Patient was educated on side effects of using Sotalol as follows:
- Symptoms of hypotension can occur secondary to reduced heart rate. This can reduce blood supply to the vital organs, such as, brain and result in symptoms such as, dizziness, headache, and feeling lightheaded.
- Sotalol can cause rapid heart rate, fluttering in the chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, and episodes of loss of consciousness. Sotalol has the potential to cause new arrhythmias or worsen the current arrhythmias, which is referred to as a proarrhythmic effect. So, caution must be exercised to prevent this situation and manage it, in case it were to occur.
- Blood supply to the peripheries can decrease secondary to reduced force of contraction of heart muscle, resulting in cold extremities.
- Reduced blood flow to the peripheries can result in muscle cramps, weakness, and fatigue.
- Reduced work performed by the heart can result in reduced blood volume pumped out of heart. This can result in backup of blood in the peripheral and pulmonary circulations. Backup of blood in peripheral circulation can present as edema in extremities with consequent swelling. Backup of blood in pulmonary circulation can result in pulmonary edema and shortness of breath.
- Edema and fluid accumulation can result in weight gain and fatigue.
- Sotalol can also result in bronchoconstriction, which results in reduced airflow and difficulty breathing with exacerbation of asthmatic symptoms and shortness of breath.
