I was to take one daily and my cardiologist would determine when I should come off Amiodarone. I took Amiodarone for 62 days. My cardiologist took several EKGs and Echo’s and determined there was no Afib so I came off Amiodarone. I was doing real well in recovery and finished my cardio rehab. A month later I started to get some shortness of breath and a racing heart beat. We both agreed that I should go back on Amiodarone.
I had my first episode of afib last week, prior to that I have been having issues with them regulating my blood pressure medicine. Currently I am on amiodarone 200 mg once a day and norvasc 2.5 mg and 12.5 mg of hctz and one xarelto a day. The problem I am having is when I walk across the room from the chair to the bathroom my BP jumps up to 170/90 and makes the back of my head feel full and I get a little dizzy. Do I need to switch BP meds ?
I was put on amiodarone for Long QT and 32 R/T events shown by 24-hour Holter. Heart steadied in 6 months but after a year TSH showed 38 and amio was changed to propafenone. Four ECGs and thyroid test in last six months show normal. But symptoms continue: Pre-syncope, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, 6 to 10 days a month. My cardiologist is alarmed by the pre-syncope.he suggests : another Holter, return to amiodarone, see electrophysiologist, EEG for brain conduction.
“If you are unaware that a patient is on simvastatin and you give either boceprevir or telaprevir, the simvastatin level in the blood can go high and patients can develop muscle breakdown,” said Dr. Jensen.
http://www.idse.net//ViewArticle.aspx?
A Potential for Adverse Events
Many patients may take their medications with a glass of juice. However, since the accidental discovery of an interaction between the calcium channel blocker, felodipine, with grapefruit juice,1 it has now become evident that grapefruit juice has the potential to alter the plasma concentrations of many medications when they are taken by mouth. In some cases, this may result in undesirable clinical effects of medications.
When my husband got atrial fibrillation and his Cardiologist wanted to put him on Amiodarone, I was well-versed enough to question the decision and he went on Flecainide instead. From the research I did when my husband had AFib (since cured with ablation), I was given to understand that Amiodarone is often used as a last-ditch attempt when other avenues have already been pursued. Flecainide is a better option if you can take it.
I quit taking the simvastatin last tuesday, and by friday I looked perfectly normal with no steroid cream......
Thanks again for all the help!
I use simvastatin to lower the cholesterol and lisinopril to lower the bp. The lisinopril works w/o the simvastatin and v.v.
Greetings,
My background:
Routine thyroid blood test by cardiologist regarding Crestor, etc. in Aug '12 reveals TSH 0.02, T4 1.9. T3 OK at 4.6 (little high): so, hyperthyroid. Primary care physician orders ultrasound and comes back with slightly enlarged right lobe and two nonspecific nodules, larger being .9 cm. PCP sends me to Endocrinologist - first appointment is early September.
Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker while lisnopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE) inhibitor. Both groups of drugs and simvastatin are unlikely to cause erectile dysfunction. However yes, all three of them can cause swelling of ankles. Talk to your doctor. You can change your medications. Among antihypertensives you need to avoid thiazides , beta blockers and alpha blockers.
High blood pressure and reduced blood supply to penis can also cause erectile dysfunction.
I have been on 20 mg of simvastatin and 3000 mg niaspan now my ck levels have went from 60 to 295 i could hardly walk .will my levels come down if i lower dose. and reverse damage. i have 12 stents .the rest of my blood work is fine.
Everytime I went to the hospital for my a-fib or a-flutter that would not stop, they cardioverted me with amiodarone. From what I understand and was told by 2 EP's that amiodarone works very well for a-fib , however they would not let me take it for long term due to my age. I was told the side effects from long term use was to risky. So I was put on rhythmol then atenolol and then finally sotalol with cardizem.
Oh, I forgot to mention, my EP wants to switch me to Amiodarone and I am really resistant because of the side effects. I'm currently on Sotalol because my primary problem is Vtach and Amiodarone is indicated because it controls both Afib and Vfib. I too have had problems with chronic bronchitis and occassional wheezing but I'm more concerned about the great number of other side effects!
There is a current study on something called ATI-2042 but it is only in early trials.
Your blood pressure needs to be well controlled and you should be on a BETA-BLOCKER with high BP and an aortic aneurysm. Generally amiodarone is only given short term and I would discuss the med changes with the cardiologist.
The reason I have not responded since July 7 is because I almost died from Amiodarone Lung toxicity. I have been in and out of the hospital and was put on high doses of prednisone. I ballooned up 40 pounds. It has taken me over a year to recuperate and now I have some permanent scarring in my lungs. I finally went to another electrophysiologist and had a procedure called a Pulmonary Vein Ablation. Was it worth it? I think so but it has only been one month since the surgery.
You can treat his hpothyroidism with thyroid replacement and continue the amiodarone or stop the amiodarone. His atrial fibrillation will likely recur in this case, as his ejection fraction is low. He may be able to use other medications such as tikosyn, dronaderone or sotalol to keep him in rhythm. If he is not symptomatic with the atrial fibrillation he may simply need to be rate controlled and anticoagulated with coumadin.
What is the etiology of his cardiomyopathy?
On a recent blood test my potassium level was above normal. I stopped taking simvastatin. After 3 months I took another blood test and now my cholesterol level has risen to 6.5. What shall I do. I am seeing my Doctor next week.
New doctor has taken me off 100mg Amiodarone and replaced with 25mg toprol XL. I am experiencing dizziness, extreme sensitivity to heat and sunlight, confussion...I have waited a week thinking the side effects would subside. Internet research has led me to believe that the amiodarone can stay in my system for up to ninety days...or is it the beta blocker I am having a bad reactiont to??? Did the amiodarone damage my eyes? My vision has declined substantially over the past two years.
He said I might put an 88 year old on Amiodarone not a 48 year old. He took me off the Amiodarone and I am just on Toprol, Xarelto and HCTZ. Do I have to go back to the cardiologist that put me on the Amiodarone? Or would you just say no! Do I have to have a Cardiologist as well as a EP guy? Just wondering what is your opinion?
My mother has a pacemaker and is taking Amiodarone and Warfarin (all since 11th January). She is 85 and was in remarkably good health, despite her arrhythmia. Up until 11th January she was walking two miles a day, and gardening, now she is too weak to go anywhere.
She had not taken any drugs for her arrhythmia prior to the Amiodarone. Since mid February, she has been coughing a great deal and is becoming increasingly breathless.
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