Nexterone Side Effects
Generic name: amiodarone
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Dec 17, 2023.
Note: This document contains side effect information about amiodarone. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name Nexterone.
Applies to amiodarone: intravenous solution. Other dosage forms:
Serious side effects of Nexterone
Along with its needed effects, amiodarone (the active ingredient contained in Nexterone) 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
- Blurred vision
- confusion
- dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
- sweating
- unusual tiredness or weakness
Less common
- 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 Nexterone
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
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]
More about Nexterone (amiodarone)
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- During pregnancy
- FDA approval history
- Drug class: group III antiarrhythmics
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Patient resources
Other brands
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Professional resources
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Related treatment guides
References
1. (2002) "Product Information. Cordarone (amiodarone)." Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories
2. (2022) "Product Information. Cordarone (amiodarone)." Apothecon Inc
3. Cerner Multum, Inc. "UK Summary of Product Characteristics."
4. Cerner Multum, Inc. "Australian Product Information."
Further information
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.