AMIODARONE (ORAL)

(A mi OH da rone) Brand: Cordarone, Pacerone

What is the most significant information I must know about amiodarone?

• Amiodarone is for use only in life-threatening situations. This medicine has the potential to reason side effects that could be fatal, and you will receive your first little doses in a hospital setting.

• Do not use this medicine if you are allergic to amiodarone or iodine, or if you have determined heart conditions such as "AV block," or a history of slow heart beats.

• Do not use amiodarone without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control, and speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

• To be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects, your blood may need to be tested on a regular basis. Your thyroid and liver function may also need to be tested, and you may need eye exams and chest x-rays. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.

• You may continue to have side effects from amiodarone after you stop taking it. It could take up to different months for the medication to completely clear from your body.

What is amiodarone?

• Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic medicine that affects the rhythm of heartbeats.

• Amiodarone is used to help hold the heart beating normally in people with life-threatening heart rhythm disorders of the ventricles (the lower chambers of the heart that let blood to flow out of the heart). Amiodarone is used to treat ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.

• Amiodarone may also be used for another purposes not listed in this medicine guide.

What must I discuss with my healthcare provider till taking amiodarone?

• Amiodarone is for use only in life-threatening situations. This medicine has the potential to reason side effects that could be fatal, and you will receive your first little doses in a hospital setting.

• You may continue to have side effects from amiodarone after you stop taking it. It could take up to different months for the medication to completely clear from your body.

• Do not use this medicine if you are allergic to amiodarone or iodine, or if you have:

· determined serious heart conditions, especially "AV block" (unless you have a pacemaker); or

· a history of slow heart beats that have caused you to faint.

• If you have determined conditions, you may need a doze adjustment or particular trials to safely use this medicine. Till taking amiodarone, speak your doctor if you have:

· asthma or other lung disorder;

· liver disease;

· vision problems;

· tall or low blood pressure;

· a thyroid disorder;

· an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood); or

· if you have a pacemaker or defibrillator implanted in your chest.

• FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use amiodarone without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn child. Use effective birth control, and speak your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.

• Amiodarone can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing child. Do not use this medicine while you are breast-feeding a baby.

How must I take amiodarone?

• You will receive your first little doses of amiodarone in a hospital setting where your heart can be monitored in case the medicine causes serious side effects.

• Take this medicine exactly as it was predesigned for you. Do not take the medicine in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

• Take this medication with a full glass of water.

• You may take amiodarone with or without food but take it the same way each time.

• It is significant to use amiodarone regularly to get the most benefit. Hold using this medicine even if you feel beautiful or have no symptoms. Get your prescription refilled till you run out of medication completely.

• To be certain this medicine is not causing deleterious effects, your blood will need to be tested on a regular basis. Your thyroid and liver function may also need to be tested, and you may need eye exams and chest x-rays. Do not miss any scheduled visits to your doctor.

• If you need to have any type of surgery (including laser eye surgery), speak the surgeon onward of time that you are using amiodarone. You may need to stop using the medication for a short time.

• This medicine can reason you to have unusual results with determined thyroid trials. Speak any doctor who treats you that you are using amiodarone.

• Store amiodarone at room temperature away from heat, moisture, and light.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed doze as soon as you remember. If it is nearly time for your following doze, skip the missed doze and take the medication at your following regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medication to create up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

• Search abnormal medical attention if you think you have used too many of this medication. Overdose symptoms may include weakness, slow heart course, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

What must I avoid while taking amiodarone?

• Amiodarone can reason side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with amiodarone and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit commodity with your doctor. Do not magnify or decrease the amount of grapefruit commodity in your diet without first talking to your doctor.

• Avoid exposure to sunlight or artificial UV rays (sunlamps or tanning beds). Amiodarone can create your skin more sensitive to sunlight and sunburn may result. Use a sunscreen (minimum SPF 15) and wear protective clothing if you should be out in the sun.

What are the possible side effects of amiodarone?

• Get abnormal medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your person, lips, tongue, or throat.

• Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects, even if they occur up to different months after you stop using amiodarone:

· a new or a worsening irregular heartbeat pattern;

· quick, slow, or pounding heartbeats;

· feeling like you might pass out;

· wheezing, cough, chest pain, trouble breathing, coughing up blood;

· blurred vision, vision loss, headache or pain behind your eyes, sometimes with vomiting;

· feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion, swelling, rapid weight gain;

· weight loss, thinning hair, feeling too hot or too cool, heighten sweating, irregular menstrual periods, swelling in your neck (goiter);

· numbness, burning, pain, or tingling in your hands or foots; or

· nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

• Smaller serious side effects may include:

· feeling dizzy or tired;

· nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, loss of appetite;

· sleep problems (insomnia);

· weakness, lack of coordination; or

· warmth, tingling, or redness under your skin.

• This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may message side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What another drugs will affect amiodarone?

• Many drugs can interact with amiodarone. Below is only a partial list. Speak your doctor if you are using:

· cimetidine (Tagamet);

· clopidogrel (Plavix);

· cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);

· dextromethorphan (an over-the-counter cough medicine);

· diclofenac (Arthrotec, Cataflam, Voltaren, Flector Patch, Solareze);

· digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

· loratadine (Claritin Alavert);

· St. John's wort;

· an antidepressant;

· a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);

· a diuretic (water pill);

· insulin or diabetes medicine you take by mouth;

· narcotic pain medication;

· medicine to treat HIV or AIDS;

· an antibiotic such as azithromycin (Zithromax), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), levofloxacin (Levaquin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater, Rifamate), telithromycin (Ketek), and others;

· an antifungal medicine such as itraconazole (Sporanox) or ketoconazole (Nizoral);

· a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta, Ziac), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), and others;

· cholesterol-lowering medicines such as cholestyramine (Prevalite, Questran), atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), or fluvastatin (Lescol);

· heart rhythm medicine such as disopyramide (Norpace), quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex), or procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl);

· heart or blood pressure medicine such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac), nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), and others; or

· seizure medicine such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), and others.

• This list is not complete and there are much another medicines that can reason serious drug interactions with amiodarone. Speak your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal commodity, and drugs predesigned by another doctors. Do not start using a new medicine without telling your doctor. Hold a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or another healthcare provider who treats you.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about amiodarone.

Remember, hold this and all another medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medicine only for the indication prescribed.

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