title: Practical considerations in the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias with mexiletine.
abstract: Mexiletine can be administered by intravenous, intramuscular, or oral route. However, the intramuscular route is seldom used because it offers no advantage over the other routes. Loading doses of about 400 mg may result in unacceptable side effects and are unnecessary for management of chronic ventricular arrhythmias. Therapeutic efficacy as well as side effects increase in proportion to increasing blood levels. At plasma levels of 2.0 mg/L, side effects are encountered in a significant number of patients. Because of its lack of serious toxicity even in patients with various systemic illnesses and its long elimination half-life, mexiletine should be considered as a first-line drug for treatment of ventricular arrhythmias.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D008801:Mexiletine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D011437:Propylamines / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D011437:Propylamines; D008801:Mexiletine