Cordarone Tablet

Cordarone Tablet is used to treat an illness called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. This is where your heart beats unusually fast. It also treats other types of fast or uneven heartbeats known as’ atrial flutter’ or’ atrial fibrillation’. Taking the tablets helps your heartbeat to return to normal. Cordarone Tablet Tablets are used only when other medicines cannot be used. Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which two upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat without coordination. Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is a condition in which an extra electrical pathway between the upper and lower chambers of the heart causes a rapid heartbeat.

Cordarone Tablet contains ‘amiodarone’ that controls the heart’s uneven beating (arrhythmia) or prevents irregular heartbeat. It blocks the potassium channels and reduces the impulses that cause abnormal heartbeat.

Common side-effects of Cordarone Tablet are blurred vision or visual halos around light. Cordarone Tablet may affect thyroid gland function. It may also cause skin photosensitivity (redness or rashes on the sun-exposed skin, especially the face) and tremors when you move your arms or legs. Consult your doctor if any of these effects persist or worsen over time.

Do not take Cordarone Tablet if you are allergic to iodine, amiodarone, or any other anti-arrhythmic drugs. Do not take this medicine if you have atrioventricular (AV) or sinoatrial (SA) heart block (disorders in the rhythm of the heart), unless you have a pacemaker or a history of sinus bradycardia (slow heartbeats), or if your heart cannot pump blood properly. Cordarone Tablet contains iodine and lactose. So, inform your doctor if you have lactose intolerance or any thyroid problems. Do not take Cordarone Tablet if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not take alcohol, as it may worsen the condition. Do not use it in children unless prescribed by your doctor. Inform your doctor if you have skin diseases, as they can cause skin photosensitivity.

Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation, Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

Cordarone Tablet contains ‘amiodarone’, which belongs to the class of ‘antiarrhythmic drugs. It acts by blocking the potassium channels in the heart. Irregular heartbeat occurs due to abnormal electrical activity or the impulses produced in the heart. Cordarone Tablet blocks these abnormal electric signals and regulates the heartbeat.

Swallow the medicine as a whole with water; do not crush, break or chew it.

Store in a cool and dry place away from sunlight

• Extreme restlessness

• Weight loss
• Sweating
• Sensitivity to heat
• Hyperthyroidism (increase in thyroid hormone)

Do not take Cordarone Tablet if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to iodine, amiodarone hydrochloride, or any of its other ingredients of it. Do not take if you have sinus bradycardia (slower than normal heartbeat), sinoatrial (SA) or atrioventricular (AV) heart block (abnormal heart rhythm) and do not have a pacemaker fitted, taking certain other medicines which could affect your heartbeat, are pregnant or breast-feeding. Cordarone Tablet contains lactose, so patients having lactose intolerance should not take it. Inform your doctor if you have age above 65 years, have liver problems, lung problems such as asthma, optic neuritis (eye problem), or are undergoing surgery. Inform your doctor if you have stevens-Johnsons syndrome (flu-like symptoms followed by rashes and blistering of the skin) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (a serious skin condition characterized by flu-like symptoms, chills, followed by rashes and peeling of the skin) as Cordarone Tablet can cause skin sensitivity and worsen the condition.

Drug-drug interactions: Cordarone Tablet may interact with other medications used to treat atrial fibrillation (digoxin and diltiazem), anticoagulant (warfarin), diuretic (furosemide), antibiotic (levofloxacin), analgesic (oxycodone), lipid-lowering drug (simvastatin), and antidepressant (trazodone).

Drug-food interactions: Cordarone Tablet may interact with grapefruit juice and caffeine and increase the risk of side-effects. Cordarone Tablet may interact with alcohol and increase the side-effects associated with the liver.

Drug-disease interactions: Cordarone Tablet should be used with caution in patients with proarrhythmic effects (medication-induced side-effects), undergoing dialysis (a procedure to purify blood in kidney failure patients), pulmonary dysfunction (lung problems), sinus node dysfunction (irregular heart rhythm), visual impairment, and cardiovascular dysfunction (heart problems).

• DIGOXIN
• DILTIAZEM
• WARFARIN
• FUROSEMIDE
• LEVOFLOXACIN
• OXYCODONE
• SIMVASTATIN
• TRAZODONE

No

• Protect your skin from sunlight while taking this medicine and for a few months after finishing the course of the treatment. Apply sunscreen lotion that has high SPF (sun protection factor). Cover your face, arms, and legs while going outside.

• Do not drink grapefruit juice as it may increase the risk of side effects.

• Limit caffeine intake.

• Avoid intake of alcohol as it worsens the condition by increasing the risk of liver problems.

• Quit smoking.

• If you are previously diagnosed with thyroid problems, your doctor should test your thyroid function before giving you this medicine.

Atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation: Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the upper chambers (the atria) beat out of coordination with the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. It causes poor blood flow into the heart. Symptoms include palpitations (racing or pounding heart), shortness of breath, and tiredness.

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome: WPW syndrome is a condition in which the upper and lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart cause rapid heartbeat because of an extra electrical pathway present between them. This condition is present at birth. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) and dizziness.