Anticoagulation and again Looks like us low risk afibbers are damned if we do and damned if we don't........... [www.sciencedaily.com] So what the are saying is if we go on anticoagulation therapy we are swapping a low risk of ischemic stroke for a considerably higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke and bleeding to death? Dean https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158274#msg-158274 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:12:44 +0000 Phorum 5.2.23 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158733#msg-158733 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158733#msg-158733 Asking him at my recent visit about discontinuing with my 'poisons' (taking 40mg of Sotalol evenings only) he told me that i could but the risk of AF goes up and it will return sooner or later anyway (he seems to be in the habit of giving nocebos)
I don't feel that i have been AF free for 2 years but do have occasional double beats and sometimes delayed beats. When i feel a double beat(s) i take deep slow breath and all seems well again.]]> Joe AFIBBERS FORUM Tue, 10 Oct 2017 23:08:02 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158356#msg-158356 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158356#msg-158356 I want to underscore what Carey just said for added emphasis! Do NOT use Eliquis as a once a day dosing protocol, regardless of dose! That is not a safe way to 'cut down' your overall dosage. Plus, that should not be done, in any event, without the express agreement with your EP/Cardio.

Going from a normal 5mg BID (twice a day) to 2.5mg BID is the only option for reducing the daily dose of Eliquis and is usually mean't for folks with renal dysfunction, but can be an option for some LAA isolation folks that almost pass their 6 month TEE LAA mechanical function test, but might be just slightly shy of earning a passing grade on any one of the three required metrics measured within the 6th month post ablation TEE scan that one must pass all three of to possibly be eligible for stopping all OAC drugs altogether.

Shannon]]> Shannon AFIBBERS FORUM Mon, 28 Aug 2017 06:24:43 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158352#msg-158352 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158352#msg-158352
Quote
anneh
I am also on the 2.5mg Eliquis 2xday but was wondering if it would be bad to just take 1 dose once a day while not having any a-fib?

Eliquis has a half-life of 12 hours, so once-a-day dosing means you'll spend half of each day with inadequate coverage. That doesn't accomplish anything positive.

Quote

I was hoping that ablation made it possible not to have to use any of the meds including blood thinners

It does -- sometimes. If you really are completely free of afib (as proven by a monitor) and your CHA2DS2-VASc score is less than 2, the risk-benefit ratio of anticoagulants reverses in favor of stopping the AC. The problem is people can have afib they're unaware of, so wearing some type of monitor for a long period (weeks) is essential before stopping them. As Jackie notes above, if your LAA was isolated during your ablation that's a whole different matter and you might have to continue them even if you're afib free.]]> Carey AFIBBERS FORUM Sun, 27 Aug 2017 22:46:54 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158342#msg-158342 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158342#msg-158342 anneh AFIBBERS FORUM Sat, 26 Aug 2017 16:47:01 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158341#msg-158341 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158341#msg-158341
Jackie]]> Jackie AFIBBERS FORUM Sat, 26 Aug 2017 12:50:59 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158340#msg-158340 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158340#msg-158340 anneh AFIBBERS FORUM Sat, 26 Aug 2017 02:13:30 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158281#msg-158281 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158281#msg-158281
So, as is typical, the source cause of a problem (such as hyperviscosity and resultant risk of clots) isn't really addressed by warfarin and the new oral anticoagulants... rather those help to thin the blood but do not address the inflammation, the soft plaques or the eventual hard stenosis of blood vessels.

So for afibbers who are deemed 'low risk,' the focus or target concern should always be to monitor the markers of inflammation and that which contributes to the formation of soft plaques and ultimate blockages.

Cardiac or High Sensitivity (HS) C-reactive protein - blood test is one evaluation of inflammation. There are many more that those doctors who practice functional medicine typically include in an assessment of inflammatory markers that need to be addressed by the patient - most often, dietary influences that cause inflammation, often environmental impurities including that in food, inadequate hydration for that individual, and so on. The recent post titled Clot Risk references more detail on the tests and previous posts on the hyperviscosity topic. [www.afibbers.org]

But -also important to remember are the contributing factors including poor circulation due to age, overweight, diabetes, and dietary factors unique to that person or generally known to be inflammatory.... it's a broad topic.

I'm 'stuck' on half-dose Eliquis at least for now... and but my doctor continues to test and we are very aware of the other inflammatory makers as a preventive measure... and I continue to use much smaller doses of the natural remedies to keep aging vessels and tissues inflammation free and healthy as possible.

Because of the downsides of aspirin and similar, I have never relied on those chemicals.

Jackie]]> Jackie AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 17:29:26 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158279#msg-158279 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158279#msg-158279 GeorgeN AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 13:36:44 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158278#msg-158278 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158278#msg-158278 Fibrillator AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 11:55:27 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158277#msg-158277 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158277#msg-158277
Quote
Fibrillator
I still can't figure for life (pun intended) of me how time in Afib does not factor into these scores. How can someone with a CHADS score of 1 in AFIB for 15 minutes a day versus someone with a CHADS score of 1 in AFIB almost all the time share the same risk profile? Does not seem logical.

They don't.

Broad-based statistics are almost always misleading. Instead, if possible, one should asses one's own risk by assessing such factors as blood viscosity. I'm not an expert by any means, but there have been several posts regarding the subject. To a first order, simply thinning the blood by sufficient water intake may help.]]> wolfpack AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 02:22:41 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158276#msg-158276 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158276#msg-158276 Fibrillator AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 02:15:43 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158275#msg-158275 Re: Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158275#msg-158275 The Anti-Fib AFIBBERS FORUM Wed, 16 Aug 2017 00:08:24 +0000 https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158274#msg-158274 Anticoagulation and again https://www.afibbers.org/forum/read.php?9,158274,158274#msg-158274
[www.sciencedaily.com]

So what the are saying is if we go on anticoagulation therapy we are swapping a low risk of ischemic stroke for a considerably higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke and bleeding to death?

Dean]]> Dean AFIBBERS FORUM Tue, 15 Aug 2017 20:57:10 +0000