Amaridone

[HessyKat]

I am researching everything I can do to find out is there any known new treatment for Amaridone lung toxicity. My father who was a very healthy person started to have his heart get out of rhythm slightly. It wasnt life threatening at all but He had a doctor that put him on this Horrific drug for only a few days. Now my father has been in ICU and now moved down to the pulmonary floor fighting for his life from this drug. It caused him to develop pulmonary lung toxicity and had done so much damage to his lungs he is on 100% oxygen. I am angry and I have read pages and pages of people whos loved ones also have been touched by this. Most all die. I want my father to live and he is fighting so hard but is so tired. The pulmonary doctor is telling us is he can hold on for up to 30 days for this poisonous drug to rid his body of it...then we might see a change. Although the damage to his lungs are severe he is alert , weak, but still eating small meals.I am so angry that this medication is on the market and do not understand how it is still being prescribed by doctors knowing this can happen ..even months and months later to the patient.I am going to contact the mayo clinic to see if there is anything anyone knows that can be done besides giving him steriods and antibiotics which are doing nothing to help. If anyone is on this drug or has a loved one on it please immediately stop it. I plan on a viligant campaign to have this drug removed from the market. I also plan to sue. Money is not my objective. My fathers life isnt worth any amount of money. I want lives to be saved. Help. If anyone reads this an is aware of anything I can tell his doctor to do to help save him please let me know. Thank you.

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

I am so very sorry to hear of your father’s respiratory failure and can appreciate your anger at this terrible turn of events.  The best advice I can give is that you and/or your father’s doctors contact physicians who have published their experience with Amiodarine toxicity in respected medical journals.  Here are two:

The first is from the Mayo Clinic.  Your best bet would be to contact the lead author of this report:  Dr. K.M. Duello
• 48-Year-Old Woman With Dyspnea, Cough, and Weight Loss
• Duello KM, Louh IK, Burger CD. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2012 Nov; 87(11)1124-1127
The second is from the National Institutes of Health website:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687560/ and you would want to contact,

Canadian Respir J. Feb 2009; 16(2): 43–48.
PMCID: PMC2687560
Amiodarone pulmonary toxicity
Norman Wolkove, MD FRCP and Marc Baltzan, MD FRCP
Author information ► Copyright and License information ►


Good luck to you and your father.

[ChrisBSRRT]

Sorry for your loss Kat.

[HessyKat]

My daddy died on March 30th from this horrible Medication. I am not dealing well and I am so lost.

[HessyKat]

Thank you very much for your imput. I did as the doctor about the Methotrexate but he seems to think it would be ineffective at this point. I know my father was such a healthy strong man and this has been going on for over a month now and they or others along with the doctor decided to start a continous Morphine drip which I am struggling with since he now doesnt speak anymore and before the drip he was very coherent. I suppose I have only the hope of a miracle but if God doesnt intervene I will have to say good bye to the best daddy ever. Thanks again.

[ChrisBSRRT]

From my clinic experience with patients being prescribed Amiodarone is that the following physician typically order pulmonary function tests BEFORE or AT the time of starting amio for the first time. This is to be able to track the lung condition during amio treatment. In years past physicians would commonly prescribe high doses of amio before several research studies suggested a lower dose is a better therapetuic option(depending on patient's severity) in order to reduce the incidence of lung damage, and lower the risk of developing interstitial lung disease.

One of the key components of amio treatment is close monitoring of pulmonary status, so that when the lung volumes and DLCO decline the physician can cease use of amio and perhaps go another route of treatment (ablation, if severe enough).

ILD(interstitial lung disease) or pulmonary fibrosis is still very hard to treat and commonly the disease is considered idiopathic in nature. However in your case it sounds like amio may be the culprit of the lung disease. There are very few options to treat ILD, steroids and bronchodilators are typically ineffective with this disease. Most patients I see that have an ILD/IPF diagnosis are prescribed Methotrexate to try and stop disease progression. I suggest seeing a qualified pulmonologist that is well experienced specifically in ILD. There are SEVERAL research studies being performed to better treat this disease as it really is a sad case considering there are very few treatment options.