Lung problems caused by Amiodarone

[Janette]

I was given amiodarone to treat a-fib. I had serious complications altho the doctors aren't sure it was caused by the amiodarone.

Has anyone else had serious lung problems / shortness of breath, etc.?

[Richard B California]

I have been on Amiodarone (100mg) for over 18 months and have now developed serious shortness of breath and I believe Amiodarone is the culprit.
My heart is also, enlarged and I never had these problems before. Am checking with a new cardiologist as I don't drink alcohol anymore at all, and believe I should be off the Amiodarone.
Also, heard one horror tale of a lady who suffered irreversible lung damage due to Cordorone/Amiodarone.

[Jean W]

I was on cordarone for afib also. I believe that it messed up my lungs. I got to where i couldn't even walk to my car so short of breath. I got off and recovered a lot but still have some trouble breathing on exertion. I would say get off as soon as possible.

[mitchell feldman]

Janette wrote:

I was given amiodarone to treat a-fib. I had serious complications altho the doctors aren't sure it was caused by the amiodarone.
Has anyone else had serious lung problems / shortness of breath, etc.?

This law firm represents the estate of a person related to the simmilar use of amiodarone. Please contact me to discuss. [e-mail]

[mitchell feldman]

Richard B California wrote:

I have been on Amiodarone (100mg) for over 18 months and have now developed serious shortness of breath and I believe Amiodarone is the culprit.
My heart is also, enlarged and I never had these problems before. Am checking with a new cardiologist as I don't drink alcohol anymore at all, and believe I should be off the Amiodarone.
Also, heard one horror tale of a lady who suffered irreversible lung damage due to Cordorone/Amiodarone.

Please contact me directly to discuss. I am an attorney in Florida and we would like to discuss your situation as we are handling a similar matter. Thank you for your help. [e-mail]

[Lucky in Love]

My dad has Ventricular Tacticardia. He has been on Amiodarone since 1990. He has had a spot on his lung for over a year now and in the last 2 months his breathing has become worse the xrayed his lungs and he has more spots and has now been refered to a lung specialist. They believe he now has Lung disease, and we won't know more until he sees his specialist on Tuesday. Sadly my dad needs this medication to live. If he is taken off of it his heart goes into Vtac and he cardiac arrests. I haven't found much information on treatment especially for older indaviduals. Does anyone know anything about treatments?

[D Kindle]

Janette wrote:

I was given amiodarone to treat a-fib. I had serious complications altho the doctors aren't sure it was caused by the amiodarone.
Has anyone else had serious lung problems / shortness of breath, etc.?

How long were you on the amiodarone? How long before the symptoms of lung problems started to appear?

[Stacey]

My husband was on amiodarone for about one month, to treat atrial fibrillation. He stopped taking it in Dec. 07 due to the side effects he was experiencing- sleeplessness, hair loss, kidney stones. He had the closed chest mini maze procedure done on Jan. 15, 08. He has now had 3 episodes of pericarditis/pleural effusions, tachycardia, high c-reactive protein levels and is mildly anemic. The Dr. is testing him for Lupus. I believe he has drug induced Lupus due to the amiodarone- all of his symptoms are also side effects of this horrible drug. It stays in your system for months after taking it. I pray that everyday, more of it leaves his system so that he can get back to the healthy, strong, 45 year yound man that he is.

[TMac]

I have a 75 year old relative that has been on Amiodarone for about 5 years. His daily dosage was 200mg. His lungs have been severely damaged and he is now on a strong steriod to try and reverse the effects. We have been told that chest x-rays and blood work should have been done at least every 6 months to monitor possible side effects. To the best of our knowledge, neither were done during the enitre time he was on it.

If you are taking it and your doctor does not require chest x rays, you should insist on it.

[Suzyq]

I have been taking 400 mg of Amiodarone since Feb/08 for a-fib. My dr. recently cut the dose to 100 mg and I've started experiencing wheezing and tightness in my chest, a cough, headache and pain around left eye. I'm guessing that the wheezing/cough etc. is the start of lung problems? Are these symptoms the same as what other people have had?

[TLH]

My mom was put on Rythmol for a-fib and within a couple of months they thought she had pneumonia, due to shortness of breath. After several attempts to treat her with antibiotics to no avail she was placed in the hospital. She was on oxygen 24/7 and a surgical biopsy of her lungs was done. She was diagnosed with BOOP (Broncholitis Obliderans Organizing Pneumonia) and is now on prednesone. She went from the most healthy and vibrant woman! I know that the Rythmol is the cause of her lung issues although the doctors are saying they are unrelated. Anyone have a problem with this drug?

[Gary Dunsford]

I have been on Amiodorone 400 mg daily after taking a loading dose of 800 mg daily.

I have just returned for a 4 day hospital stay, where I was coughing up blood and Blood clots. I have never previously had any lung problems. While I was in the hospital, I saw several doctors, including 3 heart doctors, and a pulmonary doctor. Noe of them said anything or even realized the Amiodorone was causing it. I checked myself out of the hospital, still coughing up blood.

I took myself off of the amiodarone, and after 2 days the coughing blood up, is almost non existant. almost a week out of the Hospitol, ai am still waiting to see my cardio, and the pulmonary specialist. But I believe if I hadnt checked out, and took myself off of the drug, I would be dead now.

This is one dangerous Drug.

[Debbie kentucky]

My 86 year old Mother was put on Pacerone while hospitalized for A fib and a MI....the cardiologist there offered her cardiac cath, stints,open heart surgery, pacemaker a procedure that removes a portion of the heart, she refused all these things...good insurance huh?...taken to a real hospital, had cardioversion, very successful however, her lungs are ruined at this point from the Pacerone, she now has no heart problem, but is on oxygen at 4 liters constant, also liver involvement due to this very dangerous drug...someone needs to answer for these collateral damaged patients.

