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Experience with amiodarone?

Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (20)

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@jc76

@insley
After I weaned off amiodarone I was still was having a lot of PVCs and occasional AVIB. That is when I went on 400 mg of Magnesium and it did help.

I had radom episodes of tachacardia (that was short lived) and my EP wanted to address the PVCs and tachacardia by medication first not another ablation.

Now I list the medication but with caveat that this came from my Mayo EP and may not be the best for you. It is called Mexiletine. I take the minumum dose 150 mg tablet. Now Mexiletine does not built up in the body like amiodarone does with the toxic risk it poses. Thus you have to take the medication every 8 hours to maintain levels in your blood stream. That is the only negative.

My tachacardia stopped. I have a ICD/Pacemaker which records all my heart activity. The first 3 months after I started taking Mexiletine the tachacardia episodes were 0. The amount of PVCs went from every 5 beats to random isoloated events quite an improvement in PVCs that my EP AND I were very happy with also.

But again taking this medication came from my Mayo EP and the entire medical team at Mayo Jacksonville were all coordinated with starting a new medication and all approved. I read a lot of post that indicate others have had good success with other medications as well.

What I like about Mexiletine in addition to working for me was the low toxicity of the medication. But that low toxicity requires you to take it every 8 hours because the body eliminates it unlike amidarone. But for me that was a minor thing.

Good luck!

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