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Anti-arrhythmia medications
In July 05, my husband had an ICD implanted after about a month of arrhythmia problems. He has no family history of heart disease and he is only 37 years old. His Drs assume it all started with a viral infection as he does have cardiomyopathy and an ejection fraction of 40. Prior to this he was very active. He
I was on Amiodarone for a little over 2 years. It really worked controlling arrythmias but wasn't without its side effects. It makes you super sensitive to sunlight. I ended up wearing long sleeve denim shirts year around. I would even get a sun burn thru windows or if I wore a thin cotton shirt. I couldn't wear shorts or go without a hat of some kind.
I had my thyroid tested alot and ended up getting some deposits in my eyes. The eye deposits did not cause any problems though.
I had to get a new Electrophysiologist last year and the first thing he did was take me off the drug as he said 2 years was about the maximum he felt anyone should be on it. He increased my dosage of Toprol instead. The arrythmias are back but not too bad as I am also on Digoxin which has some anti-arrythmic tendencies.
Amiodarone worked for me and will probably work for your son. Just keep a close watch on the side effects and keep in touch with his doctor when you start noticing them. The Pharmacists will give you lots of info everytime you fill the prescription and there is lots of info on the internet about it.
Good luck.
I had my thyroid tested alot and ended up getting some deposits in my eyes. The eye deposits did not cause any problems though.
I had to get a new Electrophysiologist last year and the first thing he did was take me off the drug as he said 2 years was about the maximum he felt anyone should be on it. He increased my dosage of Toprol instead. The arrythmias are back but not too bad as I am also on Digoxin which has some anti-arrythmic tendencies.
Amiodarone worked for me and will probably work for your son. Just keep a close watch on the side effects and keep in touch with his doctor when you start noticing them. The Pharmacists will give you lots of info everytime you fill the prescription and there is lots of info on the internet about it.
Good luck.
my son has a long history of heart disease , we have had seven major heart surgeries . he is now being placed on ameoderone due to afib . is this a bad drug . we need help , please contact us and let us know . ny son is sixteen years old .
You could be talking about my sister!Except she has had a triple bypass,cardiomyopathy also, and afib.
Her doctor put her on ammio 15 months ago and she feels great,but worries all the time over side effects.
She is on 200mg's a day,plus alltace,synthroid forhypothyroidism
81 mg aspirin plus the ammio.
She had a pulmonary test in October-it was okay,and all the other tests to0.She is 46.
How many years were you on ammio-and at what dose?
is 100mg's just as effective?
How many times a year are you supposed to have these tests.
Thank you in advance-Polly
Her doctor put her on ammio 15 months ago and she feels great,but worries all the time over side effects.
She is on 200mg's a day,plus alltace,synthroid forhypothyroidism
81 mg aspirin plus the ammio.
She had a pulmonary test in October-it was okay,and all the other tests to0.She is 46.
How many years were you on ammio-and at what dose?
is 100mg's just as effective?
How many times a year are you supposed to have these tests.
Thank you in advance-Polly
I can only imagine how one feels after getting numerous shocks, esp. warranted ones! Where I used to live there was a support group for patients with ICD's. Maybe you have one in your area? I also recommend implantable.com as they have a great message board for patients with devices. Hope they fix your husband soon!
oops-half my comments were directed at you.Any advice will be appreciated.
And Heather-hope your husband gets all the help he needs.
I don't post very often,so I do manage to goof it up when I do.
I am new at this computer too.
And Heather-hope your husband gets all the help he needs.
I don't post very often,so I do manage to goof it up when I do.
I am new at this computer too.
Dave's Dr was VERY conservative with the Ammio. He started at 400mg per day, then went down to 200mg a day and felt great. He was only on if for about eight months. Part of the reason he was so frustrated was b/c he did feel so good on it & has not felt nearly as good being off it. Apparently he was not on it long enough to develop the side effects. After reading some of the posts here, it does seem like a lot of people do wind up with something adverse creeping in, so I do feel a little better about the Dr trying all avenues.
As you Know, its tough to watch someone u know suffer. I feel like I'm constantly just waiting for something bad to happen- every time he coughs or takes a deep breath (let alone passing out or getting shocked) I go into panic mode. It really takes a toll on you emotionally.
My prayers are with you and your sister! Because she is also so young and otherwise healthy, there is always hope. Dave's Dr told us that had this happened to him as recently as 20 years ago, his prognosis would not have been good.