[Gary P]

D Kindle wrote:

<quoted text>
How long were you on the amiodarone? How long before the symptoms of lung problems started to appear?

I have been on pacerdone for one week. shortness of breath has grown worse but lets up as day goes along.

[Gary P]

I have been on pacerdone for a week. can hardly make it to car or do anything around the house. out of breath if I move. it gets better in the evening but after looking at all the posted comments I having doubts about it.

[DEADLY WARNING]

After reading some of your staories I feel that I must share woth you all what my family and myself have gone through. After 4 long months of watching my father fight for his life, and watching him deal with just about EVERY heart and lung illnesses, he lost his fight. My father died on sept 4th. He died and we where told that it was ARDS, COPD, and the list goes on and on. We got his death certificate almost 2 weeks ago. Listed as the cause of death was Amiodarone (Cordarone)which forced him into respitory failure. I want to hear your stories. All of them in detail. Please send them to me ay [e-mail]. I URGE YOU TO PLEASE STOP TAKING Amiodarone (Cordarone)AND HAVE YOUR DOCTORS PUT YOU ON LESS DAMAGING MEDICATIONS. Im not a dr and im not a nurse, however I sat back and watched the people that swore to help us kill my dad. Im just a 25 year old kid that is trying to understand why my dad had to die. Pease email me and let me know how Amiodarone (Cordarone) has affected your life. James Bridges, North Carolina.

[Peter Vickerson]

I was put on amiodorone for a-fib. After about 2 weeks I developed tinnutis (ringing in the ears), hayfever, and very sore eyes due to light sensitivity. I have never had allergies bfore in my entire life (63 years). I am absolutely certain that this is due to amiodorone. I have now developed a dry cough, and I am going to insist on a chest xray when I see my doctor next week. I have taken myself off the drug but this very dangerous drug has a very long half life so it stays in your body for a very long time.
I think that doctors prescribing this drug don't fully understand the dangers of this drug.

In my case the cure was worse than the disease. Get off this drug ASAP!

[Elaine Ignowski]

mitchell feldman wrote:

<quoted text>
Please contact me directly to discuss. I am an attorney in Florida and we would like to discuss your situation as we are handling a similar matter. Thank you for your help. [e-mail]

I had a valve replacement 5 years ago and have been on 200mg of pacerone since surgery. Recently I have noticed I am very short of breath, 1 flight of stairs and I can't breath or 1 block is to far to walk, and in the process of testing for possible drug related problems.

[Phyllis]

My husband recently changed cardiologists. The new doctor was stunned that my husband had been on amiodarone for 5 1/2 years. He equated it to slicing a loaf of bread with an axe--just plain overkill for a 50 year old man who had one episode of A. Fib. He has now developed problems breathing and his other new doctor, a pulmonary specialists, can hear crackling in his lungs. We weren't even aware that it could cause lung problems until we went to the new doctor. Not a good situation. We are praying it isn't pulmonary fibrosis.

[Karen Muccino]

Elaine Ignowski wrote:

<quoted text>
I had a valve replacement 5 years ago and have been on 200mg of pacerone since surgery. Recently I have noticed I am very short of breath, 1 flight of stairs and I can't breath or 1 block is to far to walk, and in the process of testing for possible drug related problems.

My father, a retired Obstetrician, woke up on January 1 2004, his 69th Birthday, with a temperature of 100 degrees, general malaise, and sore throat. Typical symptoms of the cold that was going around at the Holidays. He stayed in bed and missed his Birthday Party. He felt a little better on the 2nd. On January 3, our nightmare began as a family; my Dad was short of breath and thought that he might have pneumonia. My mom, his wife of 47 years, took him to the urgent care clinic. He had a Chest X-ray and was immediately admitted to the Hospital, with an initial diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia. On January 4, he was transferred to ICU (Intensive Care Unit). He did not respond to antibiotics within 24-48 hours, and his Cardiologist and Pulmonologist put their heads together and feared that he was suffering from Amiodarone Pulmonary Toxicity. He had a lung biopsy shortly thereafter that confirmed their diagnosis.
My Dad had been on Amiodarone 200mg once a day for 10 months, post oblation for chronic atrial fibrillation. He had no previous lung disease or open-heart surgery.
He complained of a dry cough for 2-3 months. His primary care doctor thought it was ENT (Ear Nose Throat) related, and referred him to the ENT. The ENT thought it was GI (Gastrointestinal) related and sent him to GI. He never made it to that appointment, as he was in ICU.
My Father had a normal CT scan of the lungs in the middle of Oct. 2003... Just 8 weeks later, fatal lung damage from Amiodarone.
5 Children and a wife of 47 years, watched over him for 49 days, as his condition deteriorated, and Never improved.
The half-life of this drug is so dangerous. Once toxicity was diagnosed, it didn't matter that the drug was stopped as it continued to do damage. Steroids did not improve his condition at all.
It appears that most literature I have read, states concerns with doses over 300mg/day. Well, here is a case where a patient was only on 200mg/day for 10 months, and ended up with Fatal Pulmonary Toxicity. In addition, they underplay the need for close monitoring of the lung status of patients on Amiodarone. They absolutely need to come up with a new protocol, monitoring lung function much more frequently than every 3-6 months. A chest X-ray, had it been done even 8 weeks prior to this event, would not have clued anyone into the fact that he was developing Pulmonary Toxicity. He had a CT scan, which was Normal.
My father passed away, after 7 weeks in ICU, on February 20, 2004.
In addition, I think patients should be required to sign a consent form, notifying them of the warnings.
Further, more needs to be done in the Medical Community to educate Primary Care Physicians of the severe effects of some drugs.