Amiodarone (Pacerone, Nexterone) Uses

Amiodarone is used to treat and prevent serious, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and suppress and prevent supraventricular tachycardias (abnormal heartbeats) when other medications cannot be tolerated or did not help. 

There may be other off-label uses of amiodarone, such as atrial fibrillation. Your doctor or pharmacist can give you further drug information.

Amiodarone (Pacerone, Nexterone) Mechanism of Action

Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic agent. It functions by inhibiting a number of receptors and channels in your heart that are essential for the electrical activity of the heart. Amiodarone slows down the electrical activity to restore normal heart rhythm and maintain a relatively stable heartbeat.

Amiodarone (Pacerone, Nexterone) Doses

Oral amiodarone is available as 100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg tablets. The treatment with amiodarone tablets is usually started in the hospital setting. The usual loading or initial dose is 800-1600 mg per day until the cardiac arrhythmias are controlled. It generally takes 1-3 weeks. This is followed by an adjustment dose of 600-800 mg per day for one month and then a maintenance dose of 400 mg per day.

Amiodarone is also available as an intravenous (IV) solution for injection (Nexterone) that is given in the hospital setting only by a healthcare provider. The injection dose is different from the tablet dose. Your healthcare provider will determine the right dosage for you.