As you Know, its tough to watch someone u know suffer. I feel like I'm constantly just waiting for something bad to happen- every time he coughs or takes a deep breath (let alone passing out or getting shocked) I go into panic mode. It really takes a toll on you emotionally.
My prayers are with you and your sister! Because she is also so young and otherwise healthy, there is always hope. Dave's Dr told us that had this happened to him as recently as 20 years ago, his prognosis would not have been good.
Thank you so much for your response,and you are absolutely right about her fretting over what may not happen.
her cardio told her that he has patients on ammio for as long as 10 years with no problem,but I guess it depends on the person.
She developed afib after bypass surgery,and ammio was all she responded to at the time.
She does not have ventricular issues.
They were thinking of dropping her down to 100mgs being as ammio stays in the system a long time ,therefore may not make a difference.
She sees her cardio next month.
You are dealing with a lot yourself, and i hope everything will work out good for you.
Once again,thank you,your advice has been a great help.
Polly
her cardio told her that he has patients on ammio for as long as 10 years with no problem,but I guess it depends on the person.
She developed afib after bypass surgery,and ammio was all she responded to at the time.
She does not have ventricular issues.
They were thinking of dropping her down to 100mgs being as ammio stays in the system a long time ,therefore may not make a difference.
She sees her cardio next month.
You are dealing with a lot yourself, and i hope everything will work out good for you.
Once again,thank you,your advice has been a great help.
Polly
Hi. I was on the Amio over 2 years. I went off it because of the prolonged Q-T and then developed the thyroid storm about 3 months later. The problem with it is that it has such a long half life, which means it can take a year to get out of your system! I think they recommend the pulmonary function tests once a year, which is what I had. I had the thyroid stuff about every 6 months and did not have an EKG more than once a year. I wish I had had one at least every 6 months. I would encourage your sister not to worry about what might not happen! At the same time, I would ask exactly why she is on it. If it is just for the AF, have they tried all the others like Rhythmol? I would hope they would not just jump for the Amiodarone if she can get by with another drug. Or did she have ventricular issues? Those make it more serious. And I don't believe that 100 mg. is enough for the average patient, but I am not a doctor! Tell her good luck.
Thank You for responding so quickly. Yes it has been a nightmare. His last echo was while he was in the hospital over Christmas. He has never had CHF thank goodness just the arrythimias. They did a heart Cath & his arteries were clear. In addition to the rythmol, he takes Coreg, Captipril and Magnesium & Potassium suppliments twice a day. I am thankful that he has the ICD- it's saved his life on more than one occasion, however, initially it was supposed to be a "safety net" but it seems like it's having to work awful hard! His Dr did explain that it was "trial & observation" while they found the drug that he best responds to. We've asked about going back on the ami, but b/c he's so young his dr is really advising against it. I'm really hopeful about a second opinion at CC. He's got an appt with his PCP next week to get the referral.
Gee, sounds like a nightmare! I have dilated cardiomyoapthy also, and clear coronaries also. I also was on Amiodarone for a couple of years and did get some of the dreaded side effects, as very severe hyperthyroidism and waaaay prolonged Q-T interval which could've killed me. The problem is finding the right drug as some will worsen heart failure if you already do not have a normal heart. Getting another opinion is a must IMO. See if you can speed up the process at the CC. One option would be to go back on the Amio since he tolerated it so well. If you get frequent EKG's to check the Q-T and get a thyroid panel every couple of months he should be fine for now, and they would have more time to develop a long term plan. When was his last echo? What other drugs is he on? Has he had CHF? I highly recommend the site chfpatients.com as it has a wealth of info in lay terms and I think is pretty accurate. Is he on a strict low sodium diet, and I don't mean just laying off table salt? That can make a huge difference in how he feels plus would extend his life with a better quality. Believe me, I DO know how he feels. Right now I am not on an antiarrhythmic at all and wait to see what will happen. They couldn't implant an ICD (dont' ask!), but my EF went from 15% to 55% to 40% right now so I am at much lower risk than I was. Please keep us posted!
sorry- over the character limit- but almost done...
The Rythmol has not lessened the occurrences of VT but has slowed the rate of it. Even with this, he had to be shocked out of a sustained VT just today. At this point, we are discouraged by his prognosis on this drug. He was initially told that he would likely get shocked 3-4 times per year, but at this point he
The Rythmol has not lessened the occurrences of VT but has slowed the rate of it. Even with this, he had to be shocked out of a sustained VT just today. At this point, we are discouraged by his prognosis on this drug. He was initially told that he would likely get shocked 3-4 times per year, but at this point he
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