Eliquis and news from my Zio Patch

I have been busy with my heart health. Had a stress echo which showed no heart disease.....that’s good. When I was seeing my Cardiologist he reviewed my Zio patch results with me as I do not see my EP until June. My Zio patch .....7 day.....showed no AFib...but did show significant SVT. .....488 episodes in 7 days.......maybe that is why I am not feeling very well .....most episodes lasting a few seconds some lasted close to a minute.....heart rate went into the upper 200’s....I think.

So, since I am not going to take rhythm meds.....this may be another reason to have an ablation sooner than later.......get two arrthymias for the price of one..?

I will sort all that out when I see the EP in June.

Which leads me to my last issue...Eliquis. (HIstory. - 2 AFib episodes in the last year.....April 2017 and December 2017.....both converted on their own after a few hours) Chad score 2

My Cardiologist convinced me it would be prudent to start Eliquis .....I agreed. I had been trying to decide....been on the fence.....now ok....decision made.
I got the script. AND it sits on my counter. I told myself I wanted to want until my meds were over for my sinus infection....ok...the meds were over yesterday. No excuse to wait any longer.

I tossed and turned all night....anxious about starting Eliquis. I KNOW I need to..I understand the risks if I dont......I get the outcomes.....and I am so anxious about taking that darn pill. I scare myself with thoughts. My biggest scare thought is.....how do I know I am not thinning my blood too much and one day, my blood is so thin.....I just start to spontaneously bleed and it cant be stopped and I die. So every day, my blood is getting thinner and thinner and I am getting closer to the “ Big Bleed”.....There..... that’s my thought that keeps me just looking at that bottle.

Then....if I do start, I am afraid I cant tolerate it due to side effects......so I have myself in a big box. THEN I read, once you start Eliquis....you cant stop or you have a high risk of stroke.....so I cant stop?

Oh well, you can see what I do......So to others who have dealt with the anxiety of taking a blood thinner....how did you do it?

Thanks for listening! Linda

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lds001
I tossed and turned all night....anxious about starting Eliquis. I KNOW I need to..I understand the risks if I dont......I get the outcomes.....and I am so anxious about taking that darn pill. I scare myself with thoughts. My biggest scare thought is.....how do I know I am not thinning my blood too much and one day, my blood is so thin.....I just start to spontaneously bleed and it cant be stopped and I die. So every day, my blood is getting thinner and thinner and I am getting closer to the “ Big Bleed”.....There..... that’s my thought that keeps me just looking at that bottle.

Then....if I do start, I am afraid I cant tolerate it due to side effects......so I have myself in a big box. THEN I read, once you start Eliquis....you cant stop or you have a high risk of stroke.....so I cant stop?

First, it would help if you quit using the words "blood thinner." Anticoagulants do not thin your blood. They simply reduce the tendency of your blood to form clots. The scenario you're imagining where the effects build up and you end up bleeding uncontrollably simply does not happen. Take the normal dose and the effects will be predictable and nothing "builds up."

I don't know where you read that once you start you can't stop but that's 100% incorrect. Totally untrue.

The facts are that you're in greater danger of suffering a stroke due to not taking an anticoagulant than you are from bleeding due to taking one. Furthermore, strokes due to clots that originate in the atria tend to be the most severe, devastating strokes of all. Imagine spending the rest of your life parked in a wheel chair, drooling onto a bib, unable to speak or move, wearing diapers, unable to remember your family or feed yourself. Nursing homes are full of people like that. On the other hand, bleeds due to anticoagulants are usually manageable and rarely cause death or major disability. The stats on this are clear. You're fearing the wrong thing.

Many people, and particularly paroxysmal afibbers, are often prescribed anticoagulants for a limited period of time. When one has a CHADS score = 0, anticoagulants may be prescribed some weeks before and after an ablation procedure, for example. There's no problem with this.

Well....I guess i need to make some changes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2018 03:03PM by lds001.

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Carey


First, it would help if you quit using the words "blood thinner." Anticoagulants do not thin your blood. They simply reduce the tendency of your blood to form clots. The scenario you're imagining where the effects build up and you end up bleeding uncontrollably simply does not happen. Take the normal dose and the effects will be predictable and nothing "builds up."

I don't know where you read that once you start you can't stop but that's 100% incorrect. Totally untrue.

The facts are that you're in greater danger of suffering a stroke due to not taking an anticoagulant than you are from bleeding due to taking one. Furthermore, strokes due to clots that originate in the atria tend to be the most severe, devastating strokes of all. Imagine spending the rest of your life parked in a wheel chair, drooling onto a bib, unable to speak or move, wearing diapers, unable to remember your family or feed yourself. Nursing homes are full of people like that. On the other hand, bleeds due to anticoagulants are usually manageable and rarely cause death or major disability. The stats on this are clear. You're fearing the wrong thing.

ok

Hi Linda,
I started Eliquis about 10 days ago. I can empathize. I almost cried when I went to pick it up, and like you stared at the bottle for several days before the day came (one month before ablation) that I had to start. I think when they say stopping it is dangerous they're just saying that if you're in a-fib you're prone to making clots and not that you have more risk to clot for no reason.

Libby, Thanks for the kind words. I understand all too well, all the bad things that can happen if I dont take it.......but it’s still scary....Good luck to you with your ablation!
Linda

Well, misery loves company. I’m on it, too, for one month courtesy of a 7 hour AF episode yesterday. I still don’t understand the rationale. Assume the following:

1. Cardioversion worked (either chemical or electrical)
2. You weren’t anticoagulated beforehand

So, either a clot formed or it didn’t. What does eliquis do post-facto? Does it “eat” the clot, if it exists?

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wolfpack
So, either a clot formed or it didn’t. What does eliquis do post-facto? Does it “eat” the clot, if it exists?

Excellent question!

It turns out that cardioversions have a "stunning" effect on your atria. For several weeks following a cardioversion your atria don't move blood as efficiently as normal and clots become a risk factor even though you're in a normal rhythm. Once I learned about this I asked a couple of docs about it and the general consensus was at least 2-3 weeks of anticoagulation is wise following a CV.

I did a whole bunch of CVs in 2015 without anticoagulants. Looking back, I was probably just lucky.

Thanks for the answer!

After only 7 hours of what wasn’t even a “flopping fish” feeling in my chest, but rather a “small bird in a cage fluttering about” I’m tempted to say my atria weren’t that stunned. Cardioversion occurred either naturally or with marginal help from 150mg of propafenone.

I’ll take all of the under consideration as I consult myself on continuing anticoagulation protocol.

Oh, sorry, I was thinking you underwent a cardioversion. Since you didn't, I stand by my original opinion that I would probably skip the Eliquis.

Can you cut the 5mg pill in half to affect a 2.5mg BID dose?

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wolfpack
Can you cut the 5mg pill in half to affect a 2.5mg BID dose?

It's not time release so that's probably okay, but Eliquis does come in a 2.5 mg dose.

I have a bunch of 5mg free samples, so that's why I ask. If I got an RX for 2.5mg, I'd have to pay.