title: Amiodarone: individualizing dosage with serum concentrations.
abstract: The purpose of the present report is to review the available pharmacokinetic information on amiodarone with an emphasis on our own experience in monitoring serum amiodarone concentrations. We have found that 400 mg should be the maximal maintenance dose; if that treatment fails, careful addition of other antiarrhythmic agents is preferable over an increase in amiodarone dosage. Serum concentrations below 2.5 mg/L will significantly improve amiodarone's benefit-to-risk ratio.
mesh_terms: D000638:Amiodarone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000378:metabolism*; D001682:Biological Availability; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004285:Dogs; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051381:Rats; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; C036116:desethylamiodarone; D000638:Amiodarone