Four double-blind placebo-controlled trials with 1,465 patients (738 and 727 in the amiodarone and placebo groups, respectively) were included.
There was a higher likelihood of experiencing other adverse effects as a result of treatment with low-dose amiodarone. The OR was 4.2 (95% CI: 2.0, 8.7) for thyroid (p=0.001), 2.0 (95% CI: 1.1 to 3.7) for neurologic (p=0.02), 2.5 (95% CI: 1.1, 6.2) for skin (p=0.05), 3.4 (95% CI: 1.2, 9.6) for ocular (p=0.02), and 2.2 (95% CI: 1.1, 4.3) for bradycardiac (p=0.02) effects.
The odds of discontinuing the drug in the amiodarone group were approximately 1.5 times that of the placebo group (OR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.2, 1.9, p=0.003).
Similar hepatic and gastrointestinal adverse effects were found in the amiodarone group and control groups: the ORs were 1.2 (95% CI: 0.4, 3.3, p=0.7) and 1.1 (95% CI: 0.7, 1.9, p=0.678), respectively. There was a trend towards increased odds of pulmonary toxicity (OR 2.0, 95% CI: 0.9, 5.3, p=0.07).