Antiarrhythmic medications for fast heart rates

Examples

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Brand Name	Generic Name
Pacerone	amiodarone

Brand Name	Generic Name
Norpace	disopyramide

Brand Name	Generic Name
Tikosyn	dofetilide

Brand Name	Generic Name
Tambocor	flecainide

Brand Name	Generic Name
Tambocor	procainamide

Brand Name	Generic Name
Rythmol	propafenone

Brand Name	Generic Name
Rythmol	quinidine

Brand Name	Generic Name
Betapace	sotalol

How It Works

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Antiarrhythmic medicines work in various ways to return the heart to its normal rhythm. These medicines stabilize heart rhythm by decreasing abnormal firing of the heart's electrical system that causes the heart to beat too fast or by slowing the electrical conduction through abnormal pathways. Some antiarrhythmics also slow the heart rate by reducing the number of impulses that can pass through the atrioventricular (AV) node (amiodarone, sotalol).

Why It Is Used

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Antiarrhythmic medicines are used to change an abnormal heart rhythm to a regular rhythm and to prevent an abnormal heart rhythm.

How Well It Works

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Antiarrhythmic medicines can effectively control or prevent abnormal heart rhythms. There are many different types of antiarrhythmic medicines. You may need to try different medicines to see which one works best for you.

Side Effects

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Some antiarrhythmic medicines may increase the risk of developing a more rapid, abnormal heart rate problem (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation), especially for those people with a poorly functioning left ventricle. Close monitoring while taking these medicines is important.

Side effects of antiarrhythmics include:

• Chest pain.
• Slow heartbeat.
• Palpitations.
• Fatigue.
• Headache.
• Dizziness.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Unusual taste in the mouth.
• Stomach pain.
• Constipation or diarrhea.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Rash.
• Vision problems.
• Urinary retention in men.
• Thyroid disorders.
• Blue tinge to the skin (with amiodarone).

Amiodarone (Cordarone) may cause serious side effects that can lead to death, including lung damage, liver damage, and more severe heartbeat problems. Amiodarone is typically used for people who have severe symptoms when other medicines have failed.

If you take amiodarone and simvastatin, which is a cholesterol medicine, you may have a higher risk of a serious muscle problem called rhabdomyolysis. Simvastatin medicines include Zocor and Vytorin.

Talk to your doctor if you have any side effects or any concerns about taking amiodarone.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

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You should learn to take your pulse if you are taking an antiarrhythmic medicine. Notify your doctor if your heart rhythm becomes too slow (less than 50 beats per minute) or irregular while you are taking an antiarrhythmic medicine.

Complete the new medication information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.

Credits

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Author	Robin Parks, MS
Editor	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Last Updated	September 17, 2008