Sotacor Side Effects
According to the Cardiovascular Institute and Center for Cardiovascular Health at Mount Sinai Medical School, the human heart beats an average of 60 to 100 times per minute. If you suffer from arrhythmia, your heart beats more slowly or rapidly than the average, causing chest pain and other symptoms. Doctors utilize a number of treatments to help regulate your heart beat and stop the effects of arrhythmia, including the prescription medication sotalol. In Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe, sotalol is available under the brand name Sotacur or Sotacor. Despite its effectiveness, Sotacor is not for everyone because it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.
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Common Side Effects
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Approximately 20 percent of Sotacor users report shortness of breath, fatigue and dizziness, making these the most common side effects of the drug. Rapid pulse, palpitations, weakness, lightheadedness, nausea and vomiting are also common, occurring in at least 10 percent of users. At least 5 percent of patients who take Sotacor experience swelling, drops in blood pressure, headaches, sleep problems, sweating, diarrhea, indigestion, respiratory tract infections, skin rashes and pain in the extremities.
Other Side Effects
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Sotacor also has the potential to cause a number of other troublesome or annoying, but not dangerous, side effects. Additional neurological effects include depression, tingling in your extremities, anxiety, mood changes, decreased sexual ability, nightmares and confusion. Some patients experience gastrointestinal or urinary side effects like constipation, loss of appetite, dry mouth, frequent urination at night and urinary tract infections.
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Drug Interactions
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There are some medications that produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with Sotacor. For example, calcium-channel blockers, like guanethidine and reserpine, frequently cause dangerous drops in blood pressure levels when taken with Sotacor. Clonidine and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications like Tylenol or Advil create the opposite effect, causing hypertension when combined with Sotacor. It is important never to mix gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin or sparfloxacin with Sotacor as together the combination is likely to cause dangerous irregularities in heart rhythm.
Risks
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In addition to minor side effects and the risk of interactions, Sotacor has the potential to cause serious medical complications. In many cases, Sotacur increases blood sugar levels, triggering the development of type 2 diabetes in patients at risk for the disease. Inflammation or damage to your liver is also possible while taking Sotacor. Infrequently, Sotacor causes a dangerous slowing of the heart known as torsades de pointes. Some patients develop a shortage of blood platelets or thrombocytopenia while undergoing treatment with the drug. This condition causes easy bleeding and increases the risk of developing bleeding inside your skull.
Considerations
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Because there is not yet sufficient evidence that Sotacor has no unwanted effects upon the fetus, doctors typically do not prescribe the drug for pregnant women. The drug is also not approved for children under the age of 18. If you have a history of muscle weakness, hyperthyroidism, chronic diarrhea, diabetes, asthma, hypotension, or kidney or liver disease, your doctor is unlikely to prescribe Sotacor due to its potential side effects. It is important not to suddenly stop taking Sotacor as this may cause dangerous irregularities in heart rhythm.
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