Jill's Posts

I went on it after my HR shot up to 140 for several days. Oddly enough at the same time I had a severe rash and skin itching all over my body two weeks after my mitral valve repair surgery on August 10th. My local cardiologist suggested amiodarone - 800 mg for the first 10 days then 200 mg per day for the next month. My skin rash and itching went away after a week and after being on amiodarone for 10 day I took myself off the medicine since it was affecting my sight and lungs and my HR has been back to the 75-80 range. Amiodarone can be very toxic - be careful how you use it.

I had a brief episode of AFib in the hospital, went away after one day, they put me on a low dose for 2 weeks, had the same insomnia, not sure how long it has been for you but can ask your Dr. if you can come off it, I had another 1/2 day bout of AFib at about week four, woke ip with it. Dr gave me a prescription but when it left on its own by noon, he said that I didnt have to take it if I was no longer in AFib, I could assure him that I wasnt because my blood pressure monitor also detects AFib. Good luck

I'm also on amiodorone ( for 3 months) & it is a powerful & scary drug. I was monitored in the hospital for about 4 days when they started " loading" it, given lots of tests-, and a baseline was established. They were pretty cautious about it which I guess was a little reassuring. And I've had monitoring since, chest xray & pulmonary function. I've had no problems with it, but I look forward to being off it. I had a maze procedure - an ablation- at the same time as my mitral repair, but it takes a few months to heal & be effective, hence the amiodorone. No insomnia though.

I started on amiodorone drip in the hospital when I went a-fib on day two. So far the only problem I had was where the IV line pushed through and it dumped a bunch into my hand. That has all but cleared at this point. Tomorrow I transition from twice a day to once per day dosage.