviously anticoagulation for a period prior to and post DCCV is vital in all cases unless performed within 24 hours of onset of arrhythmia or when preceded by TOE to check that there are no clots within the heart.
I take the drug Disopyramide as an alternative to Amiodarone and it works( to a degree..) for me without any troubling side effects. I would add that it is not commonly prescribed
I think you need to bear in mind that a cardioversion is a procedure which effectively reboots your heart in much the same way you reboot a computer when it goes wrong. In the same way that nothing is done to change the computer, similarly there is no medical intervention with a cardioversion so there are no changes to the structure of your heart. Therefore, like rebooting a computer, it is possible that the fault ie AF, is likely to return at some time in the future. This is why medics want to do everything they can to ensure that the CV will last for as long as possible. Whilst there are alternatives, amiodarone is without doubt, the most effective drug available to keep you heart in rhythm. Bear in mind, generally the longer you have been in persistent AF, the more difficult it is to revert to NSR. You probably will not be on it long enough for it to do any harm. By all means discuss alternatives with your Doctor but I’m sure you will not want the CV to fail. Even if it only works for hours/days it does mean that you are more likely to benefit from an ablation...........
Following two ablations when my AF returned a year later I was put on Amiodarone as it was the only one of 3 drugs used in hospital that worked. I was on it for 7 months without any AF but had to come off it quickly as it was affecting my eyes , picked up by the optician. I have been on Dronedarone for three months and last week my Cardiologists said as it was working so well to keep taking it for at least a further 12 months.
I didn't see your original question, but I will answer this one. You may be offered dronedarone in place of amiodarone. In simplistic terms, dronedarone is amiodarone with the iodine element removed. I've had pulmonary toxicity from both and been close to critical, and having to argue strongly not to be sedated in the ICU and put on mnechanical ventilation. Whether amiodarone or dronedarone, a liver function test is required every six or twelve months. I haven't had a CV or ablation and, I don't take any form of rate control. Anyone with AF should strongly consider an anticoagulant. Because of my long history of cardio exercise, an EP told me that I didn't need t take an anticoagulant. Eighteen months later, a full full stroke followed by a haemoragic transformation proved him wrong.
Hi. I was told twice that there wasn’t an alternative for me even though (because I’d read so much on the subject) I suggested two other meds! I hope all goes well for you.
I take Propafenone.
amiodarone. Yes or no
Amiodarone
Experience with amiodarone
Amiodarone 
