On the fence about taking amirodorone.

[Geeps527]

What is or was your experience with amiodorone? I’m on the fence about taking it due to side effects vs benefits. Thanks

[10gingercats]

I would be asking the prescribing doctor/cardio. exactly why THIS medication? Is there an alternative?.Also how long will you need to take it for.

[jeanjeannie50]

I took Amiodarone and it damaged my thyroid. I will now have to take medication to right that for life.

[carolly in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Same here!

[Desanthony]

I was on this for 6 weeks before and after my second successful cardioversion. I had no noticeable side effects in that time. I was not supposed to stay on it any longer than that and a blood test at the end of the course showed my thyroid function was a little higher than it should have been. Within 3 months of stopping amiodorone a blood test showed it was back down to normal.

[BobD Volunteer]

Amiodarone does not have side effects. It has effects, Should only be used for short duration or as a last resort.

[cbaum]

I’ve been taking amiodarone for 5 months with no noticeable effects. There’s someone on this forum that has been taking it for 15 years, if my foggy memory serves me correctly. I would definitely get my blood tested regularly. My Electrophysiologist wants both liver function tests and thyroid (TSH) tests. I take 50mg alon

[CDreamer]

My husband has been on Amiodarone for several years now, reduced to maintenance dose 12 months ago. At 88 he had no other options and for him it’s helped improve QOL with no obvious affects other than skin damage but then after living in the tropics for years he had that anyway.

As BobD said it is really a drug to be taken only short term - prior to and following cardioversion for instance - OR as a drug of last resort and certainly requires thyroid markers to be checked prior to starting and regularly monitored along with liver and kidney functions.

It is also the most affective antiarrythmic drug there is so I guess I view it as both high risk and high return and there will be winners and losers so a bit of a lottery as to how you would tolerate it - but don’t just dismiss it because others have suffered affects - mainly affects lungs, thyroid and makes you very photosensitive so you need to avoid exposure to sunlight.

[etheral]

You have to worry about irreversible toxic effects on your lungs also. Assuming you are being prescribed this for intractable afib, ask yor doc about Tikosyn (dofetilide). When started you have to be in the hospital for monitoring because rarely it can precipitate Ventricular Tachycardia at first. There are no long term side effects and it has stopped my afib for 4 years. My EP says it works about 75% of the time in her experiance. Best of luck, etheral

[Ablation7 in reply to etheral]

My mother had breathing issues from years of amiodarone. Those were not reversible and in addition, they said it could take up to a year for the amiodarone to be entirely out of her system. Because of this, it would be my last choice of treatment.

[Ren912 in reply to Ablation7]

Several years ago, only a couple of years into AFib I was given a prescription for Amiodarone. I did some research and refused to take it. I consulted with a woman in my building also with AFib and she, having experience with it, advised against taking it. That confirmed my decision. Sadly she passed not long after only in her 40’s.

[Ablation7 in reply to Ren912]

Oh that’s awful. God bless her.

[etheral in reply to Ablation7]

Ask about the Tikosyn. It worked wonders for me. Beat of luck, etheral

[Maggimunro]

Hi Geeps, sadly my brother was placed on this drug just before lockdown, so his ablation was deferred for 15 months and he was kept on the drug throughout that time. He now has permanent lung damage and is on life long steroids. Fortunately his thyroid function did recover

It is effective in that it does what it is supposed to do but should only be used short-term and under clinical supervision . It is cheap, which is probably why it is still prescribed .

[Jajarunner]

The arrythmia nurses at Papworth told me "it is a brilliant drug with bad side effects for some..." But it's a drug of last resort when all else fails, I believe.

[john-boy-92]

You will find comment on amiodarone and the related dronedarone by searching this forum, including my comments. Some people tolerate it with minimal effects, others have long-lasting effects. In my case I became hypoxic and near-critical in a respiratory 'hot clinic'. The clinical paper for my case is on the Internet, and the image of my lungs looks as though I had severe COVID-19. Symptoms to watch out for: coffee-coloured urine, a persistent non-productive cough, sounds like Velcro being pulled apart when breathing, no reaction to anti-biotics (doctors who don't have a respiratory speciality, will diagnose it as community aquired pnuemonia), falling SpO2 that doesn't respond to 2 to 4 litres/minute of oxygen by nasal canula.

[Yogi59]

My husband has been on it twice , 3 months each time, because of possible very serious side effects. I am surprised when people say it has no long term side effects and yet can be used as last resort. This is a very dangerous and toxic medications that can destroy your lungs and liver among others.My husband had no side effects in 3 months use, I do not know what would be considered long term use, everyone is different and not everyone will have side effects but if you decide to take it just be careful and look out for any signs that Amio is not for you.

[Hidden]

I was on Amiodarone, for about 1 1/2 to two years. I was doing research on the medication because I was having suddenly things happen to me. I kept insisting with the doctor for me you have a thyroid test, he seemed to have been reluctant I'm not doing it but after a few times I insisted on having it done. After a test it came back my thyroid was elevated. The medication is very good for controlling the beat of the heart but it also has its downside. If the talking to other people, I found that it should not be taken for more than a few weeks at most. I took the medication that's considered the gold standard what is thyroid. The big thing is it taken on an empty stomach and not eat for at least two hours after that, that's to get the most effect out of the medication. So I used to get up about 5:00 AM every morning couple hours before I normally wake up take the medication and go back to bed. In six months go back to normal. To the person below Jeannie Jeannie 50 make sure you get a good thyroid doctor to analyze what's going on. I wish you luck & the best

[Venere59]

I’ve been taking aminodarone for 25 years. I had no choice as its the only med that worked for my arrhythmia. Luckily I have had no serious side effects, I have to be careful with being in the sun because of iodine. Make sure to check thyroid regularly. Good luck !