Same Drug, Different Name
Amiodarone is meant to be used only as a last resort medication but has been widely promoted by the manufacturers and prescribed as first resort anti-arrhythmic medications, and is therefore prescribed frequently in the United States. It has several names:
- Amiodarone (generic)
- Pacerone (Upsher-Smith Laboratories)
- Cordarone (Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories)
Patients who have suffered one or more side effects of amiodarone claim that – had they been adequately warned about the potential complications associated with the anti-arrhythmia drug – they would have avoided taking the medication in the first place and their doctors would have prescribed alternative medication.