I am on Amiodarone 100.. apparently there are none in the chemist in my area as out of stock.
I was prescribed 200 .. my worry is the aggravation of cutting them in half with bits flying all over the place.
If the event would getting the wrong dose be dangerous.
I read somewhere that even though the cut may not look 50/50, that the actual dose is extremely close and should not be a concern. Of course, if the cut is grossly off, that's another issue. There are relatively inexpensive medicine scales available where you could be more exact and add fragments, if necessary to get to your required dose.
Jim
Thank you for your help. It suggested that I buy a pill splitter, hopefully to stop the pills flying off in all directions.
I use a pill cutter for several of my meds. Some cut cleanly, some do break apart, but usually you will get at least one good half dose. I keep the other fragments in case I need the for the future. That's where the scale would come in helpful. Hopefully, your Amiodarone will cut cleanly, but again, if it's off by just a little, I wouldn't get worried.
Jim
I have a pill splitter which is fine for round scored pills, but some are long and pointy or in one instance heart shaped (they do not make 1,25mg Bisoprolol here in South Africa, the lowest dose in 2,50mg and I am on 1.25mg - all the 2,50mg are heart shaped (wonderful Valentine's presents) but have to be split by hand, which is hit and miss !
Oh I totally agree I hope you find something safe to cut them in half. Thank you for your reply
I've been snapping the 200mgs in half with my fingers for years with no problem. Besides the half life of Amiodarone is so long more or less of an individual dose now and then won't matter much. ... if at all.
This
Rigfjack846 Hi I’m not sure I could snap them in half I’m not that strong. .
Yes getting the wrong dose of Amiodarone could be dangerous as with any drug. Have you got a leaflet with all the side effects...Amiodarone can also interact with other medication. You should have your thyroid checked before starting this medication because of its iodine content.
I cut mine in half all the time. The dose builds up in you so taking a bit under one day will be cancelled out by a bit more the next. No need to worry xx
In which area is the shortage of supply?
Mostly South East & Suburbs so the pharmacist mentioned.
Ahhh… we are SE and my husband is on Amiodarone.
None here in the North East either. I have also to split mine using a pill splitter. The pharmacist I use telephoned all suppliers that are used in North East for me to find that no-one has any anywhere. It's really no bother splitting them at all.
Amiodarone is a cumulative drug; in other words it builds up in the system hence the large dose to start with which is gradually reduced to a lower one when all you have to do is maintain the levels accumulated in the body and organs.
If you took none at all for a few days or a week, it would continue to act on your system as it has a very long half life counted in months rather than days. Therefore as long as you take sufficient to maintain the levels in your body, you should have no particular fears about either under or over dosing. In your situation I would err in favour of having less rather than more until you can find the right amount in the pharmacy.
Amiodarone for me was not something I could tolerate but it took me six months to finally get it out of my system. But for many people it is a highly effective drug in AF where nothing else will work.
Quite right, and oddly the half life of this drug is reported to be between 20 and 100 days! It’s a pretty scary drug when you check the SmPC. I’m glad I’m off it, but as you say missing a dose here and there should not be an issue.
Thank you I’ll worry a bit lass now.
Thank you .
This happened to me with Eliquis when my surgeon wanted me on a lower dose after my knee replacement. I should have had the prescription from the hospital but they didn't deliver before I left - I was not told this before leaving so didn't know that they should have given them to me! What fun! The pharmacist cut them for me then and even she couldn't get it right - thankfully I only went for a week before the right dose was available. I was told it was no problem if the cut wasn't absolutely central.
i have a really good cutter it was a bit more expensive but cuts cleanly. Called a pill mill.
You could return to your chemist and ask them to cut them for you. They are meant to offer that service if you are going to need to split pills because of stock issues anyway.
That’s what I hoped for unfortunately I was offered a pill cutter which I bought. I have to remember not to press too hard or crunched up pills.
When my dose of amiodarone was cut from 200mg to 100mg I used a pill cutter for some time to use up the existing 200mg pills that I had. The pills cut cleanly. Sometimes one “half” was slightly bigger than the other “half” but, as others have said, that is absolutely no problem with amiodarone because of its long half life. I occasionally miss a dose by mistake and it makes not a jot of difference. The pill cutter I got was very cheap - from Amazon I think, but you can buy them in pharmacies anyway.
Ask the pharmacy to halve them for you
I've tried a range of pill cutters over the years, all sent for free as I write reviews for a well know online seller. The best is the cheapest. It's available from many chemists and looks like this. It cuts smoothly, exactly and without crumbling.
In terms of dosage, have no fear. You will be near enough to make no difference. Amiodarone at low dose such as you are taking is said to be a safe and highly effective drug but one that does need monitoring for certain important possible side effects. You should make sure you ask your GP about this and how often you need to be checked.
Steve
Thank you Steve I do have blood tests to keep a check on liver and kidneys now I’m taking Levothyroxine as i was piling on weight. I heard that Amiodarone can affect the thyroid.
Yes, and the eyes and lungs seem to be at small risk, too, but the drug has been shown to be safe in low dose. If you search for “low dose amiodarone safety” you’ll find a link to a useful study that will fully reassure you.
I see you’ve got a cutter. They work well. This was the one I meant to show in my earlier post.
Amiodarone breaks easily. It may be more difficult for those who have arthritis in their fingers. In that case if you position the pill on an angle against countertop and break them that way. You can always ask your pharmacist to break them for you.
I was told that amiodarone pills do not have to be broken exactly 50/50 because our body is loaded with this medication. Even if we were to go off of Amiodarone it would take weeks, and sometimes months for it to fully leave body.
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