Sotalol

Uses of Sotalol

Sotalol is used to treat certain types of serious, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats). Sotalol is also used to treat people who currently have normal heart rhythm, but have had symptomatic atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter in the past. Sotalol is in a class of medications called antiarrhythmics. It works by acting on the heart muscle to improve the heart’s rhythm.

Precautions and Warnings

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).

Monitoring in a facility that can provide cardiac resuscitation, continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and calculations of creatinine clearance for a minimum of 3 days is recommended for patients initiating or reinitiating sotalol to minimize the risk of induced arrhythmia.

May cause life-threatening ventricular tachycardia associated with QT interval prolongation.

IV sotalol treatment should not be initiated if the baseline QTc is longer than 450ms. Reduce the dosage or discontinue if the interval extends to 500 ms or greater.

Do not substitute one brand of sotalol for another without your doctor’s advice because of potentially significant differences in labeling, dosing and administration, and safety information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant. Sotalol can cross the placenta and affect the unborn baby, causing problems such as growth restriction, transient slow heartbeat in the fetus, laboratory changes, QT prolongation, uterine contractions, and other adverse effects. Talk with your doctor about using sotalol before you get pregnant. If you inadvertently become pregnant while taking sotalol, or are currently pregnant, discuss the risks vs benefits of using sotalol with your doctor.

You should not breastfeed while using sotalol.

Dosage

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

For abnormal heart rhythms:

• Adults—At first, 80 milligrams (mg) once or 2 times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose every 3 days as needed.
• Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Side Effects

Common side effects:

• a slow heartbeat
• nausea or vomiting
• shortness of breath
• dizziness or
• feeling weak or tired.