Amiodarone is used for:

Treating life-threatening recurrent heart rhythm disturbances in patients who cannot tolerate or do not respond well to other medicines. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic. It works by stabilizing the heart rhythm in conditions in which the heart is beating too fast or in an irregular rhythm. It is usually used in situations in which the abnormal heart rhythms, if not treated, could cause death.

Do NOT use Amiodarone if:

• you are allergic to any ingredient in Amiodarone , including iodine
• you have complete, second degree, third degree, or severe sinoatrial heart block; an abnormally slow heartbeat; or shock due to serious heart problems; or if you have had fainting due to slow heartbeat (except if you have a pacemaker)
• you are taking cisapride, dofetilide, an H₁ antagonist (eg, astemizole, loratadine, terfenadine), an HIV protease inhibitor (eg, ritonavir), a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (eg, vardenafil), or a streptogramin (eg, dalfopristin, quinupristin)

Contact your doctor or health care provider right away if any of these apply to you.

Before using Amiodarone :

Some medical conditions may interact with Amiodarone. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have any medical conditions, especially if any of the following apply to you:

• if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding
• if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription medicine, herbal preparation, or dietary supplement
• if you have allergies to medicines, foods, or other substances
• if you have a history of liver problems, lung disease, heart problems, low blood pressure, thyroid problems, electrolyte problems (eg, low blood potassium or magnesium), eye problems, or sinoatrial heart block
• if you will be having surgery
• if you take medicine for diabetes (eg, glyburide)

Some MEDICINES MAY INTERACT with Amiodarone. Tell your health care provider if you are taking any other medicines, especially any of the following:

• Cholestyramine, hydantoins (eg, phenytoin), rifampin, or St. John's wort because they may decrease Amiodarone 's effectiveness
• Antiarrhythmics (eg, flecainide), arsenic, azole antifungals (eg, ketoconazole), cimetidine, cisapride, diuretics (eg, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide), dofetilide, droperidol, H₁ antagonists (eg, astemizole, loratadine, terfenadine), HIV protease inhibitors (eg, ritonavir), ketolides (eg, telithromycin), macrolide antibiotics (eg, erythromycin), phenothiazines (eg, thioridazine), phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (eg, vardenafil), pimozide, quinolones (eg, ciprofloxacin), serotonin receptor antagonists (eg, dolasetron), streptogramins (eg, dalfopristin, quinupristin), trazodone, or ziprasidone because side effects, such as heart rhythm problems or seizures, may occur
• Narcotic pain relievers (eg, fentanyl) because low blood pressure, slow heartbeat, and other heart problems may occur
• Anticoagulants (eg, warfarin), beta-blockers (eg, propranolol), calcium channel blockers (eg, verapamil, diltiazem), cyclosporine, dextromethorphan, digoxin, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (eg, simvastatin), lidocaine, or methotrexate because their actions and side effects may be increased by Amiodarone
• Thyroid hormones (eg, levothyroxine) because their effectiveness may be decreased or their risk of side effects may be increased by Amiodarone
• Clopidogrel because its effectiveness may be decreased by Amiodarone

This may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur. Ask your health care provider if Amiodarone may interact with other medicines that you take. Check with your health care provider before you start, stop, or change the dose of any medicine.

How to use Amiodarone :

Use Amiodarone as directed by your doctor. Check the label on the medicine for exact dosing instructions.

• Amiodarone comes with an additional patient information sheet called a Medication Guide. Read it carefully and reread it each time you get Amiodarone refilled.
• Amiodarone is best taken with food. However, it is more important to take it consistently with regard to meals. If you take it with food, try to always take it with food to improve absorption of this medicine. If you prefer to take it on an empty stomach, then always try to take it on an empty stomach.
• Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while taking Amiodarone.
• Amiodarone works best when there is a constant level of the medicine in your body. Take Amiodarone on a regular schedule around the clock, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Take Amiodarone at the same time each day.
• If you miss a dose of Amiodarone , take it as soon as possible. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Ask your health care provider any questions you may have about how to use Amiodarone.

