Experience with amiodarone?

My husband was released from the hospital last week after a 17 day stay from Amiodarone induced pneumonia. He’s home now on oxygen and there’s no guarantee he will fully recover and may be permanently on oxygen from the lung damage. After one week of hospitalization and no improvement the pulmonologist did a bronchoscopy found nothing wrong then checked my husband’s medications and determined it must be the Amiodarone which he’d only been taking for about 5 weeks, 200 mg per day. Steve’s cardiologist of many years came to the hospital on his second day of hospitalization and did not recognize his condition could be caused by taking the Amiodarone. It goes without saying this has turned our lives upside down.

@skmsf So very sad and disappointing. I sincerely hope and wish that you have a full recovery as a doting couple.

My husband took amiodarone about 20 years ago for arrhythmia . I don't remember how long he took it, but it was a very short time. It resulted in numbness in his feet (Neuropathy) which has not abated to this day! He found a new Cardiologist after this. BEWARE!

@poco
Amiodarone is a powerful arrhythmia drug that works. The caveat is that is has defined (per my cardiologist and EP) toxicity that can affect many organs.

I was put on it in hospital by on duty cardiologist not my EP. It really helped my tachyacardia stop. I had 5 ICD shocks in a 24 hour period. My follow up ICD/Pacemaker showed dramatic correction of tachycardia and PVCs.

However per my researh I read the toxicity of the drug. I talked to my Electrophysiologist (EP) about it. He agreed and said let's slowly wean your off it and see if we can come off slowly. We set up a plan to slowly come off and was successful.

For almost 10 years I had to go into eye doctor (Mayo) to have test to see if the Amioradome had affected my eyes. After almost 10 years later my eye doctor said no sign of damage so we do not need to test you anymore.

I do know many don't have any toxic side affects and have been on it a long time. That is great and again a very powerful drug that works. But I would (from my own personal experience) recommend if you doctor does not recommend it to have various tests down while you are on it to see if having toxicity affect on your organs.

I was on amioderone for AF a few years ago. I was very wary but was convinced by cardiologist at the time that benefits outweigh risks.
It was less than a year on it before side effects of edema, liver toxicity and failure to control a fib. Needless to say, I got off it.
Currently, I am diagnosed with - not one - but two - lung issues. Both are serious but thankfully mild at this point.
It is a poison pill prescribed because it is the most effective anti arrhythmic medication.
It turns your life upside down indeed. I wish you and your husband well.

Sadly, these stories are all too common. While amiodarone is a highly potent and effective AAD (anti-arrhythmic drug), it is one of maybe two that require close monitoring for tolerance. I always advocate for people to advocate strongly on their own behalf, but merely objecting to something is not an informed and effective counterargument or counterproposal. You MUST educate yourself. Nobody asks you to read up on stuff, but YOU SHOULD ask yourself to do it...for your own good! I habitually read and read and read, ask questions, watch videos, and then I ask one or two pointed questions that should either shut me up or change what I'm experiencing once I have the answers.

Amiodarone is one drug that demands education from both the prescriber and the prescribed. When I was in the ER, flat on my back, and my heart was sending out horrible ECGs, the internist came bedside and said he had conferred with my EP (actually got him on the phone....wow!) and that they were in agreement that I should be put on amiodarone. My heart sank, beating chaotically and all. Why such a big hammer was my replying question? I knew that amiodarone was a drug of last resort (google actually replied 'yes' to that very question when I was looking into it about six months earlier, so I knew to ask!). The internist thought a moment and said that in this instant is was the 'right hammer'...he respected my use of that term by using it in his considered reply. So, I shrugged and took the pill. I didn't experience any unwanted or dangerous side effects, but I was only on it for about eight weeks. Oddly, it was my family doctor who asked to see me weekly after that, perhaps at the request of the ER. Nobody in the ER said I should make appointments with my GP, but he did. Maybe it was the system closing the loop to ensure I WAS being monitored. Whew!

Monitoring when being on Amiodarone is the KEY! I was not monitored and, like Shelley's husband, had severe lung toxicity. A great pulmonologist worked with me, and - while I still have pulmonary fibrosis and am short of breath - at least I can BREATHE! Dalewhit referred to Amiodarone as a "poison pill" - which is exactly what my pulmonologist called it! JC76 worked with his doctor to taper off slowing. Unfortunately, in my case, severe bradycardia and syncope episodes made immediate stopping of Amiodarone necessary. It also made emergency implanting of a pacemaker necessary! So, Amiodarone did NOT stop my AFib, but at least I can now breathe and have an assisted beating heart! I sincerely hope that Steve's condition improves. Mine did - but it took a while.

My 82 year old husband has been on 200 mg of amiodarone for many years and has had no side effects. He has had bouts of a-fib over the years which have been corrected with cardioversions 7 times and ablations 3 times. Every time we tried to wean him off of the amiodarone he went back into a-fib so he is staying on it. He has yearly eye exams and a pulmonary test every 2-3 years. All have been OK so far.