Amiodarone

Amiodarone

Clinical data
Pronunciation	/əˈmiːoʊdəˌroʊn/
Trade names	Cordarone, Nexterone, others
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
MedlinePlus	a687009
Pregnancy category	US: D (Evidence of risk)
Routes of administration	or intravenous
ATC code	C01BD01 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	℞ (Prescription only)
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	20–55%
Metabolism	Liver
Biological half-life	58 d (range 15-142 d)
Excretion	Primarily liver and bile
Identifiers
IUPAC name (2-{4-[(2-butyl-1-benzofuran-3-yl)carbonyl]-2,6-diiodophenoxy}ethyl)diethylamine
CAS Number	1951-25-3 Y
PubChem CID	2157
IUPHAR/BPS	2566
DrugBank	DB01118 Y
ChemSpider	2072 Y
UNII	N3RQ532IUT
KEGG	D02910 Y
ChEBI	CHEBI:2663 Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL633 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.016.157
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C25H29I2NO3
Molar mass	645.31 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES Ic1cc(cc(I)c1OCCN(CC)CC)C(=O)c2c3ccccc3oc2CCCC
InChI InChI=1S/C25H29I2NO3/c1-4-7-11-22-23(18-10-8-9-12-21(18)31-22)24(29)17-15-19(26)25(20(27)16-17)30-14-13-28(5-2)6-3/h8-10,12,15-16H,4-7,11,13-14H2,1-3H3 Y Key:IYIKLHRQXLHMJQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y

Amiodarone is an antiarrhythmic medication used to treat and prevent a number of types of irregular heartbeats. This includes ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and wide complex tachycardia, as well as atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. It can be given by mouth, intravenously, or intraosseously. When used by mouth it can take a few weeks for effects to begin.

Common side effects include feeling tired, tremor, nausea, and constipation. As amiodarone can have serious side effects, it is mainly recommended only for significant ventricular arrhythmias. Serious side effects include lung toxicity such as interstitial pneumonitis, liver problems, heart arrhythmias, vision problems, thyroid problems, and death. If taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding it can cause problems in the baby. It is a class III antiarrhythmic medication. It works partly by increasing the time before a heart cell can contract again.

Amiodarone was first made in 1961 and came into medical use in 1962 for chest pain believed to be related to the heart. It was pulled from the market in 1967 due to side effects. In 1974 it was found to be useful for arrhythmias and reintroduced. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. It is available as a generic medication. In the developing world the wholesale cost as of 2014 is about 0.06 to 0.26 USD per day. In the United States a typical month supply is between 100 and 200 USD.