new heart med

i have afib and a tach. and have just been started on the new med multaq i am really afraid to take this med, because i dont believe there has been enough time on the market. acc to writings they just want to keep people out of the hosp. they are not concerned with all the side effects. wonder if theyll make it a law if you dont try all the new meds your insurance wont pay im to the point im ready to say the heck with all these meds and let leave it up to GOD. i have a pacemaker and ive had an ablation and taken every med on the market all i get is all the adverse reactions.

4 Comments

Your concerns

by ElectricFrank - 2009-09-13 10:09:50

I tend to agree with your concerns about the new med. The severe warnings that it has would at least require some very careful decisions of a competent cardiologist, and having a condition so serious that it would warrant the risks. One of the problems with the whole med approval process these days is that once on the market any licensed MD can prescribe a med. They can even prescribe it outside the labeled use for which it was tested.

Having said that it is also important to make a knowledgeable decision yourself. Taking a "Heck with it and leave it to God" is also irresponsible. In the case of mutaq ask your doctor to document that he has performed the necessary tests and determined that you do not have congestive heart failure. Ask him how he will determine if the med is actually helping you and how long this will take. Find out how long it takes for it to get out of your system if you have ill effects and need to stop taking it.

These are just a few thoughts. Best of luck,

frank

Multaq

by golden_snitch - 2009-09-14 01:09:14

Hi there!

On a positive note: Multaq has less adverse effects than Amiodarone. In the studies there haven't been any cases reported in which the Multaq caused life-threatening arrhythmia, nor have there been (permanent) damages done to the lungs etc. With Amiodarone you need to go to all these checkups for lungs, eyes, thyroid gland... With Multaq you don't. They think the iodine in the Amiodarone was causing lots of serious adverse effects, so they modified the Amiodarone (no more iodine), called it Dronedaron (brand name Multaq), and after a very long approval process it's now on the market, at least in the U.S. In direct comparison with Amiodarone (DIONYSOS study) it didn't outshine the old med, but since it has significantly less adverse effects, it's still an improvement. It's just not for those suffering heart failure classified NYHA III or IV.

Anyways, no one should force you to try Multaq. If there is anything that works for you, just stay with that. If there isn't, maybe Multaq is worth a try. Its effect kicks in after a day or two so you don't have to take it for weeks to be able to say if it works or not.

Best wishes,
Inga

P.S. I'm on Amiodarone, tolerate it quite well. But I'll definitely try Multaq as soon as it's on the German market.

adverse reaction

by pattycake1111 - 2009-09-14 07:09:07

i took my first multaq last nite and believe me i had all the adverse reactions. vomiting, diarrhea chest pressure extreme fatique , dyspnea and dizziness. no thanks i think ill stick with the afib. as for me being irresponsible i think thats an unfair statement you dont know me or what ive been through. i love this site and its very helpful but as soon as someone tries to tell how they feel youre labeled a negative irresponsible person. i think this should also be a club where you express your fears and concerns , not always be brave and strong. everyone in this club has fears and lonliness and sometimes the members are the only ones you can tell your problems too, but with commemts like yours people will be afraid to express their fears and tears and think they have to always be positive.

Multiq

by SMITTY - 2009-09-14 09:09:11

Hello0 PattyCake,

You are the second person to mention this drug recently. I am interested because I have A-fib from time to time and I have a doctor that is prone to prescribe new medications. The following is what FDA has to say about Multaq. I found the second paragraph very interesting. Interesting to the point this is one medicine I will not be taking. I'm aware that warning says it "should not be used in severe heart failure patients" and I don't think I am one of those, but no thank you just the same.
Smitty

FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 2, 2009
Contact: Sandy Walsh, 301-796-4669, sandy.walsh@fda.hhs.gov

FDA Approves Multaq to Treat Heart Rhythm Disorder
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Multaq tablets (dronedarone) to help maintain normal heart rhythms in patients with a history of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (heart rhythm disorders). The drug is approved to be used in patients whose hearts have returned to normal rhythm or who will undergo drug or electric-shock treatment to restore a normal heart beat.

Multaq may cause critical adverse reactions, including death, in patients with recent severe heart failure. The drug’s label will contain a boxed warning, the FDA’s strongest warning, cautioning that the drug should not be used in severe heart failure patients.

“Multaq represents a therapeutic innovation for treatment of the heart rhythm disorder of atrial fibrillation,” said Norman Stockbridge, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

In a multinational clinical trial with more than 4,600 patients, Multaq reduced cardiovascular hospitalization or death from any cause by 24 percent, when compared with an inactive pill (placebo). Most of that effect represents reduced hospitalizations, especially hospitalizations related to atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter cause the heart to beat abnormally fast and sometimes prevent blood from being properly pumped out of the heart.

The most common adverse reactions reported by patients in clinical trials were diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and loss of strength.

Multaq is manufactured by Paris-based sanofi-aventis.

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