Amiodarone Hcl Coupons & Prices

Use a free Rx.com amiodarone HCl coupon to compare cash prices on this heart-rhythm medication at pharmacies near you. Amiodarone hydrochloride is the generic form of Pacerone, and generics are usually already low-cost, but the cash price you are quoted can still vary a lot from one pharmacy counter to the next, even across the street. Rx.com compares prices at more than 60,000 pharmacies, so you can see what your prescription actually costs today. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price and print, text, or email your coupon.

What is amiodarone HCl and how does it work?

Amiodarone hydrochloride is a Class III antiarrhythmic medicine. It is an iodine-containing benzofuran drug that works mainly by blocking potassium channels in heart cells, and it also has sodium-channel, beta-adrenergic, and calcium-channel blocking activity. Together these effects slow and steady the electrical signals that make the heart beat, which can stop dangerous rhythms from taking over.

The FDA-approved use for amiodarone tablets is narrow: treatment of documented, life-threatening recurrent ventricular fibrillation and recurrent hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia in people who have not responded to, or cannot tolerate, other antiarrhythmic drugs. Because the drug carries substantial toxicity, treatment is usually started in the hospital under the care of a cardiologist or heart-rhythm specialist. An intravenous form (including premixed Nexterone from Baxter) is approved for starting treatment and preventing frequently recurring ventricular fibrillation and unstable ventricular tachycardia in the hospital. If your doctor prescribes amiodarone for a rhythm problem outside these approved uses, that decision belongs to your specialist. Take it exactly as prescribed and do not start or stop it on your own.

Amiodarone HCl cost and coupon savings

Amiodarone is available as an FDA-approved generic in tablet form, so it is one of the lower-cost heart-rhythm medicines even without insurance. "Low-cost" does not mean "the same everywhere," though. Cash prices for the identical tablet and quantity are set independently by each pharmacy chain, so the amount you pay can swing widely between a big chain, a grocery-store pharmacy, and an independent down the block. That is exactly why comparing is worth the two minutes.

• Compare before you fill. Enter your ZIP code above to see today's price at pharmacies near you.
• Check the brand too. Pacerone (Upsher-Smith) is the brand-name tablet still sold in the US. Cordarone tablets have been discontinued in the US, so ask for the generic or Pacerone. There is no manufacturer savings card for amiodarone.
• Ask about the full quantity. Prices per tablet often change with the amount dispensed, so it is worth pricing the quantity your prescriber actually wrote.
• Coupons are for cash-paying patients. If you have insurance, compare your copay to the Rx.com cash price and use whichever is lower. You cannot combine a discount coupon with insurance on the same fill.

Amiodarone vs. other rhythm medications

Amiodarone is effective but toxic, which is why doctors weigh it carefully against other options. Other antiarrhythmic drugs your cardiologist may discuss include dronedarone, a related compound designed without iodine, sotalol, and flecainide. Each has its own approved uses, monitoring needs, and risks, so they are not interchangeable. Only your prescriber can decide which one fits your heart condition.

Amiodarone is also frequently taken alongside other cardiac drugs, and it changes how some of them behave in the body. It raises blood levels of digoxin (the dose is typically cut in half) and of warfarin (the dose is usually reduced with closer INR checks). If you are picking up more than one of these, you can price each of them on Rx.com and compare pharmacies for the whole list at once. Never change a dose yourself based on a price or a label.

Safety, side effects, and monitoring

Amiodarone tablets carry FDA boxed warnings for pulmonary toxicity (lung inflammation such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis or interstitial/alveolar pneumonitis, which can be fatal), liver injury (usually mild enzyme elevation, but fatal liver damage has occurred), and proarrhythmia (a worsened or new abnormal rhythm, QT prolongation and torsades de pointes, slow heart rate, and heart block). These warnings are the reason the tablets are reserved for life-threatening arrhythmias and are typically started in a hospital with close monitoring.

Other important risks include thyroid problems, both underactive and overactive, because the drug is about 37 percent iodine by weight; optic neuropathy or optic neuritis, which in rare cases can lead to permanent vision loss; corneal microdeposits, which are very common and usually harmless; sun sensitivity and blue-gray skin discoloration; nerve problems in the hands and feet; and possible harm to an unborn baby, so it is avoided in pregnancy unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. Because amiodarone has an extremely long half-life, measured in weeks to months, side effects and drug interactions can continue long after the last dose. Call your doctor right away about a new cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, yellowing of the eyes or skin, fainting, a very slow pulse, or changes in your vision. This page is general information, not medical advice; talk with your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.