What is the common side effect of sotalol?
Heart Rate Changes. Sotalol can make your heart beat slower than normal (bradycardia). Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of bradycardia. Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension). Sotalol may cause low blood pressure. Suddenly stopping sotalol can lead to worse chest pain, heart rhythm problems, or even heart attacks. When you stop taking this medication, you’ll need to be closely monitored and consider using an alternative beta-blocker, especially if you have coronary artery disease.Sotalol may cause heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort, dilated neck veins, extreme fatigue, irregular breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, or weight gain.Sotalol is used to a treat life-threatening heart rhythm problem called ventricular arrhythmia. It is also used to treat heart rhythm problems called atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Sotalol is a beta-blocker. It works by affecting the response to nerve impulses in certain parts of the body, like the heart.Because clinically significant complications can be detected with in-hospital monitoring in one of five patients starting sotalol therapy, hospital admission is warranted for initiation of sotalol. Patients without pacemakers are at higher risk for these complications.
What drugs cannot be taken with sotalol?
There are some medicines that may affect the way sotalol works. Tell your doctor if you’re taking any other medicines, including: medicines that can cause abnormal heart rhythms – these include some antibiotics, like clarithromycin and erythromycin, and some antidepressants, like citalopram and amitriptyline. Continue to take sotalol even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sotalol without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking sotalol, you may experience serious heart problems such as angina (chest pain) or heart attack. Your doctor will probably want to decrease your dose gradually over 1 to 2 weeks.Sotalol starts to work after about 4 hours, but it can take 2 to 3 days to work fully. Your first dose may make you feel dizzy, so take it at bedtime.Stopping sotalol suddenly can make your condition worse. If you’re bothered by side effects, your doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine for your heart problems. If you stop taking sotalol, it will take about 4 days for it to be completely out of your body.If you have any of the following symptoms, stop taking sotalol and call your doctor immediately: Chest pain, rapid pulse or increase in irregular heartbeats. Skin rash. Difficulty breathing.
Can you ever stop taking sotalol?
Continue to take sotalol even if you feel well. Do not stop taking sotalol without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking sotalol, you may experience serious heart problems such as angina (chest pain) or heart attack. Your doctor will probably want to decrease your dose gradually over 1 to 2 weeks. The tablets should be swallowed whole. Sotalol hydrochloride should be taken preferably 1-2 hours before meals. Sotalol hydrochloride should not be taken with meals since absorption of the active ingredient can be affected by the simultaneous ingestion of food (in particular, milk and dairy products).You can take sotalol with or without food, but it’s best to take it the same way each day. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. You’ll usually take sotalol once or twice a day.You’ll usually take sotalol once or twice a day. Your doctor may advise you to take your first dose before bedtime, because it can make you feel dizzy. After the first dose, if you do not feel dizzy, you can take sotalol in the morning. If you take sotalol twice a day, try to take it in the morning and in the evening.
Can sotalol cause nosebleeds?
It happens rarely, but some people have serious side effects when taking sotalol. Call 111 or call your doctor now if: you get nosebleeds, unexplained bruising, or you bruise more easily than usual – these can be signs of low numbers of platelets in your blood (thrombocytopenia) Common side effects of sotalol include bradycardia, hypotension, fatigue, dizziness, depression, memory loss, impotence, cold limbs and, less commonly, severe hypotension, heart failure and bronchospasm.Is there any food or drink I need to avoid? You can eat and drink normally while taking sotalol. Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help if you have a heart condition.Sotalol may worsen existing heart failure or cause fluid buildup in your body. For individuals with underlying heart disease or heart damage, sotalol can potentially lead to heart failure over time.Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of side effects with sotalol. It can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded. During the first few days of taking sotalol or after an increase in your dose, it’s best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you.
What are the bad side effects of sotalol?
Sotalol may cause heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort, dilated neck veins, extreme fatigue, irregular breathing, an irregular heartbeat, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, or weight gain. If you suddenly stop taking sotalol, you may experience serious heart problems such as angina (chest pain) or heart attack. Your doctor will probably want to decrease your dose gradually over 1 to 2 weeks. Your doctor will watch you carefully and will probably tell you to avoid physical activity during this time.With appropriate monitoring, especially at the time of initiation, sotalol can be a safe and effective medication to treat atrial arrhythmias. Unfortunately, owing to its proarrhythmia risk, sotalol initiation typically requires a 3-day hospitalization to monitor for significant QT lengthening or arrhythmias.
Does sotalol cause memory loss?
Common side effects of sotalol include bradycardia, hypotension, fatigue, dizziness, depression, memory loss, impotence, cold limbs and, less commonly, severe hypotension, heart failure and bronchospasm. Compared to all drugs sotalol had the lowest mortality rates (p=0. Mortality rates were lower in patients who received the higher dose of sotalol; 7.
Why is sotalol high risk?
Sotalol (Betapace) can affect your heart rhythm, which can lead to serious and life-threatening problems like QT prolongation. To lower your risk, your provider might periodically check your heart and perform electrocardiograms (EKGs) to make sure your heart rhythm is normal. You should not use sotalol if you have asthma, low potassium, or a serious heart condition such as severe heart failure, long QT syndrome, slow heartbeats that have caused you to faint, sick sinus syndrome or AV block (unless you have a pacemaker).