Wow! So sorry to hear about this. Pulmonary toxicity is one of the major side effects. Some types of damage are reversible, others are not.
I’ll add my experience here.
I was on amiodarone for maybe a year and a half for heart arrhythmia(vtach among other things)stemming from scarring after mitral valve replacement. I never trusted the drug, so I took myself down to the lowest possible dose(100mg/day, then 50). I never took the full loading dose either. Not telling other people to do what I do, but I’m glad I took the risk. I will add that my ep did not think the type of vtach I had was life threatening.
Well, after maybe a year my thyroid tsh went too high. The drs pa said not to worry; this was to be expected. That doesn’t translate to good.
I relocated to another state and my new pulmonologist/sleep dr did another pft, which showed decreased lung function indicative of restrictive lung disease.
I took myself off the drug immediately, made an appt with my new cardiologist to tell him what happened, and he was totally in agreement.
I have so far been able to maintain on metoprolol, though he said we could try calcium channel blockers if the PVCs got too bad. I also had an ablation, which helped.
I consulted with Mayo Clinic, who said I did not have restrictive lung disease thankfully.
I’ve never done a repeat pft, but I think I’m ok. I’m probably afraid to. Other tests like the 6 min. walk test and VO2 max stress test have come out well. The thyroid quickly went back into line.
My opinion is to try everything else first. Yes, amiodarone works but it’s also a very dangerous drug.
From what I read, it can cause damage fairly quickly even at relatively low doses.
I also read that the FDA approved it under pressure from European pharmaceutical companies
making it one of the few drugs ever approved without randomized clinical trials.
I wish you and all the others exposed to this drug healing
and safety.
Please everyone start doing your own research.