Cordarone IV Side Effects

Generic name: amiodarone

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Oct 11, 2024.

Note: This document provides detailed information about Cordarone IV Side Effects associated with amiodarone. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply specifically to the brand name Cordarone IV.

Applies to amiodarone: intravenous solution.

Other dosage forms:

• oral tablet

Serious side effects of Cordarone IV

Along with its needed effects, amiodarone (the active ingredient contained in Cordarone IV) may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking amiodarone:

More common side effects

• blurred vision
• confusion
• dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• sweating
• unusual tiredness or weakness

Less common side effects

• black, tarry stools
• bleeding gums
• blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
• blood in the urine or stools
• chest pain, tightness, or discomfort
• chills
• cold, clammy skin
• cough
• decreased urine output
• diarrhea
• difficulty with breathing
• dilated neck veins
• dizziness
• fainting
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• fast, weak pulse
• fever
• irregular heartbeat recurrent
• itching
• joint or muscle pain
• lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
• no blood pressure or pulse
• pinpoint red spots on the skin
• red, irritated eyes
• red skin lesions, often with a purple center
• slow or irregular heartbeat
• sore throat
• sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips
• stopping of the heart
• swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs
• trouble breathing
• unconsciousness
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• weight gain

Incidence not known

• agitation
• back, leg, or stomach pains
• bleeding gums
• bloating
• blurred or double vision
• clay-colored stools
• coma
• confusion about identity, place, and time
• cough or hoarseness
• coughing or spitting up blood
• cracks in the skin
• dark-colored urine
• decreased frequency or amount of urine
• decreased urine output
• depression
• difficulty swallowing
• eye pain
• fever with or without chills
• general body swelling
• headache
• high fever
• hives
• holding false beliefs that cannot be changed by fact
• hostility
• increased blood pressure
• increased thirst
• indigestion
• inflamed tissue from infection
• irritability
• large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
• lethargy
• light-colored stools
• loss of appetite
• loss of heat from the body
• lower back or side pain
• muscle pain, stiffness, cramps, spasms, twitching, tenderness, wasting, or weakness
• noisy breathing
• nosebleeds
• painful or difficult urination
• pains in the stomach, side, or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back
• pale skin
• persistent non-healing sore
• pink growth
• puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
• rapid weight gain
• rash
• red, swollen skin
• reddish patch or irritated area
• redness, soreness, or itching skin
• scaly skin
• seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
• seizures
• severe headache
• shiny bump
• sores, welting, or blisters
• stomach pain
• stupor
• swollen or painful glands
• unexplained bleeding or bruising
• unpleasant breath odor
• unusual excitement, nervousness, or restlessness
• upper right abdominal or stomach pain
• vomiting
• vomiting of blood
• weakness
• white, yellow, or waxy scar-like area
• yellow eyes and skin

Other side effects of Cordarone IV

Some side effects of amiodarone may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Incidence not known

• bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site

For healthcare professionals

Applies to amiodarone: compounding powder, intravenous solution, oral tablet.

General adverse events

The most common adverse reactions were corneal microdeposits, hypotension, and photosensitivity.^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Very common (10% or more): Hypotension (up to 20.2%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Bradycardia, blood pressure decreased, congestive heart failure, heart arrest, ventricular tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmia, sinoatrial node dysfunction, flushing
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Conduction disturbances
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Marked bradycardia, sinus arrest, vasculitis, hot flushes
• Frequency not reported: Torsade de pointes, collapse, atrial fibrillation, nodal arrhythmia, QT interval prolonged, sinus bradycardia, ventricular fibrillation, shock, asystole, pulseless electrical activity, cardiogenic shock, atrioventricular block, severe hypotension
• Postmarketing reports: Sinoatrial block, intraventricular conduction disorders, bundle branch block, infra-His block, ventricular extrasystole, antegrade conduction via an accessory pathway^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Common (1% to 10%): Acute liver disorders with high serum transaminases and/or jaundice including hepatic failure, liver function tests abnormal, nonspecific hepatic disorder
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Pseudo alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, serum transaminases increased
• Frequency not reported: ALT increased, AST increased
• Postmarketing reports: Cholestatic hepatitis, cholestasis, jaundice, alkaline phosphatase increased, blood lactate dehydrogenase increased, hepatitis^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Pulmonary toxicity, pulmonary inflammation or fibrosis, adult respiratory distress syndrome
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Bronchospasm, interstitial pneumonitis, severe respiratory complications, apnea
• Frequency not reported: Pulmonary hemorrhage, lung edema, respiratory disorder, alveolar pneumonitis
• Postmarketing reports: Possibly fatal respiratory disorder, bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia, dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, wheezing, hypoxia, pulmonary infiltrates, pulmonary mass, pleuritis, pulmonary phospholipidosis, pleural effusion, eosinophilic pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome^[Ref]

