If experienced, these tend to have a Severe expression 1. This can cause side effects. Examples of these drugs include:Taking amiodarone with certain heart medications may increase the levels of the heart drugs in your body. Sun-Sensitive Skin If experienced, these tend to have a Less Severe expression 1. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away: Constipation. While most drugs circulate in the bloodstream for a while until they are metabolized or excreted, amiodarone is stored in the body’s tissues. This puts you at a higher risk for serious side effects from amiodarone, including irregular heart rate, which may be fatal. Side Effects . Today I'm talking about my personal experience with the heart drug Amiodarone which in my personal experience came with some challenging side effects. Your dose, form, and how often you take it will depend on:A healthcare provider will give you the first dose of amiodarone in a doctor’s office or hospital. For the most part, amiodarone and its metabolites are removed from the body when amiodarone-containing cells are lost—such as skin cells, or cells from the gastrointestinal tract, which are shed by the millions each day. Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI, is a board-certified preventive cardiologist and lipidologist. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. After that, you’ll take your doses of amiodarone at home.The safety and effectiveness of amiodarone have not been established in people under the age of 18 years.Your dosage will be started on the low end to reduce the risk of side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Gastrointestinal side effects of amiodarone include nausea, anorexia, and constipation. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. To this day, doctors all too often fail to monitor their patients taking amiodarone long enough, and diligently enough, to recognize that the drug is producing problems. All rights reserved. Wear sunscreen and protective clothing if you’ll be in the sun. When used appropriately, amiodarone can be a major benefit to people with severe cardiac arrhythmias. Thus, even if it is determined that it is necessary to stop amiodarone (because of side effects, for instance), the drug remains in the body in measurable quantities for a very long time after the last dose is taken.The half-life of amiodarone, in contrast to most other drugs, is measured in weeks instead of hours. Obtain a baseline chest X-ray and pulmonary-function tests, including diffusion capacity, when therapy is initiated. Amiodarone may you make you more sensitive to sunlight. However, switching from intravenous to oral dosing has to be done carefully, since for chronic usage the drug still has to be loaded for a prolonged period of time. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. Taking it again could be fatal.Don’t drink grapefruit juice while taking this drug. Find everything you need to know about Amiodarone (Oral), including what it is used for, warnings, reviews, side effects, and interactions. These symptoms often are dosage related and usually improve when the … Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur: constipation. You’ll be monitored closely while you’re taking amiodarone. Loss Of Appetite 4. 4. Learn more about Amiodarone (Oral) at EverydayHealth.com. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. Some may be more suitable for you than others. Ⓒ 2020 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved Amiodarone can cause hepatoxicity, which can be fatal. So the drug has to be “loaded” before it becomes optimally effective. In general, as you age, your organs, such as your liver, kidneys, and heart, don’t work as well as they once did. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.Some side effects of amiodarone may occur that usually Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects The most common adverse reactions were corneal microdeposits, 1. Cordarone Intravenous (amiodarone)." © 1998-2020 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). Lung Fibrosis 6. Amiodarone also can be administered intravenously when treating arrhythmia is urgent, and its effect is much more rapid by this route. Doctors must commit to becoming long-term partners of their patients, carefully monitoring for new side effects for as long as this unique drug is being used.