At the age of six weeks, we had a cariologist prescribe amiodarone for our son. He had been diagnosed with WPW, which was accidentally found by our pediatrician. He is now 18 months old. We have since seen a different cardiologist who has told us that the drug is extremely dangerous. The first cardiologist prescribed the amiodarone to prevent arrhythmia. Our son never, ever had an episode of SVT or anything and so the second cardiologist can't figure out why he was prescribed the drug. He is considered a low-risk patient and may not even require surgery, although he will continue to be monitored.
Was this first cardiologist wrong? Is it common practice to prescribe amiodarone for prevention when there are absolutely no symptoms? Aren't the risks of drug side effects possibly more dangerous for a patient who is asymptomatic?