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Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic indicated for the treatment of recurrent hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia and recurrent ventricular fibrillation.
Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic indicated for the treatment of recurrent hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia and recurrent ventricular fibrillation.
Amiodarone is considered a class III anti-arrhythmic drug. It blocks potassium currents that cause repolarization of the heart muscle during the third phase of the cardiac action potential. As a result amiodarone increases the duration of the action potential as well as the effective refractory period for cardiac cells (myocytes). Therefore, cardiac muscle cell excitability is reduced, preventing and treating abnormal heart rhythms. Unique from other members of the class III anti-arrhythmic drug class, amiodarone also interferes with the functioning of beta-adrenergic receptors, sodium channels, and calcium channels channels. These actions, at times, can lead to undesirable effects, such as hypotension, bradycardia, and Torsades de pointes (TdP). In addition to the above, amiodarone may increase activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, leading to steatogenic changes in the liver or other organs. Finally, amiodarone has been found to bind to the thyroid receptor due to its iodine content, potentially leading to amiodarone induced hypothyroidism or thyrotoxicosis.
The FDA approved indications for amiodarone are recurrent ventricular fibrillation (VF) and recurrent hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (VT). The FDA emphasizes that this drug should only be given in these conditions when they are clinically documented and have not responded to normal therapeutic doses of other antiarrhythmic agents, or when other drugs are not tolerated by the patient. Off-label indications include atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia.
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