Amiodarone-induced acute pancreatitis is rare but reversible, with symptoms resolving within a week after stopping the drug in a 61-year-old female patient.
Amiodarone can rarely cause acute pancreatitis, a serious complication that resolves promptly upon discontinuation of the drug.
Drug-related pancreatitis is seen in only about 1.4%-2% of cases. Amiodarone is a commonly used medication for the treatment of different atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Its common side effects include hepatotoxicity, thyroid dysfunction, and pulmonary fibrosis. Acute pancreatitis is a rare side effect of amiodarone. There are only a few cases reported worldwide of amiodarone causing acute pancreatitis as a side effect. We present a case of a 61-year-old female patient who, while receiving treatment for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction with ventricular tachycardia and amiodarone, had abrupt nausea, vomiting, and epigastric soreness. A computed tomography scan of her abdomen revealed the classic features of acute pancreatitis, which led to the diagnosis. The common causes of pancreatitis were excluded by reviewing the patient’s medical history, lab results, and imaging. Since the pancreatitis symptoms started soon after beginning amiodarone, and no other cause was identified, we diagnosed the condition as amiodarone-induced pancreatitis. The patient’s symptoms completely disappeared within a week of stopping the medication. Given the high risk of complications and mortality from acute pancreatitis, and the simplicity of treating it by discontinuing amiodarone, this serious side effect should be identified promptly in appropriate clinical situations.
Srivastava et al. (2026) studied this question. Amiodarone-induced acute pancreatitis is rare but reversible, with symptoms resolving within a week after stopping the drug in a 61-year-old female patient.