amiodarone vs cholestyramine
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Side-by-side comparison of amiodarone and cholestyramine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
Cholestyramine Reduced amiodarone serum levels.
Cordarone, Pacerone
Questran
Amiodarone (Pacerone) is a medicine used to treat life-threatening, irregular heartbeats. It helps to restore a normal heart rhythm when other medicines don't work or can't be used.
Cholestyramine is a medicine that helps lower high cholesterol levels in your blood. It works by preventing your body from absorbing cholesterol in the intestines.
This medicine treats very fast, irregular heartbeats in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart). It is used when these irregular heartbeats are life-threatening. It is also used when other medicines don't work well enough or cause too many side effects. This medicine is for adults.
This medicine is used with a diet to lower high cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol). It may also help if you have high triglycerides, but it's not the best choice if high triglycerides are your main problem. Lowering cholesterol helps reduce your risk of heart disease.
Amiodarone affects the electrical signals in your heart. It slows down these signals, which helps your heart beat normally. This medicine can help prevent dangerous, fast heart rhythms.
Cholestyramine is a resin that binds to bile acids in your intestines. Bile acids help digest fats, including cholesterol. By binding to bile acids, cholestyramine prevents them from being reabsorbed, so your body uses cholesterol to make more bile acids, which lowers cholesterol levels in your blood.
- • Low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism)
- • High thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism)
- • Heart failure
- • Irregular heartbeats
- • Problems with the heart's natural pacemaker (SA node dysfunction)
- • Constipation
- Dyspnoea 1,158
- Asthenia 975
- Fatigue 895
- Nausea 606
- Cough 597
- Diarrhoea 1,631
- Fatigue 877
- Nausea 783
- Arthralgia 621
- Headache 543
This medicine can cause serious problems with your lungs, liver, and heart. Lung problems can be fatal. Your doctor will check your lungs with X-rays and breathing tests. Liver problems can also be fatal. Your doctor will check your liver with blood tests. This medicine can also make irregular heartbeats worse. You will likely start this medicine in the hospital where your heart can be monitored.
Since cholestyramine can affect how your body absorbs other medicines, take other drugs at least 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours after taking cholestyramine.
This medicine can harm your unborn baby. It can cause thyroid problems, slow heart rate, and brain development issues. Do not breastfeed while taking this medicine.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Cholestyramine may affect how you absorb vitamins, so your doctor may recommend supplements. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while breastfeeding.
Also Compare, Nearby Drugs
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How to Read This amiodarone vs cholestyramine Comparison
amiodarone is classified in the Class III Antiarrhythmic drug class, while cholestyramine sits within the Bile Acid Sequestrant class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amiodarone has 4,231 submissions while cholestyramine has 4,455. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to cholestyramine can bind to amiodarone in the digestive tract and prevent it from being absorbed into the blood. this lowers the amount of medicine available to help your heart.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for amiodarone or cholestyramine.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.