title: Long-term efficacy and toxicity of high- and low-dose amiodarone regimens.
abstract: Amiodarone is an effective antiarrhythmic drug for the control of potentially lethal and lethal ventricular arrhythmias (VA). In the United States, a high-dose regimen has been used at the expense of a high toxicity profile for the control of lethal VAs. Significant antiarrhythmic efficacy has also been established with low-dose regimens, which carry a low rate of intolerable side effects (5.4%) when compared with the high-dose regimen (16.7%). The high incidence of tolerable and intolerable adverse side effects is probably related to high amiodarone loading (31.92 g) and maintenance doses (520 mg/d). In contrast, the low-dose regimen uses much lower loading (7.2 g) and maintenance (280 mg/d) doses.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine, Sinai Hospital of Detroit, MI 48235-2899.
authors.forename: N Z
authors.initials: NZ
authors.lastname: Kerin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aragon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Faitel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frumin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubenfire
mesh_terms: D000638:Amiodarone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000638:Amiodarone