Generic Name: Amiodarone for Arrhythmia (amiodarone)
"Started to take amiodarone 2 weeks ago and experienced almost all of its side effects, it was awful! I felt dizzy, confused, tired, out of breath, my hands were shaky, and I couldn’t even walk due to numbness in the lower part of my body. I didn’t feel like myself anymore... I decided to stop, this med was poison to me!"
"My dad was given amiodarone for AFIB. He was taking 800 mg for 10 weeks when he started getting short of breath. He played golf every day and was no longer able to even walk to his truck without feeling like he couldn’t catch his breath. A lung biopsy was done, and he has advanced pulmonary fibrosis. He never smoked and has now been in ICU for 14 days. It’s so heartbreaking. He was a pretty healthy person who loved life, and now he is told that the effects from this medication are irreversible. We do not know if he will ever be able to go home again."
"My husband died from pulmonary damage caused by amiodarone. He was in ICU for less than two weeks. Two doctors told me that ARDS, scarring, pulmonary damage was caused by amiodarone. There is a statement in the printout from the pharmacy that amiodarone can cause death."
"This medication killed my Dad. Acute onset Pulmonary Toxicity (Interstitial Pneumonia). Just 2 days after high dose injection following cardiac stenting (without informing my Dad of the risks), his lungs started showing opacities (never smoked a day in his life) but they discharged him anyway!! Doctors DO NOT know how to administer or monitor this very dangerous drug. After returning to the hospital with shortness of breath, it took them another 4 days to start steroid therapy, by then the damage was irreversible. He was a very active 72-yr-old, which is well above the recommended age limit of 60, and had chronic lung problems since childhood, which was well known by his treating physician. This is supposed to be a last resort drug, but it’s being prescribed recklessly!"
"My mom was on this. It was slowly making her worse. She couldn't get out of bed, tired, hair falling out. She stopped taking this drug, and come to find out, this drug can stay in your system for up to 8 months after being discontinued."
"Was on this drug for a couple of years until last summer when my thyroid went super hyper. A specialist got my thyroid back to normal and feeling great with bisoprolol, 12.5 mg per day and perindopril, 8mg once per day. Amiodarone is a slow killer, I'm sure. I tan easily, but on that drug, my skin would turn deep red/blue after a few hours. Sleeping was difficult and other elevations of organ counts, blessed that drug is far behind me!"
"This drug killed my mom. She was recuperating from heart surgery and developed afib, which I understand is not unusual. Rather than prescribing a safer drug, her cardiologist prescribed Amiodarone - the drug of last resort. We did not even know that he had prescribed this drug until she was showing certain side effects such as coughing, weakness, swelling, inability to sleep, etc. Only after I said that maybe there is a conflict in the drugs she was given did another cardiologist take my mom off of Amiodarone. But it was too late - the damage was done. She went into the hospital on October 21st and never came out, dying - no, suffocating to death from lung toxicity on December 19th. Amiodarone and the cardiologist's neglect killed my"
Cordarone (amiodarone) "This medication killed my father. He took it for 3 weeks having been prescribed this for his first episode of atrial fibrillation. The autopsy results were a definitive cause of death due to lung and liver toxicity caused by Cordarone. Do not take this medicine. It will kill you."
"My father died as a result of taking this drug. He was not warned of the possible pulmonary toxicity that killed him. When his symptoms became apparent, I took him to the doctor. They prescribed antibiotics thinking he had a bad cold. Finally, he landed in the emergency room and they treated him for pneumonia. It took almost 2 days for them to identify the cause...amiodarone. After 62 days in ICU he passed...it was a horrible death. I started a website and a Facebook group to help others navigate these waters. It's amazing to me how many people have experienced and are experiencing the same terrible outcome. Avoid this drug unless you are taking it as a last resort!"
"I have found this medication at only 100mg to be highly effective in totally eliminating recurrent episodes of atrial fibrillation even after an ablation procedure. It is used by my doctor in conjunction with metoprolol (Toprol XL 25 mg) to help regulate my heartbeat and keep it regular. The dose has already been reduced once from 200mg, and my cardiologist hopes to be able to reduce it even further to 50mg. No side effects that I have noticed."
