Anyone have experience with amiodorone as an arrhythmia treatment?

I was on IV Amiodarone for 24 hours recently while in cardiac ICU. AF had been managed effectively by Sotalol for 2+ years but it was triggered by MI (caused by SCAD, spontaneous coronary artery dissection) and cardiac arrest. Cardiologist wanted to get HR down as fast as possible, given the risks of further dissection. It worked and now I am back on Sotalol, not really tolerating it either and may have to consider ablation when and if it is safe to do so. EP says wait a few months and revisit the question. There are no great options!

With tachycardia at 134 BPM for 72 straight hours, and nothing seeming able to stop it, I was sent to the ER and given Amiodaron by IV. It worked almost instantly! It was fascinating to watch my HR on the screen dropping 2-3 bpm every couple of seconds. I loved Amiodarone for keeping my heartbeat under control for the next year. Then my Cardiologist weaned me off of it "because it's such a powerrful drug." Went to Metoprolol after that which has been great as well. Have been able to double my physical workouts w/o suffering any symptoms so far.

My EP took me off due to the toxicity of it. Sotalol is a safer alternative. To be fair, I was first on Sotalol, but it led to shocks from my ICD, so I wanted something more effective. Amiodarone is what I got and it worked well. I eased into the Sotalol after my ablation and have been good since.

Was on 200mg twice a day a week before my cardioversion. Stayed on it for about three weeks later until my ablation. The day of my ablation, my EP took me off it. I do feel it was helpful. At a minimum, it gave me a mental sense of security that I’d maintain sinus rhythm until ablation. I do feel it caused some side effects though. Mainly dropping my heartbeat to 40 bpm. Was still on 50mg metoprolol too. After ablation, my beat holds steady between 60-65 resting. Both my cardiologist and ED (and I) wanted it to be very short term. I realize everyone is different but surprised to hear of the use of anti arrhythmic drugs after ablation.

Thanks, your comments are informative.

I’d like to comment on my experience
with Eliquis. Three days after I started on Eliquis I broke out in a rash which was limited to my face and neck. It wasn’t t painful but it itched a bit. I saw both a GP and a dermatologist and both said there was no connection to Eliquis. This continued for 6 months and my cardiologist was concerned and acceded to my request to change from Eliquis to Xarelto. The rash started to go away slowly and in about two months was gone. Has anyone else had this experience?

And.... the correct spelling is AMIODARONE (and not Amiordarone) !

Thanks for pointing that out. Typo. Fat fingers.

I took amiodarone for several years. I didn’t seem to suffer any side effects, but my EP took me off it and started me on a combination of flecainide and metoprolol. I’ve been using them both for about 4 years now, and they work quite well. I’ve only had two fairly brief episodes of a-fib, each only lasted a few hours.

Thanks for all of the comments about Amiodarone. My cardiologist wanted me to start taking it on June 5th, but after reading 4 pages of side effects listed in the MedGuide that involved kidneys, thyroid, eyes, skin, intestines, additional heart issues, etc... I was very concerned and told him I was not taking it. A recent heart Cath procedure showed no more blockages after my triple by-pass surgery, however, I have heart PVC and atrial & ventricular tachycardia. I have another appt scheduled with him in 2 weeks. I may discuss a lower dose for a short period of time or the other drugs than some of you mentioned. The cardiologist has mentioned a defibrillator implant to address my heart issues and wanted me to be on the drug for a month. Still not sure about taking the drug. I have no chest pain or some of the other symptoms...but have had a few dizzy spells and a few palpitations. A Holter Monitor picked up the PVC and Tachycardia. Not sure what is the best decision will be.