Synonyms in a broader sense
- Active substance: amiodarone hydrochloride
- Antiarrhythmics,
- Action names: Cordarex® Amiogamma® Aminohexal®
- Cordarex®
- Amiogamma®
- Aminohexal®
- Cordarex®
- Amiogamma®
- Aminohexal®
The active ingredient amiodarone is used in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and the drug is classified as a class III antiarrhythmic drug. Amiodarone can be used to help in cases of disturbed transmission of excitation to the heart, a too fast and irregular heart rate (tachycardia and tachyarrhythmia) and additional beats independent of the normal heart rhythm (extrasystole). In addition to its good cardiac efficacy, however, the drug has numerous side effects that are not to be sneezed at.
Amiodarone is a prescription drug and is available as a tablet in 200 mg and 100 mg doses. In tablets, the active ingredient is usually given as amiodarone hydrochloride. After starting the treatment it takes a few days until the effect is complete.
Due to a slower breakdown of the drug amiodarone in the organism it takes about one month after stopping amiodarone until the effect is completely eliminated. The treating doctor decides on the duration of the therapy. For the treatment of acute cardiac dysrhythmia, amiodarone is given as an emergency injection directly into the vein.
The respective dose is determined by the attending physician. As a rule, a saturation dose is administered initially until a sufficient level of amiodarone is present in the tissue. Afterwards, the dose is reduced to a maintenance dose.
The saturation dose is 600 mg amiodarone for 8 to 10 days. Accordingly, the patient receives either 3 times 2 tablets with 200mg active ingredient each or 6 times 1 tablet with 100mg active ingredient each spread over the day. Rarely does it need to be increased to 1200 mg amiodarone per day, but this is only determined by the treating physician.
The subsequent maintenance dose is 200 mg amiodarone 5 times a week. Accordingly, the patient is given either 1 tablet with 200 mg active ingredient each on 5 days of the week or 2 tablets with 100 mg active ingredient each 5 times a week. Rarely does it have to be increased to 200- 600 mg amiodarone per day.
Here too, the adjustment is carried out by the attending physician. The tablets should be taken unchewed during or after a meal, taking care to drink enough fluids. Amiodarone should not be used if you are allergic to the active substance or one of the other components of the drug, if you are allergic to iodine, if your heartbeat is slowed down <55/min (sinus bradycardia), if there is a QT prolongation in the ECG or conduction delays in the heart (determined by the doctor), or if you have a potassium deficiency (hypokalemia), Thyroid gland diseases, with concomitant therapy with MAO inhibitors (used to treat depressed patients) or drugs that can trigger life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias (so-called torsade de pointes), as well as with simultaneous use of the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin in a daily dose of more than 20 mg per day.