"I had persistent AFIB. If I went into AFIB, I didn't drop back into rhythm until I was cardioverted. Once cardioverted, I was OK for 5 years, then AFIB again, cardioversion, OK for 3, then back to AFIB for 1 year, repeat, and OK for 6 months. Then the doctor tried cardioversion 3 times while I was out and could not get me back into sinus rhythm. I stayed in A-fib for 1 year, then started medication under another heart doctor. At the end of the following year, Dr #2 successfully did cardioversion. I've been 4 years without AFIB and I take one 200mg dose of Amiodarone daily, but the doctor also does blood tests and lung x-rays every 6 months. I feel great. My friend underwent heart ablation to avoid amiodarone, and it was not successful. He will have to experience a second ablation, and he's already experiencing problems from the first surgery, along with still having AFIB. I'll stick with my Amiodarone! I have been on it for 5 years now."
"Tiredness/fatigue. Confused/forgetful. Dry/burning eyes. Ringing in my ears. Skin feels like it is crawling. My hands and forearms feel like they are burning, like all the nerve endings are on fire. To a lesser degree, this is also affecting my feet. I can't bear anyone touching me, even the slightest touch is painful. Clothes are irritating me. Can't sleep/disturbed sleep. Swollen ankles. My vision seems more blurred, I have to take my glasses off to read now. I can't go outside without getting horribly sunburned in a matter of minutes. I am having to wear factor 50+ inside the house and still getting sunburned inside. I feel like a prisoner, unable to go about daily tasks and share time with my family. I feel dizzy and a little wobbly."
"Back in February I reported that I had been on the drug Amiodarone for 2 weeks. The drug worked well for getting the heart back into sinus rhythm, but it has come at a horrible price! I now have 'pulmonary toxicity' due to this drug and am having recurring bouts of pneumonia. If I had known then what I know now, I would have asked the doctor for something else. When you have toxicity, they can see 'ground glass' in your lungs. The pain is horrible sometimes, and I find myself not wanting to breathe deeply. I was working out 6 days a week, and the doctors have me doing almost nothing right now. I am on steroids, but we don't know the long-term effects for me. Please educate yourself before agreeing to take this drug!"
"I had mitral valve repair-open heart surgery in 2010. I was on amiodarone for about 2 years for atrial fibrillation. I am now off of it as suggested by the heart surgeon, including several other prescription drugs for 20 months, who sent a letter to the cardiologist. Side effects are still with me. As listed on the label: hyperthyroidism, insomnia, vision problems - RVO retinal vein occlusion, stroke in the left eye, lost central vision in the left eye."
"Amiodarone kept me alive until cardiac ablation. All other rate and rhythm control drugs were ineffective, intolerable, or contraindicated. Side effects were absolutely horrible, especially in the loading phase. At the end of the loading phase, it was so bad I thought I was going to die, and the nurse recommended I go to the ER. The only things that allowed me to take this drug were dividing the daily dose and taking it once every 12 hours, taking 300 mg of ubiquinol twice a day, taking a supplement with potassium, and drinking a lot of orange juice (for the potassium). I have been off Amiodarone for over 8 months, and side effects appear to be gone, except for effects on eyes/eyesight, which are known effects of this drug. Amiodarone did a good job of regulating heart rate and rhythm for the time I was on it, but it was a really rough ride. If something else works, avoid this drug if at all possible: last resort for afib. Only reason for 6 was benefit (life) outweighed horrific side/after effects."
"In 2018 in AZ, my AFIB acted up. I went to a Cardiologist. He prescribed Amiodarone, 800 mg - 400mg in the morning and 400mg in the evening. It helped, and I went back to him. He told me to continue this dose. I saw him a total of 3 times. At the end of my stay, I felt worse. I had swollen ankles, shortness of breath, and no energy. I called the Dr., left a message, and got no reply. I also experienced added issues like dizziness, blurry eyes, back pain, and cough. I had an appointment at home with my Cardiologist. He questioned me regarding Amiodarone. When I mentioned my prescription was 800 mg daily, he was shocked and said I should have been on that dose for 10 days only. He cut the dose in half. My primary care provider ordered many tests including an Angiogram, blood tests, Upper GI/Colonoscopy, 4 Cat Scans, and X-rays. My liver and kidney tests showed high levels. He decreased my dosage until tests revealed Amiodarone toxicity in my liver. I have been off it for a little over a month, and I still have many side effects as mentioned above. I am only 66 years old and would NOT recommend this to anyone."
