FAQs A-Fib Drug Therapy: Amiodarone

“I’ve been on amiodarone for over a year. It works for me and keeps me out of A-Fib. But I’m worried about the toxic side effects. What should I do?”

You are correct to be concerned about toxic effects. Amiodarone is considered one of the most effective antiarrhythmic meds, but it’s also one of the most toxic. It may affect your lungs, eyes, thyroid, liver, skin, heart, and nervous system.

Also, amiodarone has a long half-life. It is retained in the body for up to 45 days after the drug has been discontinued.

(Be advised that a newer drug dronedarone (brand name Multaq) is now on the market and may be a good substitute for amiodarone. Dronedarone may not be quite as effective as amiodarone, but may be safer. However, some studies indicate that dronedarone may have problems.)

If you are taking amiodarone, you should by monitored and tested frequently and scrupulously for damage to your organ systems (your doctor may already be doing this). You should keep copies of any tests. What’s important is not so much whether you are within a “normal” range, but whether your measurements are going up and how fast. Note: it’s important that baseline values for organ systems should be documented before you start taking amiodarone.

Contact your doctor immediately if, after taking amiodarone, you experience any new symptoms such as: coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, visual changes, skin rash, pain, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, fever, rapid heart beat, fatigue, lethargy, unusual weight gain, swelling, hair loss, cold or heat intolerance, lightheadedness or fainting.

The recommended maintenance dose of amiodarone is 200 mg/day. A possible toxic level of amiodarone may be 400 mg daily for more than two months, or a low dose for more than two years.

For a more in depth discussion, see Amiodarone: Most Effective and Most Toxic.

Thanks to Lee Abdullah for this question.

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Last updated: Wednesday, October 3, 2018