People who should not take amiodarone are people who have or had a lung disease or have developed any lung damage or breathing issues.
However you may be able to safely take amiodarone with these health issues but only if your doctors says it's okay.
You can safely take amiodarone long term unless your doctor says otherwise as most people do take amiodarone long term and sometimes for life once they begin taking it.
Medications that should not be taken with amiodarone are beta-blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal), metoprolol (Lopressor), or certain calcium channel blockers, such as verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan, Covera-HS) or diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac), resulting in an excessively slow heart rate.
The serious side effects of amiodarone also known as Cordarone are general body swelling, numbness and tingling, dry eyes, cough, chest pain, pain, insomnia, heart failure, fever, depression, loss of appetite, decreased urine output, decreased awareness or responsiveness, bloating, fatigue, dark urine, constipation, blurred or double vision, tremors, nausea, stomach pain, dizziness and cracks in the skin.
Cordarone and amiodarone are the same medications under names.
Cordarone medication is used for treating of certain types of serious and sometimes fatal irregular heartbeats such as recurrent ventricular fibrillation, tachycardia.
Cordarone is used to restore a persons normal heart rhythm and maintain a regular and steady heartbeat.
Another name for Cordarone is amiodarone which is an antiarrhythmic drug that is also used for atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
Amiodarone is available under the following different brand names: Pacerone, Cordarone, and Nexterone.
Amiodarone or cordarone can cause changes in your heart rhythm, such as a condition called QT prolongation.
The drug amiodarone may also cause fainting or serious side effects in some people.
Contact your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of heart rhythm problems, such as a fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat when taking amiodarone.
Amiodarone can be taken with or without food but should be taken at the same way each time.
You should avoid consuming grapefruits and grapefruit juice while taking amiodarone.
Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
While amiodarone is not approved for AF by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is a commonly prescribed off-label treatment due to the lack of equally effective treatment alternatives.
Because amiodarone is such a powerful drug, it's usually only given as a last resort and when other cardiovascular treatment options haven't worked.
This is largely due to its potential side effects that can have a significant impact on various major organs in the body, including the lungs, liver, and thyroid.