Important safety information:

• Amiodarone may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or blurred vision. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to Amiodarone. Using Amiodarone alone, with certain other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or perform other potentially dangerous tasks.
• Long-term exposure to Amiodarone may cause blue-gray discoloration of the skin, particularly of the face and hands. This effect is not harmful and usually reverses, sometimes incompletely, after the medicine is stopped. Avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun may help to prevent this effect.
• Limit alcoholic beverages while taking Amiodarone.
• It may take several days to weeks for Amiodarone to work. A response may not be seen for up to 3 weeks after the medicine is started.
• Amiodarone stays in your body for weeks or months, even after you are no longer taking it. Therefore, caution is advised not only during treatment, but for several months after treatment with Amiodarone has stopped if you are taking any interacting medicines.
• Amiodarone may cause skin reactions similar to serious sunburn or sensitivity to sunlight. Avoid exposure to the sun, sunlamps, or tanning booths until you know how you react to Amiodarone. Use a sunscreen or wear protective clothing if you must be outside for a prolonged period.
• Before you have any medical or dental treatments, emergency care, or surgery (including eye surgery to correct vision problems), tell the doctor or dentist that you are using Amiodarone.
• Your doctor may want you to check your pulse rate every day while you take Amiodarone. Learn how to monitor your pulse.
• Carry an identification card at all times that says you are taking Amiodarone.
• LAB TESTS, including electrocardiogram (ECG), chest x-rays, lung tests, liver tests, thyroid tests, and eye exams, may be performed to monitor your progress. Be sure to keep all doctor and lab appointments.
• Use Amiodarone with extreme caution in CHILDREN. Safety and effectiveness have not been confirmed.
• PREGNANCY and BREAST-FEEDING: Amiodarone has been shown to cause harm to the fetus. If you think you may be pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using Amiodarone during pregnancy. Amiodarone is excreted in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while taking Amiodarone.

Possible side effects of Amiodarone :

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome:

Abnormal skin sensations (loss of sensation; tingling; numbness; prickling); bitter taste in mouth; blue-green discoloring of skin (especially hands or feet); constipation; decreased sexual interest; dizziness; dry eyes; flushing of the face; general body discomfort; headache; involuntary muscle movements; loss of appetite; nausea; poor coordination; tiredness; trouble sleeping; vomiting.

Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur:

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); chest pain; chills, coldness; cough; coughing up blood; dark urine; decreased urination; easy bruising or bleeding; enlarged thyroid gland; eye discomfort; fatigue; fever; irregular pulse; loss of coordination; menstrual changes; muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness (especially with fever or unusual tiredness); nervousness; persistent sore throat; severe dizziness; severe stomach pain; shortness of breath; skin reaction similar to serious sunburn; slow heartbeat; sluggishness; sweating; tingling or numbness of hands or feet; uncontrolled shaking or tremor; unexplained weight change; vision changes (seeing halos, blurred vision, loss of vision); wheezing; worsening of irregular heartbeat; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease.

Replantation: 1. Literally, the act of planting again. 2. In surgery, the restoration of any part of the body to its original site. Also known as reimplantation.

The Chinese surgeon Zhong Wei Chen (1929-2004) was the "father of replantation." Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963. Dr. Chen also developed many microsurgical procedures including techniques for preserving severed extremities, reattaching amputated fingers and thumbs, reconstructing muscles and repairing nerves and blood vessels.

Rheumatism: Rheumatism is an older term, used to describe any of a number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones.

Rheumatism conditions have been classified as either localized, regional, or generalized. Localized rheumatism conditions include bursitis and tendinitis. Regional rheumatism conditions include chest wall pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and myofascial pain syndromes. Generalized rheumatism conditions include fibromyalgia.

Another category of rheumatism is psychogenic rheumatism. With this term it is understood that the patient is reporting inconsistent pains of muscles and joints that do not correspond to true anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to have underlying psychological causes for the symptoms.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of the rheumatic diseases and conditions. Rheumatic diseases and conditions are characterized by symptoms involving the musculoskeletal system. Many of the rheumatic diseases and conditions feature immune system abnormalities. Therefore, rheumatology also involves the study of the immune system. Classical rheumatology training includes 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship in internal medicine, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of rheumatology fellowship. There is a subspecialty board for rheumatology certification. The American College of Rheumatology is the official organization acting on behalf of the field of rheumatology in the United States.

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.

There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients with HIV/AIDS and less frequently in other disorders.

T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature.

For example, "what is the true purpose of the nose?" is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological explanation of evolution.

"Teleology" comes from ancient Greek roots but it (and teleological) did not enter English until the 18th century. It is a compound of the Greek "tele-, telos," meaning "end or purpose" + the ending "logos" meaning "the science or study of" = the study of the ends or purposes.

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. Chemically, testosterone is 17-beta-hydroxy-4-androstene-3-one.

Testosterone is the most potent of the naturally occurring androgens. The androgens cause the development of male sex characteristics, such as a deep voice and a beard; they also strengthen muscle tone and bone mass.

High levels of testosterone appear to promote good health in men, for example, lowering the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack. High testosterone levels also correlate with risky behavior, however, including increased aggressiveness and smoking, which may cancel out these health benefits.

Testosterone may be given to treat medical conditions, including female (but not male) breast cancer, hypogonadism (low gonadal function) in the male, cryptorchism (nondescent of the testis into the scrotum), and menorrhagia (irregular periods).