Stopping Amiodarone after Ablation

Amiodarone is normally administered initially in a 'loading' dose, usually between 800 and 1600 mg for the first week or so. Thereafter, it is lowered to about half that loading dose, often just 400 mg per day as a maintenance dose. It takes a while to build up in the system, and yes, it can take literally months to leave the system fully. However, the months timeframe is more typical of people who have been on it for a long time, say close to a year. For those of us short-timers, a total of 6-10 weeks, it will typically be gone within a month to six weeks, but we're all different in how we metabolize and excrete drugs.
I can't, and don't wish to, second-guess your prescribing authority. None of us here knows a thing about you, your history, what stage of AF you were at prior to the ablation, what other medications you were on, etc. So, I would be loath to stop any prescription unless I was sure it was causing me great distress and anxiety. Your EP ought to have replied to you when you described your symptoms. What can I say..?
In my non-expert experience, from reading extensively and on public fora where people come to talk about AF and what they've done/had done, flecainide and propafenone are often prescribed until the heart calms, say until about two/three weeks prior to the Holter monitor near Week 12. You don't want any drugs that affect heart rate or rhythm in your system, even residually, ideally, while you're trying to get an accurate assessment of your heart's state wearing the Holter. Even so, your EP/cardiologist know you best, and you SHOULD take great care, and personal risk, countering what they prescribe for you.
Many post-ablation patients just take metoprolol or diltiazem and that suffices. But flecainide and propafenone are also sometimes added, or just one of those and no rate control (beta or calcium channel blockers). Again, your expert advisor knows your condition and comorbidities best.
My opinion? If you've stopped amiodarone and you're heart isn't cranky and acting up, especially while you're asleep and not likely to notice, I would say your ahead. I hope you can consult your EP soon.

Hi I was on Amiodarone for about 10 years and once a Doctor thought He could wean me off. Prior to the Ablation (which was my 3rd) he took me off Mexitine and Amiodarone was reduced to a very low dose.
After the Ablation He did not increase my dose. About a week later which was about a month after reducing my doses I had the most horrible set of Arrythmias of the 10 years I was being treated.

Rushed to the Hospitals after 3 shocks from my Pacemaker at home, 2 in the Ambulance and a few more at the ER before they were able to get the levels back up to where I was prior to the Ablation. The moral of my story is the Amiodarone lasts in the blood stream about 30 days almost to the day.
So if I were you I would not stop it until I talked with the Doctor. Then I would also do it slowly. For me it was the worse experience in my Life.
One other thing usually after an ablation your Heart is still healing from the Ablation so there is more of a chance of mild arrythmias for a couple of weeks before the heart heals.
As for side effects they usually take a while. Mine did't start causing any issues until about 8-9 years of taking Amiodarone daily. So I would not get into much of a rush to get off of them just because of side effects. But the best person to ask is a EP Cardiologist. They specialize in the electrical systems of your Heart. I recommend having both a general Cardiologist and a EP or Electrophysiology Cardiologist. I hope you have better luck than I did. The ablation I got that 3rd time did not turn out very well. I was actually told later by another Doctor there was no reason to have that 3rd one as I was really stable prior to it. I myself changed EP Cardiologist after that ands found a really good one. In my case my Heart continued to get worse so I ended up with a Heart transplant. I cant verify it but I believe those 8-9 shocks I went thru all in a row is what damaged my heart even more. But in my case Im doing well now 7 years since I got my new Heart,

Thank you for this information. I was shocked when I learned I had AFib again; it had been 12 years since my ablation. They are going to do another ablation soon, but it will be 8 weeks before they can see me. I too am on Amiodarone, so I'll be watching what happens with that. Last time I had many of the shock treatments to stabilize my heart, but they never worked and the burns on my chest hurt. I've said no to doing that again and I agree with you that they might be harmful in the long term. I'm on so many meds, including Metoprolol which is making me ill. I'm so fed up with it all. Again, thank you for your information.

I stopped Amioderone with doctor's OK the day of my ablation last February.. Had been on it for 7 months and really really wanted to get off. Was not prescribed anything else. I have a loop recorder so he is tracking me that way and I have had no episodes (knock on wood) since. With regard to the vision disturbances I had something like what you describe a few days following the ablation - it was like a visual migraine where I saw broken lines in my vision. Doing research on this I found it was something that can happen following ablation. It went away with no problem and was not painful.