Amiodarone is used to treat various cardiac arrhythmias. It is given in tablet form and is known to work well when other antiarrhythmic drugs are unsuccessful in the patient.
What is amiodarone?
Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic and is used, among other things, for ventricular fibrillation or heart failure. It is administered exclusively in tablet form and is a long-term medication that remains in the body for months after treatment.
Amiodarone can be used in children as well as adults and the elderly; amiodarone alone is not advisable during pregnancy. Treatment with amiodarone must not be discontinued or the dose increased without consulting a doctor, as this could have serious consequences on the functioning of the heart.
Pharmacological effect
The exact mode of action of amiodarone has not yet been fully researched due to the complexity of the drug. It is assigned to the class III antiarrhythmics because it strongly inhibits the potassium channels and can also completely block sodium channels.
In this way and by lengthening the action potential in the heart muscle, the arrhythmias are prevented. One of the advantages of amiodarone is the fact that numerous other medications for disorders of this type also tend to induce arrhythmias themselves. This is relatively seldom the case with amiodarone, and these disorders are only minor in most patients.
It is usually administered in tablet form with a dosage of 200 milligrams of amiodarone hydrochloride. If necessary, this dose can be reduced or increased, but this must never be done without consulting your doctor. When used in women, particular caution is required, as the active ingredient in amiodarone remains in the body for about six months and that active ingredient can have negative effects on the development of any planned children. Pregnancy should therefore begin at least six months after administration of the drug.
Medical application & use
In Germany, amiodarone is used exclusively to treat cardiac arrhythmias. No other areas of application are currently known, and amiodarone's off-label areas of application are also not being considered.
The drug is often used to treat patients who either do not respond to other antiarrhythmics or cannot use them for other reasons (side effects and interactions). It is also often used with simultaneous administration of beta blockers.
Specifically, amiodarone is used in ventricular fibrillation and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. At the same time, amiodarone is considered a reliable active ingredient in patients who suffer from heart failure. If you have already suffered a heart attack, the effect of other drugs is limited, so that amiodarone can be an effective alternative under certain circumstances.
In general, amiodarone should not be used for treatment if there is hyper- or hypothyroidism of the thyroid gland, as the iodine content in amiodarone can have a significant effect on the function of this organ. However, little is known about interactions with other drugs. Only certain drugs, which are substrates for cytochrome P450, can be assumed to interact. Studies in this area are not yet available.
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➔ Medicines for cardiac arrhythmiasRisks & side effects
Deposits directly on the cornea of the eyes are very common when amiodarone is administered, but this usually does not affect vision. However, this can result in a higher sensitivity to light.
Furthermore, taking amiodarone increases the risk of sunburn in light-sensitive people. The heartbeat rate may decrease for weeks after treatment with amiodarone, but this only very rarely results in threatening circumstances for the patient. Liver values can change slightly, but this does not necessarily mean that it is deteriorating.
Complications can also occur within the gastrointestinal tract, which manifest themselves as a persistent feeling of fullness, nausea and abdominal pain. Because amiodarone contains iodine, it also has a direct effect on the thyroid. Here it is important to have their values checked at regular intervals.
