Amiodarone side effects

[Wum1t1gs2s]

Hi all, my consultant has recommended I change from 25mg carvedilol to Amiodarone. The side effects of amiodarone appear to be awful. can I have some feed back of anyone's experiences on this please.

[Larry0304]

Everyone is different and may have different reactions to amioderone. For me it was brutal. Severe heart palatalization made me think I was dying. Worse drug I have ever taken. My stomach was the worst of it. Good luck

[Megams]

~I have two dear heart friends (ladies) both suffer long term terrible issues with their feet through taking amioderone - one has burning sensations @ night & finds it difficult to find shoes that are comfortable - the other peripheral neuropathy - this lady weeps from time to time over her feet issues.

Good luck with your decision ~

[john-boy-92]

Dronedarone is the same as amiodarone without the iodine element. I had cryptogenic organising pnuemonia (aka pulmonary toxicity) where I had to argue strongly to stop being sedated and put on a respirator in ICU. The case was featured by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 2015 and the paper is on the Internet. The x-ray of my lungs shown on that paper looks as though I had severe COVID-19. The case incident was quoted then as 6 in 100,000. I was lucky as in 2014, 4 of those 6 would die (50% likelyhood on a respirator), one would require a lung transplant, and one would be in a wheel chair on oxygen. I was told that I would be in a wheelchair. However, I've rowed 2000km on a rowing machine and, I cut scrub in a nature reserve with a battery backpack plus hedgecutter that total 10kg.

[PhyllisK]

Amioderone suited me really well and made me very comfortable , sadly my Thyroid reacted to the medication and it was discontinued. My Thyroid is absolutely fine now and my Fibrillation is controlled with less powerful drugs. Hope this helps you. Very best wishes.

[Moonriver in reply to PhyllisK]

I was reading your experiences of amiodarone since I have been offered it. From what you say it seemed to suit you. I wondered what meds you are on now?

[PhyllisK in reply to Moonriver]

Good morning, I hope you are feeling well today. I am taking Diltiazem 120mg, 3 times daily, and, Nebivolol 5mg, once a day. Plus Simvastatin and Apixaban. I hope this is helpful. I am now 78 and not as energetic as I would like to be but I pace myself and live a good life 👍🏼

[Moonriver in reply to PhyllisK]

Glad that amiodarone suited you. There are so many different experiences on here. I wondered how you came to be offered it. We’re you in AF and did it put you back into sinus? Keep well.

[PhyllisK in reply to Moonriver]

Hello again. My AF history started to become troublesome in 2009. I have had 3 ablations. The last ablation was in 2019 which, I consider to be successful. During the troublesome periods pre -ablations I tried many types of rate control drugs but sadly they either were not powerful enough or they gave me an irritant cough. The cough really became disabling but my lung fields were normal so the diagnosis was ‘irritability’. My wonderful EP tried Amioderone as a last resort pre- ablation and the cough disappeared. My last ablation settled my heart rate down to a manageable heartbeat and the lesser toxic drugs are now working well. My understanding is that Amioderone has always been considered toxic and not for long term usage. I hope this helps. Stay safe.

[Cypbill]

I was prescribed 100 mg twice a day 18-months ago and shortly after I started to suffer breathlessness albeit the amiodarone seemed to reduce the irregular fast heart rate. More recently (August this year) as result of increasing breathlessness I had a High Resolution CT Scan of my lungs which has unfortunately shown "some patchy ground glass changes which could potentially be consistent with an Amiodarone effect on my lungs". Really not what I wanted to hear especially when I have been chasing for the results of the CT since September, worse still is the response, a telephone consultation in December. I was never told about the potential of such catastrophic damage to my lungs before being prescribed such a nasty drug.

[Wum1t1gs2s in reply to Cypbill]

That is one of the symptoms I am worried about. Thanx for your feedback

[Bolander]

My side effects were fortunately not so severe as others, but i have a persistent cough, had a tremor which was thought might be Parkinsons but fortunately was not, and a deposit on the cornea of one eye., which fortunately did not affect my vision. Patients need to be aware of these possibilities if they are prescribed Amiodarone.

[Moonriver in reply to Bolander]

How long did it take for your side effects to develop on taking amiodarone?

[Bolander in reply to Moonriver]

The cough quite quickly, the tremor several weeks, and the corneal deposit, not sure as it was only spotted at an eye examination several months later.

[Elfiejean]

I have been on amioderone for over 2 years. They decreased the dose from 200mg to 100mg daily.I have experienced constipation, some hair thinning, some hearing impairment, some vision changes. My lungs seem ok for now. A pulmonary doctor sees me every 4 months and does testing. Because of other meds side effects are my life. Just taking it one day at a time. At 72 years it's all part of my life.

[Craftylady72]

The only side effect that I find annoying is the photosensitivity I burn within 10 minutes of direct sun but sunblock does help . The only thing is to stay out of direct sun unless covered up