amiodarone vs verapamil
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Side-by-side comparison of amiodarone and verapamil. 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
Negative Chronotropes digoxin, beta blockers, verapamil, diltiazem, clonidine, ivabradine Potentiates the electrophysiologic and hemodynamic effects of amiodarone, resulting in bradycardia, sinus arrest, and AV block.
Cordarone, Pacerone
Calan, Verelan
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.
Verapamil is a drug that helps to lower blood pressure and treat chest pain (angina) and irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias). It works by relaxing blood vessels and slowing down the heart rate.
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.
Verapamil is used to treat chest pain called angina. This includes angina that happens when you are resting or during normal activity. It is also used to control your heart rate if you have a fast or irregular heartbeat, such as atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Verapamil also treats high blood pressure.
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.
Verapamil belongs to a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. It works by blocking calcium from entering heart and blood vessel cells. This relaxes and widens blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and makes it easier for the heart to pump.
- • Low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism)
- • High thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism)
- • Heart failure
- • Irregular heartbeats
- • Problems with the heart's natural pacemaker (SA node dysfunction)
- • Constipation
- • Shortness of breath
- • Dizziness
- • Slow heart rate (less than 50 beats per minute)
- • Nausea
- Dyspnoea 1,158
- Asthenia 975
- Fatigue 895
- Nausea 606
- Cough 597
- Dyspnoea 356
- Nausea 341
- Drug Interaction 316
- Dizziness 286
- Hypotension 280
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.
You should not take this medicine if you have severe heart problems, very low blood pressure, or certain types of irregular heartbeats without a pacemaker. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these conditions.
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, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if verapamil will harm your unborn baby. Verapamil can pass into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take this medicine.
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How to Read This amiodarone vs verapamil Comparison
amiodarone is classified in the Class III Antiarrhythmic drug class, while verapamil sits within the Calcium Channel Blocker 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 verapamil has 1,579. 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 both medications slow down the heart's pace and electrical activity. combining them increases the risk of the heart beating too slowly or skipping beats.. 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 verapamil.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.