How is amiodarone toxicity treated?

How is amiodarone toxicity treated?

Treatment of amiodarone pulmonary toxicity consists primarily of stopping amiodarone. Corticosteroid therapy can be life-saving for severe cases and for patients with less severe disease in whom withdrawal of amiodarone is not desirable.

What happens if you take too much amiodarone?

Amiodarone can cause serious side effects that lead to death including lung damage, liver damage, worse heartbeat problems, and thyroid problems.

How is amiodarone eliminated?

Amiodarone is eliminated primarily by hepatic metabolism and biliary excretion and there is negligible excretion of amiodarone or DEA in urine. Neither amiodarone nor DEA is dialyzable.

Do amiodarone side effects go away?

Some side effects of amiodarone may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Is amiodarone lung toxicity reversible?

One well known serious side effect of amiodarone is pulmonary toxicity which can be acute, sub-acute, or chronic and can be irreversible and fatal.

Is 400 mg of amiodarone too much?

The recommended maintenance dose of amiodarone is 200 mg/day. A possible toxic level of amiodarone may be 400 mg daily for more than two months, or a low dose for more than two years.

Does amiodarone block potassium?

The antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone delays cardiac repolarisation through inhibition of hERG-encoded potassium channels responsible for the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr).

Can amiodarone be cut in half?

Take this medicine by mouth • Swallow the tablets whole. Do not crush or chew your tablets • If you feel the effect of your medicine is too weak or too strong, do not change the dose yourself, but ask your doctor. Amiodarone tablets should not be given to children and adolescents.

What is amiodarone Hydrochloride used for?

Amiodarone is used to treat and prevent certain types of serious, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (a certain type of abnormal heart rhythm when other medications did not help or could not be tolerated. Amiodarone is in a class of medications called antiarrhythmics.

How do you dilute amiodarone?

See section 4.2. Intravenous injection: 150-300 mg (corresponding to 3-6 ml Amiodarone) is diluted with 10-20 ml 5% w/v Glucose Intravenous Infusion.

How dangerous a drug is amiodarone?

Amiodarone may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.

Is amiodarone a dangerous drug?

Amiodarone is for use only in treating life-threatening heart rhythm disorders. Amiodarone can cause dangerous side effects on your heart, liver, lungs, or vision.

What are some alternatives to amiodarone?

Dronedarone has been viewed as a potential therapeutic alternative for amiodarone because of a lower risk for pulmonary, thyroid, and dermatologic adverse effects. Compared with amiodarone, dronedarone has poor bioavailability and a shorter terminal disposition half-life, which dictates a twice-daily dosing regimen.

What are the side effects of amiodarone?

Chest pain