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Heart Disease Blog

By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., About.com Guide to Heart Disease since 2000

Amiodarone - A Review

Monday July 6, 2009
Amiodarone is the most powerful antiarrhythmic drug ever developed - but it is also the most toxic. In this article I describe this unique drug - its benefits, the risks, and how it should be used, here.

Comments

July 27, 2006 at 6:46 pm
(1) joan says:

So why are doctors using this drug so haphazardly. My brother was on this drug with all the side effects and was never seen by the prescribing doctor in 3 years.

November 11, 2006 at 5:48 pm
(2) Steve Reid says:

This drug is pure poison. I begged my cardiologist to get it out of my IV. When I got home I quit taking it and felt much better. Caused partial paralysis, partial blindness, and other horrible stuff. Luckily, the symptoms subsided when I threw it away.

November 30, 2006 at 8:39 am
(3) Brian Thompson says:

Glad I read this. It’s been two years since starting Amiodarone (among other medications). I have printed this article and will be having a serious dicussion with my Family Drs. don’t seems to care anymore (It’s all about money) – not proper caring medical treatment.

October 29, 2007 at 8:57 am
(4) Brian Redwood says:

I have been taking amiodarone since 1992 when my heart rate climbed to 185 while resting.Various drugs were tried without success.Over the years my ECG apparently was judged as abnormal until I managed to improve the control on my diabetes 2 and no longer take insulin (no insulin injections for sixteen months.) Earlier this year I started taking 1000mg of pure fish oil and CoQ10 and after a few months with much reduced blood pressure my arrythmia disappeared which was confirmed by an ECG which is now judged to be normal. I will shortly be visiting the hospital for further checks to see if I can safely stop Amiodarone and possibly digoxin.

October 29, 2007 at 3:25 pm
(5) steven aloyisus says:

i’ve been given amiodarone as a one-time dose during an emergency, runaway event, and beleive it’s helped to save my life.
never even knew it was a drug that was prescribed for long periods. seems like a dangerous drug when taken at those levels.
thank you for all the information.

November 20, 2007 at 10:32 am
(6) JIM STEVENS says:

Thank you so much, keep in touch

September 8, 2008 at 11:58 am
(7) Robert morton says:

I was on this Amiodarone for over two years and the prescribing doctor never checked it. Another doctor decovered my thyoid was shot and I’m on a thyoid drug for the rest of my life.

September 8, 2008 at 2:50 pm
(8) RON CORSI says:

Got off the drug after a viscious sunburn and eye floaters. Now it seems I have a hyperthyroid Was only on it for six months but it did some serious damage.

September 8, 2008 at 3:36 pm
(9) Helen says:

I was on amiodarone also…..for atrial fibrulation. I am diabetic and have CHF.The medication left me with a different effect.I fell badly. Got up from a chair and fell directly backwards…fell forward….crawled to get up. I have had a mitral valve replaced. The last procedure was an ablation. I am doing well with that.

February 8, 2009 at 3:37 am
(10) Brian says:

Have been on Amiodarone for a number of years and have recently diagnosed with an under active thyroid which affects metabolism and makes weight reduction almost impossible.It is certainly the top of my list to eliminate if I can.

April 19, 2009 at 8:22 pm
(11) K Wells says:

My mother was placed on this drug without any information about this drug. She became very weak and could not walk. She progressive worsened and was placed in a rehab unit. I went on line and discovered all the symptoms she was having were all described under the Amiodarone information. The dr. should have confered with us as a family especially my mom.
She became an invalid. She is slowly recovering since being taken off this medication and put on other meds.
Never should a person be placed on this drug
without giving them a choice and full knowledge of its side effects.

June 15, 2009 at 10:23 am
(12) oldie says:

I was on 200mg amiodarone for 18 months until a second doctor found I had an underacting thyroid. Now I’m on levothyroxine for ever. There is no way of discovering if it was amio that caused this problem or if I had always had it. I started with propafenone instead of amio five months ago. Two doctors have said I should have been tested earlier by the first one.

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