reaction to cordarone - Drug Interactions / Side Effects Message Board

parlare2suz · 02-11-2003, 08:53 PM

My husband had by-pass surgery on Nov. 11,he was told he should be released in 5 to 7 days,finally came home on Nov. 28th.In that time he had fluid on the lungs, slight pneumonia, heart went out of rhythm, then his incision on his arm got infected. He was having problems with a cough and shortness of breath. We told the visiting nurse and she called the Dr. who then said to use Robitussin. We tried that, but the cough still persisted and the shortness got much worse. Finally the Dr. had my husband come to the office after getting an X-Ray, and suggested he go to the Pulmonary Dr. We did that immediately, and my husband's Blood Oxygen was 74%. He was put in the hospital immediately. This was on the 23rd of Dec. the 24th they took a CT scan, stopped the Cordarone (after me complaining of the side effects) and said he needed a Lung Biopsy. The biopsy showed he has Interstitial Fibrosis. That was another side effect of Cordarone. To this day, my husband, who is 56yrs old, said if I (wife) didn't come get him on New Year's Eve and take him out of the hospital, that he felt they were trying to kill him. He just came home from the Dr's, and now he needs a lung transplant. I just can't believe all this can happen so sudden.
Did anyone have similiar problems like these? I just don't know what to expect next.

dh4512 · 03-29-2003, 09:15 PM

I am sorry about your husbands health problems and reaction to Cordarone. My mother (age 80) is currently on Cordarone and we think she is having side effects. She is having numbness and tingling on parts of her left side. We took her to the ER and they cleared her but she is having symptoms again. The Dr. on call thinks it is a pinched nerve, which doesn't make sense to us at all. Did your husband have any other side effect besides the lung problem which we were warned is the most severe side effect? Thanks for any information you might have.

parlare2suz · 03-31-2003, 11:13 PM

So sorry to hear about your mother. I sure hope the tingling stops, but to answer your question, my husband never complained about any tingling. He started off with a dry cough, even before leaving the hospital. This persisted to the point that he is now on 5 ltr of oxygen while resting. He barely walks any distance, and his blood/oxygen level drops to 80/75, while his heart rate goes up to 126. We go to the hospital on Wed. to talk with the Lung Transplant people, I guess we will find out where he stands on the list. The drug Cordarone is bad, many side effects that were never told to us, especially involving the lungs. Right now, he is praying that he is still around for our daughter's graduation this June. Another problem my husband has is shaky hands, I can't say if it came from the Cordarone though. He has been on prednisone since Dec. 24, which has wrecked his body, to the point of gaining 30 some pounds, and messing with his diabetes. Our life's have changed so much. All I do is read, read, and read to see if I can find something to help him. This message board has helped me so much, just if it only took my mind off his problem for 5 minutes. Hope you find relief for your mom, but the tingling sounds to be a pinched nerve. I have had great relief from chiropractors, maybe one can help your mother...

dh4512 · 04-06-2003, 10:20 PM

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner but it has been a busy week. My mother did have a small stroke. The Dr on call kept ignoring her and after 28 hours of numbness we FINALLY convinced her to go to bypass him and go to the ER. She still has some numbness in her fingers and tingling in her face but it could have been so much worse. We go to her regular Dr. tomorrow to get a full report. I still wonder if the Cordarone affected her somehow. It has so many side effects. Again, I am so sorry about your husband. Life can change SO quickly. These drugs can be great but sometimes they are worse than the disease, especially when Drs pass them out so quickly and don't pass on all the information about the negative side of them. I hope you get some good lung transplant information and especially hope that he will be here for your daughter's graduation. That is always a big milestone in their lives and a special time for all. I agree....these message boards have great info and support! My best to all of you and thanks for your help.