Amiodarone Brand And Generic Names

Warning! The Amiodarone medication can cause life-threatening lung damage. You need to inform your doctor if you have ever had a lung disease. Also, you need to tell your physician about any of the breathing problems you may have. Besides the lung damage, it may cause liver damage as well. In case you have or had liver disease, you should tell your doctor about it. Since this medication may have serious side effects on your health, at the beginning of the treatment you will be hospitalized. During this period, your physician will monitor your heartbeats and your response to the Amiodarone medication. Follow all of the doctor’s indications and instructions.

What is Amiodarone?

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic drug, which is used to prevent and also treat various kinds of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. This disorder makes the human heart take an abnormal heart rhythm. Amiodarone works by relaxing the muscles of the heart, affecting the rhythm of the heartbeats. It is used only if and when other medications aren’t efficient. The Amiodarone drug is utilized when treating the ventricular fibrillation and the ventricular tachycardia.
Amiodarone can also be used in treating other conditions than the above mentioned. However, it will be advisable to keep in mind that this medication is prescribed only in very serious situations, because it can cause serious side effects and even death. This is the reason why the first doses prescribed to you must be taken in the hospital, under your doctor’s supervision.

Before taking Amiodarone

Before taking the Amiodarone drug you must inform your doctor about any of the following:

• If you are or may be allergic to it, or to iodine;
• If you take other medication or you have other prescriptions;
• In case you have a medical history of slow heartbeats;
• If you may have some heart conditions and if you have a pacemaker (in case of AV block) or a defibrillator;
• In the event you have liver disease;
• If you may have asthma or other lung diseases;
• In case you may have vision problems;
• If you have low or high blood pressure;
• In the event you have an electrolyte imbalance (it can be about low levels of magnesium or low levels of potassium);
• If you may have a thyroid disorder;
• In case you are pregnant or you intend to become pregnant during the treatment period, and if you are a breastfeeding parent, etc.

How should Amiodarone be taken and stored?

The Amiodarone medication comes as a tablet and it should be taken orally. The first doses of this drug you will take in a hospital setting, especially because your heartbeats need to be monitored. Further, you should take the Amiodarone drug exactly as it was prescribed by your doctor. In no case you can lower or increase the dose, just follow the instructions given by your doctor or written on the prescription label.
You must take Amiodarone once or twice per day, with a glass of water. It can also be taken with or without food, as your physician will recommend to you. It is advisable to take the doses of this medication at the same hours every day, in this way you will get the most benefit from it.
Since the Amiodarone drug may cause serious side effects, your blood will need to be tested regularly. Besides the blood tests, you also could need some exams for your eyes, liver and thyroid.
Regarding the storage of this medication, it is recommendable to keep it in the same container it came. You need to store it away from children, heat, moisture and light, and at a room temperature.

What should I do if I missed a dose?

In the event you forget to take your dose or you missed one, it is advisable for you to take it as soon as you remember about it. However, in case you remembered about the missed dose right before the next scheduled dose, it is recommendable to take only the necessary dose and to skip the one you already have missed. In no circumstances take a double dose in order to fulfill the missed one. If you do so, you may have an overdose and you will need to call the emergency room or suffer some serious side effects.

What should I do in case of an overdose?

In case you believe you just have taken an overdose, you must call the emergency room right away. You will know you have an overdose in the event you experience any of the following symptoms:

• You have a blurred vision;
• You may feel nausea;
• You have slow or very slow heartbeats;
• You may feel lightheaded;
• You have fainting;
• You feel very weak, etc.

Side effects of Amiodarone

The Amiodarone medication can cause serious and even life-threatening side effects. Therefore, in case you experience any of the below listed, get in touch with your doctor right away or if you feel really bad and you need immediate medical attention. Call the emergency room if you:

• Have loss of appetite;
• Feel constipated;
• Have severe headaches;
• Don’t have the usual sexual appetite;
• Have dry eyes and flushing;
• Experience difficulty when sleeping and staying asleep;
• Noticed some changes in your amount of saliva;
• Also noticed changes in your ability to smell and to taste;
• Observed a weight loss or, on the contrary, a weight gain;
• Feel a constant restlessness;
• Have rash;
• Suffer from intolerance to cold and/or to heat;
• Sweat excessively;
• Have a thinning hair;
• Notices some changes in your menstrual cycle;
• Experience eye pain;
• Cannot control the movements of some parts of your body;
• Have trouble walking and a bad coordination;
• May have a tingling and numbness in your hands, feet and legs;
• Feel weakness in your muscles;
• Feel a worsening and an irregular heartbeat;
• May have trouble breathing;
• Are vomiting excessively;
• Feel nausea;
• Have stomach pain;
• Urine is dark and you have clay-colored stools;
• Have redness under the skin, etc.

This list contains only some of the Amiodarone side effects, and you may experience some other side effects as well. In case you don’t feel good or you think you may have experienced some of the side effects, you should contact your doctor immediately.