Tikosyn again

If you have to spend 3 days in the hospital to see whether you can take a certain drug, and you are deemed able to take it, what are the chances of at a later date you will have side affects (and they could be deadly) from taking the drug. I am talking about Tikosyn---I have read that it is not available in Europe or Australia and it is available only through specially trained or local Pharmacies. Sounds like one H of a drug, doctor at U. of M. Ann Arbor in Mi. wants me to take that drug, I don't think so.

I was on Ticosyn for about 3 months a couple years ago between my failed ablation and my first with Dr. Natale. I didn't have any ill effects from the drug other than it didn't work for me straight away. From what others told e at the time is that the longer you are on it the better it works. I did notice an improvement in how it was working for me towards the end of the time I was on it.

Quote
Elizabeth
If you have to spend 3 days in the hospital to see whether you can take a certain drug, and you are deemed able to take it, what are the chances of at a later date you will have side affects (and they could be deadly) from taking the drug.

Practically zero. The danger of Tikosyn is that it can prolong what's known as the QT interval. That's why they monitor you in the hospital, to make sure it doesn't do that to you. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. So once you're deemed safe to take it there's no danger this will suddenly change someday. There's actually nothing particularly dangerous about it.

The only reason for requiring pharmacists to be specially trained is to make sure doctors don't prescribe the drug without the required 3-day hospital stay. Those "specially trained" pharmacists can be found at virtually all pharmacies. As for Europe and Australia, there are all kinds of drugs available there that aren't available here and vice versa. That means nothing.

I've taken it and I know a dozen others who have. No problems whatsoever for me or anyone I know of. It's not the big deal it seems to you right now.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2020 01:07AM by Carey.

It causes the QT prolongation in about 1% or so of the patients who are prescribed it, hence the hospital stay. 1% is high enough to warrant that. But the flip side is there’s a 99% chance you’ll be just fine. One thing to remember, though, is that when you’re on it you have to really avoid any other drugs that can interact with it and bring about the QT prolongation, even after you’ve passed the hospital test. You can google that list. I’d get a medical bracelet or wallet card stating that you’re on it and make double sure all of your prescribing physicians and pharmacists are aware (they should be anyway but just double down for safety’s sake).

You’ll be fine. I’ve heard a lot of folks who have taken it say it’s very effective and often becomes more so as time goes on.

Tikosyn is about the cutest name ever for a drug.

Sounds better than dofetilide.

I know of a male who has been on it for over 3 years with no side effects, he claims, and no AFib while on it. He's also not on any anti coagulant meds. When I failed Sotalol and needed something better, I asked about Tykosin and the NP at my local caridologist's office told me that women are more prone to the deadly side effects than men are. I wonder if that is true? This was also during COVID when no one was going to hospital except for an emergency, so I couldn't have been admitted for the three days anyway.. I'll always wonder if it would have worked for me, because I have read, maybe on this website about women taking it successfully.

In the mean time, I scheduled my ablation on the first day the hospital opened to non emergency surgery, and so far, so good!