"I had AFib and was on Amiodarone for two years. I almost died. I was on 14 liters of oxygen in ICU. My doctor (cardiologist) never had me x-rayed nor did not bother to send me to a pulmonary doctor. Please, if you are on Amiodarone, make sure your cardiologist does a baseline x-ray and every 6 months after."
"After two ablation procedures and numerous cardioversions were unable to keep me in rhythm, I started taking 100mg amiodarone daily. After a short period, I was back in rhythm and have stayed that way for six months so far. My only noticeable side effects have been unpleasant nightmares almost every night since I started taking amiodarone. This could be coincidental."
"This drug killed my father. He was put on it for his AFIB, and 1 month & 1 week later, he died. He was admitted to the hospital and never got out. His condition worsened over the hospital stay. His lungs were toxic, kidney failure, and put on a machine to breathe. Eventually, his body couldn't take it any longer."
"I have Parkinson's disease. I was put on amiodarone after developing atrial fibrillation following mitral valve repair surgery. It controlled the afib but exacerbated all my Parkinson's symptoms. By the end of a month, I was so fatigued and lethargic that all I wanted to do was sit in front of a television set drooling. My cognitive processes slowed down, and my motor coordination slowed down. I finally decided that I'd try without this drug. There was immediate reversion to pre-amiodarone levels of motor issues, although it took about 6 months to reach full recovery. I had never had tremors prior to amiodarone but developed a slight tremor in one hand while on it. This has never cleared up, but it hasn't worsened, thankfully. If you have Parkinson's, beware. This may return your heartbeat to normal, but the side effects are not worth the benefit."
"This drug killed my daddy. He started taking it in 2008 to help his arrhythmia, and it didn't help much. He kept taking it because he trusted his doctor. Six years later, he drowned to death on his own saliva. Cause of death: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis due to amiodarone."
"This drug needs to be removed from the market. After being on it for 16 months, I developed BOOP. It attacked my lungs and set up what is called by my doctor chemical pneumonia. I've been treated with steroids off and on for 1 and a half years. Each time I am taken off, BOOP returns. A critical care pulmonary doctor says I have to come off steroids and I want to. Put me on a drug that has a side effect of causing three types of cancer. This medication can stay in your blood at a therapeutic level for 6 months and could take up to three years to get it out of your blood. My lungs are so bad I asked about a lung transplant and blood transfusion. Guess what? Not an option, the medicine is in every tissue of my body. As long as the drug is in my system, BOOP!"
"Was on amiodarone for two months, prescribed to me by a doctor in Baja, Mexico. I experienced loss of weight and anxiety. I am now back in the US and discovered it had caused my thyroid levels to skyrocket, along with loss of weight and a general poor quality of life. Now my thyroid has to be retested in four weeks, and I was recommended to see a neurologist due to possible Parkinson's. They should ban the drug."
"Good after cardioversion. I was prescribed it and my heart went into atrial fibrillation. Side effects I suffered were stomach pains (like carrying a 10-pin bowling ball in your stomach). Couldn't keep anything down, from light snacks to drinks. Severe fatigue, tiredness, diarrhea, dizzy spells. After my cardioversion for the 3rd time, I feel 100% better, and I am still on amiodarone and all the above symptoms have subsided. The only side effect I have now is: short-term memory loss, lack of appetite, get sunburnt very easily."
"This drug is finally allowing me to live life again. After 3 ablations, 2 cardioversions, and numerous anti-arrhythmic drugs, I am able to exercise without gasping for breath. My electrophysiologist put me on the drug saying only 5 months: I take 200 mg 2 times a day for the first month, and then it will be 1 a day for four months. The last ablation was quite extensive, so the heart needs help for 5 months. He explained that this drug has so many potential side effects, but after 2 weeks the only problem I have is constipation. I can deal with that!"
Pacerone, Cordarone, Nexterone, Cordarone IV
Pacerone, Cordarone, Nexterone
