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While amiodarone is very effective in treating life-threatening heart arrhythmias, it is also a drug that comes with a host of possible side effects. It should not be used lightly, and is only recommended for people at extremely high risk of sudden death from arrhythmia.
Side effects have been shown to occur in roughly three-quarters of patients taking amiodarone. Side effects have been serious enough to cause discontinuation of the drug in 7 to 18 percent of all patients.
Possible side effects of amiodarone include nausea, low blood pressure, liver damage and cardiac rhythm irregularities, including cardiac arrest. Other gastrointestinal complaints, including vomiting, constipation and anorexia have occurred as side effects of amiodarone. Although roughly 25 percent of amiodarone patients complain of gastrointestinal side effects, none of these effects is usually severe enough to lead to discontinuation of the drug, as dose reduction usually eases the symptoms.
Because of the potential for serious liver disease, liver function tests are regularly performed on people taking amiodarone. Electrocardiograms (EKGs) are done on a regular basis to make sure the electric intervals in the heart are working correctly.
In patients taking amiodarone, there is also the possibility of serious side effects to the lungs. There is a 1 percent chance of pulmonary fibrosis, or the scarring of the organ walls. Due to the high risk of life-threatening lung problems, pulmonary function tests and diffusing capacity are done twice a year to reduce the risk.
Neurological problems are also common in people taking amiodarone. Twenty to 40 percent of people taking the drug experience some kind of neurological difficulty, such as malaise, fatigue, tremor, involuntary movements, poor coordination and difficulty walking. Peripheral neuropathy (damage to the peripheral nerves), which causes weakness, numbness, abnormal sensations such as burning, tingling, tickling or pricking, and pain in the arms, legs, hands or feet, is also a possible neurological side effect.
Prolonged sun exposure should be avoided when taking amiodarone, as the drug may cause the skin to turn a blue-gray color. This side effect is exacerbated by sunlight.
Side effects are often reversible once treatment with amiodarone is discontinued. They usually appear more frequently in people taking amiodarone for more than six months, and stay relatively constant after one year. Presence and frequency of side effects are greater in people taking higher doses of amiodarone. Reduction of dosage has been found to relieve side effects. Amiodarone has a long half-life of 45 days, which may result in extended side effects until the time period expires and the drug exists the system.
Atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heartbeat, can be expected in one in four adults over the age of 40. Currently, nearly 2.3 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia that significantly increases risk ...
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