digoxin vs sotalol
Side-by-side comparison of digoxin and sotalol. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Antiarrthymics Dofetilide Concomitant administration with digoxin was associated with a higher rate of torsades de pointes Sotalol Proarrhythmic events were more common in patients receiving sotalol and digoxin than on either alone; it is not clear whether this represents an interaction or is related to the presence of CHF, a known risk factor for proarrhythmia, in patients receiving digoxin.
Recommendation: Your doctor should monitor your heart rhythm carefully. Let your healthcare provider know if you feel dizzy or have a racing heart.
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better. It is used to treat heart failure and control irregular heartbeats.
Sotalol is a medicine that helps keep your heart beating regularly. It can treat dangerous fast heartbeats and help prevent irregular heartbeats from coming back.
Digoxin is used to treat mild to moderate heart failure in adults. It helps the heart pump more blood with each beat. Digoxin is also used in children with heart failure to help their heart work better. In adults, it can control a fast and irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Sotalol is used to treat life-threatening fast heartbeats in the lower chambers of the heart. It is also used to help keep a normal heart rhythm in people with atrial fibrillation or flutter, which are types of irregular heartbeats in the upper chambers of the heart. Sotalol is for people who have very bothersome symptoms from their atrial fibrillation or flutter.
Digoxin belongs to a class of drugs called cardiac glycosides. It works by making the heart muscle contract more strongly. It also slows down the electrical signals in the heart, which can help control irregular heartbeats.
Sotalol works by slowing down the electrical signals in your heart. It has two actions: it blocks beta receptors (like a beta-blocker) and it prolongs the action potential duration in the heart. This helps to stabilize your heart rhythm and prevent irregular heartbeats.
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Diarrhea
- • Dizziness
- • Headache
- • Feeling tired
- • Slow heart rate (less than 50 bpm)
- • Shortness of breath
- • New or worsening irregular heartbeats
- • Weakness
- Shortness of breath 6,062
- Feeling sick to your stomach 4,747
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 4,442
- Feeling very tired 4,174
- Irregular heartbeat 3,972
- Irregular heartbeat 1,178
- Shortness of breath 912
- Tiredness 867
- Feeling lightheaded 734
- Loose stool 719
Digoxin can cause serious side effects, including dangerous heart rhythms. You are at higher risk if you have certain heart conditions or kidney problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, vision changes, or an irregular heartbeat.
Sotalol can cause life-threatening irregular heartbeats. To lower this risk, you will start or restart sotalol in a hospital where your heart can be monitored. If your QT interval (a measure on your heart tracing) gets too long (500 msec or greater), your doctor may lower your dose or stop the medicine. Your doctor will check your kidney function to decide the right dose for you.
It is not known if digoxin can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. The medicine passes into breast milk, but it is unlikely to harm the baby.
Sotalol can harm your unborn baby, so talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Sotalol can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant, so do not breastfeed while taking sotalol.
How to Read This digoxin vs sotalol Comparison
digoxin is classified in the Cardiac Glycoside drug class, while sotalol sits within the Class III Antiarrhythmic / Beta-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, digoxin has 23,397 submissions while sotalol has 4,410. 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 moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to using these two drugs together can increase the chance of developing dangerous, irregular heartbeats. this may be due to the drugs themselves or the heart condition being treated.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between digoxin and sotalol - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.