Ocular

• Very common (10% or more): Corneal microdeposits (up to 90% or more)
• Common (1% to 10%): Visual disturbance
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Optic neuropathy/neuritis
• Frequency not reported: Permanent blindness, papilledema, corneal degeneration, eye discomfort, scotoma, lens opacities, macular degeneration, keratopathy, gritty eyes, itching, burning
• Postmarketing reports: Visual field defect, blurred vision^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Very common (10% or more): Photosensitivity (up to 10%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Slate-gray or bluish pigmentations of light-exposed skin
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Erythema, rash, exfoliative dermatitis, alopecia, sweating
• Frequency not reported: Granuloma, angioedema, urticaria, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, spontaneous ecchymosis, pustular psoriasis enhanced
• Postmarketing reports: Toxic epidermal necrolysis, erythema multiforme, skin cancer, pruritus, bullous dermatitis, drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), eczema^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Extrapyramidal symptoms, extrapyramidal tremor, tremor/abnormal involuntary movement, lack of coordination, gait abnormal/ataxia, dizziness, paresthesia, headache, abnormal taste and smell
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Cerebellar ataxia, benign intracranial hypertension, vertigo
• Frequency not reported: Peripheral neuropathy, demyelinating polyneuropathy, nerve conduction abnormal, neurolipidosis, neuromyopathy, parosmia
• Postmarketing reports: Confusional state, disorientation, delirium, intracranial pressure increased, hypoesthesia, Parkinsonian symptoms^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Common (1% to 10%): Nightmare, sleep disorders, libido decreased, insomnia, sleep disturbance
• Frequency not reported: Vivid dreams, chronic anxiety
• Postmarketing reports: Hallucination^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Nausea, constipation, abdominal pain, salivation abnormal
• Frequency not reported: Vomiting, dysgeusia, diarrhea
• Postmarketing reports: Pancreatitis, acute pancreatitis, dry mouth^[Ref]

Other

• Common (1% to 10%): Fever, malaise, fatigue^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Very common (10% or more): Hypothyroidism (up to 10%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Hyperthyroidism
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion
• Frequency not reported: Thyroid function tests abnormal
• Postmarketing reports: Thyroid nodules/cancer^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Common (1% to 10%): Anorexia, edema
• Frequency not reported: Weight gain, symptomatic hypercalcemia, appetite decreased^[Ref]

Hematologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Coagulation abnormalities
• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, thrombocytopenia
• Frequency not reported: Bone marrow granuloma, bone marrow depression
• Postmarketing reports: Pancytopenia, neutropenia, agranulocytosis, granulocytosis^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Common (1% to 10%): Muscle weakness
• Frequency not reported: Back pain
• Postmarketing reports: Myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, muscle spasm, lupus-like syndrome^[Ref]

Local

• Common (1% to 10%): Injection site reactions^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Epididymo-orchitis, impotence
• Postmarketing reports: Epididymitis^[Ref]

Immunologic

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Anaphylactic shock
• Frequency not reported: Hypersensitivity reaction, positive antinuclear antibodies, immunoglobulin level increased
• Postmarketing reports: Anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reaction^[Ref]

Renal

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Blood creatinine increased
• Frequency not reported: Kidney function abnormal, chronic renal failure worsened
• Postmarketing reports: Renal impairment, renal insufficiency, acute renal failure^[Ref]

Further information

Cordarone IV side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Some side effects may not be reported. You may report them to the FDA.

Medical Disclaimer