AMIODARONE?

:(

by Penguin - 2023-04-19 13:54:37

The drug information doesn't say no alcohol but it does state that alcohol should be limited.  That provides a little window for discussion with your doctor - but avoid until he/she/they provide you with a green light. Grapefruit is the one drink / food to avoid completely.

This drug is an anti-arrhythmic which is prescribed for serious arrhythmia and can have effects on the liver under certain circumstances according to the PIL - including imbibing grapefruit! 

 Are your liver tests OK do you know and/ or  is alcohol one of the triggers for your arrhythmia? If any of these apply perhaps this is the reason for your doctor's caution.  

It's annoying I know :(  but as you say this drug may not be for ever. 

Thanks

by SeekingSupport - 2023-04-19 14:28:59

Hi Penguin, thank you so much for your reply. By the way, does anyone know how we reply to specific comments on here, like indivual posts ? 

So I just had my blood tests done and my LFTs were normal. The doctors don't know the cause of my cardiomyopathy. So no telling how alcohol will affect me. But as you said , I will have to talk with my doctor if this is forever and what I can tolerate. 

Do you believe your Dr or the Patient Information leaflet ?

by IAN MC - 2023-04-19 15:31:23

Doctors vary enormously in how conservative they are and this certainly applies in their attitudes to alcohol.

I once had a GP who tried to tell me that you should NEVER drink alcohol if you're on prescription drugs . This is of course nonsense.

I  would always carefully read the patient drug information leaflets and avoid alcohol if the leaflet says it should NEVER  be consumed with the drug. A fairly common alcohol / drug interaction is to cause drowsiness which can make driving unwise; this applies particularly to alcohol plus anti-depressants and some painkillers.

As far as amiodarone goes, it has such a dreadful side-effect profile that I can't see alcohol in  moderation making things much worse. This is reflected in the patient leaflet. Ask your doctor to give an evidence-based reason for his views.

If he/she doesn't convince you, I would do a small clinical trial and see how you feel.

Best of luck and " Cheers "

Ian.

Amederone

by AgentX86 - 2023-04-20 01:43:19

Ameoderone is the biggest bullet in the EP's arsenal of antiarrhythmics.  It's also the most toxic. It doesn't just affect the liver but can affect any organ in the body. You don't have much information in  your bio so it's hard to tell how old you are.  My EP said that he'd keep me on it if I were 80yo but since I was 65, at the time, he'd only let me take it for six months at a time. Even so, it damaged my thyroid (it recovered, fortunately).

This is a very effective drug but it's also nasty.  There wouldn't be time in a 60sec commercial to list all of its side-effects. The one comment I saw when I first went on it was that it's not a matter of if you'd have some of these side-effects, rather when.

Sorry to be so blunt but I'd follow doctor's orders, to the letter, on this one. It's the only drug I've been on (and that's a lot) that I've been very concerned about. I hope he's testing your blood regularly so any problems can be corrected quickly.

Second Opinion

by arent80 - 2023-04-20 02:36:30

Hello! I see that you're 38. Have you thought to seek a second opinion? Being so young do you need such a strong medication? As AgentX86 states this is a heavy hitter when it comes to Antiarrhythmic drugs. I would seek a second opinion especially due to your age. If you need it you need it, but at least see if there is something else that you could take that doesn't put your body at so much risk. Best wishes for health and happiness. God bless. 

Amiodarone

by piglet22 - 2023-04-20 07:34:02

Useful information.

For the meantime, I'll tolerate the ectopics and stick with the sloe gin.

Amiodarone

by Rch - 2023-04-21 01:49:01

Hi

Amiodarone is a great antirrhythmic drug the Cardiologists love and the rest of the specialties hate. The drug has a wide spectrum of interactions with commonly used medications like the Statins, antibiotics, anti-epileptics etc. just to name a few. So you would be closely monitored while on it and dosages adjusted accordingly. I have a friend who's on it with no further episodes of ventricular arrhythmias. If you are on it for primary prevention to minimize the risk of shocks,  I'm afraid you would be on it indefinitely. And as to alcohol, it would certainly affect how this drug is metabolized. A ' few drinks' might either raise the levels thus augmenting the toxicities or lower the levels pushing you into holiday heart! So IMHO, you should strictly follow your doctors advice on this one!! I wish you well and hope you will be free of arrhythmias.