ABSTRACT
Amiodarone is a remarkably useful drug for treating cardiac arrhythmias. Its indications include atrial fibrillation and flutter, paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia, nodal and ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and tachyarrhythmia. It is part of the management of many patients, greatly improving their quality of life and life expectancy. This is because amiodarone presents the prescriber with two complex problems: an unenviable list of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to amiodarone itself an extensive and complex set of interactions with many other commonly used drugs – adverse drug interactions (ADIs). Most family doctors know some of amiodarone’s ADRs (e.g. phototoxicity and thyroid problems). Fewer prescribers are aware of all of them, and consequently the risks to the patient of lasting harm, with loss of quality of life and irreversible morbidity, are great. Because of the possibility of phototoxic reactions, patients should be advised to shield the skin from light during treatment and for several months after discontinuing amiodarone.
