Amiodarone
Amiodarone is a medication prescribed to patients with a heart condition called arrhythmia. Arrhythmia occurs when the heart beats irregularly. Amiodarone is used in patients with life threatening situations whose arrhythmia normally will not respond to medication. Taking Amiodarone can increase the risk of serious side effects like lung infections, liver infections and worsening heart conditions.
Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart beats irregularly and can lead to fatal complications. Almost 1 million patients are admitted to the hospital because of arrhythmias each year. People who have suffered a heart attack or are healing from heart surgery are most likely to have arrhythmias, as are people who have coronary artery disease and electrolyte imbalances. However, irregular heartbeats can happen in healthy hearts as well, and many people can live healthy lives without medication.
Amiodarone acts as:
- a beta blocker to treat high blood pressure
- a calcium blocker, which blocks calcium from contracting the heart and narrowing the arteries
- a thyroid hormone blocker to block excess thyroid hormones that can cause heart palpitations
- a blood vessel dilator to widen the blood vessels to control blood flow
Amiodarone can cause serious injuries including:
- blindness
- lung damage
- liver infections
- increased heart problems
Symptoms of these injuries include:
- worse heartbeat irregularities
- nausea
- trouble breathing or other chest and lung problems
- feeling restless, nervous, anxious
- insomnia or other sleep problems
Contact your doctor immediately if you notice any of these symptoms.
Amiodarone is used only when the arrhythmia is a life-threatening condition. Amiodarone takes weeks to begin working because it must saturate much of the body tissue and be excreted slowly. For this reason, it also takes weeks to rid the body of the drug. If you are injured because of taking Amiodarone, contact a personal injury attorney immediately.