Sotalol?

Posted by ALLAN on May 21, 1999 at 19:40:33
Dear Doc,
I have A-Fib and have been taking 320mg of Betapace a day for around 3 months now. This med really seems to be working great to control my a-fib, but the last 2-3 weeks I've been experiencing some sharp, shooting nerve pains over various parts of my body, usually in my stomach and chest area. However, I do have them in other parts of my body and it usually seems to happen in the evening. My doc referred to this nerve pain as "Paresthesis". He also said that he has never heard of Betapace causing this problem. So, my question is do you think that the Betapace could be causing these pains? Have you ever heard of this? Is it possible? I'd sure hate to have to change meds since it's working so well on controlling my a-fib, but these pains are unbearable.
Thank You...Allan  

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD-APS on May 28, 1999 at 14:28:08
Dear Allan,
No I have never heard of Betapace causing parasthesias, but all things in life and medicine are possible; I doubt however that the Betapace is the cause of your symptoms.  If the symptoms are unbearable you might ask your doctor for a trial off of sotalol to see if the symptoms subside.  Continue to note the symptoms, their pattern, and intensity, in case it comes to a trial off of the sotalol.  Also consider it a side effect of any over the counter medications you might be taking.
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