Braxton is a drug used by cardiologists when their patients report chest pain or tachycardia, commonly known as palpitations. In addition to being used for these conditions, it is a drug used in heart failure or myocardial infarction cases. This medicine must be under medical supervision, so you must know much more about it.
Next, in this FastlyHealarticle, you will learn everything about Braxan: what it is for, how it is taken, and its side effects.
Table of Contents
What is Braxton for
Braxton is the trade name of Amiodarone, which is the active substance of this drug. It has a vasodilator effect and decreases peripheral resistance and the heart’s contractility frequency. In this sense, to clarify what Braxan is for, we can say that it serves in the treatment of:
- Recurrent ventricular arrhythmias put the patient’s life at risk.
- Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias.
- It is also used to convert sinus rhythm in patients with atrial flutter fibrillation.
In the same way, it is used in the prevention of the following alterations :
- Life-threatening ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.
- Symptomatic ventricular tachycardia alters the normal development of the individual.
- Supraventricular tachycardia when there is a diagnosis of heart failure.
- In cases where it is required to prevent death caused by arrhythmia in patients at high risk of heart failure or who have recently suffered a myocardial infarction.
We encourage you to know the different types of cardiac arrhythmias, their symptoms, and their treatment by reading this other article by FastlyHeal. Also, here you can read about Tachycardia: symptoms, causes, and treatment.
How to take Braxton
You should take this medication if it is prescribed orally, complying with the following indication, which is usually the usual one:
- Initial or impregnation dose: 200 mg 3 times a day. You must take it with food for 2 weeks.
- Maintenance dose: you can take 100 to 400 mg a day for 5 days a week, rest on weekends or take it every other day.
However, always follow the exact instructions of your doctor.
Precautions you should have if you take Braxton.
In general, you should take the following precautions if you take Braxton. Before you start taking this medicine, your doctor will order you to undergo some medical tests such as:
- ECG electrocardiogram.
- Analysis to measure the functionalism of the thyroid gland.
- Measurement of serum potassium levels.
Other precautions to take into account if you take Braxan are:
- Use the lowest effective dose to avoid side effects.
- Avoid exposure to the sun while under this treatment. Otherwise, use protective measures while complying with the medical prescription.
- People who have a history of thyroid disease, either personal or family, should exercise caution and take the minimum recommended dose. Their treating physician should monitor these patients, and thyroid function should be checked before, during, and after the treatment.
- It is advisable to monitor liver function by measuring transaminase levels during treatment.
- If you are going to undergo surgery, the anesthesiologist must be informed about the Braxan doses. Only then can the specialist be aware of any drug interaction that occurs.
The taking of Braxan or Amiodarone effects that must be taken into account can be evidenced. Thus, other precautions for exceptional cases are:
- Changes in the ECG, such as the appearance of the U wave and lengthening of the QT segment. The emergence of these changes does not generate the presence of toxicity.
- In elderly patients, they may have a significant decrease in heart rate.
- Braxton can interfere with the uptake of radioactive iodine. Despite this, thyroid functionalism tests remain viable.
Side effects of taking Braxton
The vast majority of medications have side effects, which is no exception. Some of the side effects of Braxan that some patients may have are:
- General weakness
- Headache.
- Dizziness
- Sickness.
- Vomiting
At the level of the nervous system, the following may occur:
- Nervousness.
- Insomnia.
- Depression.
- Hallucinations
- Nightmares.
However, if it is used chronically, it can cause:
- Photosensitivity.
- Cutaneous and corneal pigmentation.
- Photophobia.
- Thyroid gland disorder.
If you take a dose above that indicated by the doctor, you may have elevated liver enzymes without having clinical symptoms of liver dysfunction.
In which cases you should not take Braxton
Amiodarone should not be administered to people who suffer from certain conditions or are in certain situations. These are the cases in which you should not take Braxan or Amiodarone :
- Hypersensitivity to iodine.
- Sinoatrial block.
- Sinus bradycardia.
- AV block of any degree unless a pacemaker is implanted because it can produce asystole.
- Trifascicular block.
- It should not be used when there is a history of syncope or vascular collapse and arterial hypotension.
- Due to its possible effects on the fetus and the child during pregnancy and lactation.
In addition, you should take this drug with caution if you suffer from the following conditions:
- Respiratory problems.
- Water and electrolyte disorders.
- Eye problems
- Liver failure.
- Elderly.
- In people where constant monitoring of thyroid functions is carried out.
You also need to know that you should stop taking Braxan when you suffer from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.
As you have realized, the intake of Braxan must be controlled by a doctor, and due follow-up must be done at the laboratory level in the cases that warrant it. If it has been prescribed for you, do not hesitate to consult your doctor if you have any questions about his indications for taking this medicine. If you think you need to take it because you have symptoms of heart problems, never take it on your own. Always consult your doctor before taking a single pill.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor if you present any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Braxton: what it is for, how it is taken, and side effects, we recommend entering our category of Medication and medical tests.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.