What's Life Like on Eliquis?

I'll be starting my Eliquis program next week in preparation of my ablation in March. I've never been on a blood thinner before so I'm freaking out a little bit.

Am I going to have to be super careful with everything I do?

Can I still exercise and lift weights and otherwise live a normal life while I'm on it?

Will a simple nose bleed or a cut on my finger require a trip to the ER?

Will there be side effects of any kind?

I'm just nervous as hell if you can't tell and would appreciate any real life experiences with Eliquis and what I should expect. I'm just scared I'm going to do something wrong and I'm going to bleed to death.

Travis

Hi Travis,
Life wont be very different at all on Eliquis other than knowing a few key things .. note below answers to your questions in BOLD

tvanslooten Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'll be starting my Eliquis program next week in
> preparation of my ablation in March. I've never
> been on a blood thinner before so I'm freaking out
> a little bit.
>
> Am I going to have to be super careful with
> everything I do? ....... Not really but bungie jumping off the George Washington bridge, tackle football and sky diving should be off the list of activities for the time being
>
> Can I still exercise and lift weights and
> otherwise live a normal life while I'm on it? .... YES
>
> Will a simple nose bleed or a cut on my finger ..... NO
> require a trip to the ER?
>
> Will there be side effects of any kind?
......Possibly but unlikely anything of note ... You should get a medical alert bracelet or necklace with the info that you are on Eliquis clearly stated on it .. some relatively mild GI issues can happen but are not hugely common with Eliquis. Also some periodic brusing .. also mild to moderate and typically not serious ... can occur. Know too where the nearest 'Level 1' trauma center is to where you live, in the unlikely event you should have a serious accident or internal bleed, you should instruct any ambulance paramedics (should you be conscious that is, hence the need for the medical alert bracelet, necklace and ID card) to whisk you immediately to the nearest 'level 1 trauma center' to where you are at the moment, as your odds for making it out alive after a truly serious traumatic accident and with real bleeding, whatever the cause, are significantly greater even now before the new antidote reversal agents are approved and deployed widely around the world.
>
> I'm just nervous as hell if you can't tell and
> would appreciate any real life experiences with
> Eliquis and what I should expect. I'm just scared
> I'm going to do something wrong and I'm going to
> bleed to death.

>
> Travis

Travis, fear is largely optional once knowledge and understanding is allow to take its place. Try not to be a nervous nelly .. though I know it is easier said than done .. but seeing how many of us have taken Eliquis for a prolonged time and are still kicking, including those of us who no longer need the blood thinners and those who do, should help to put those fears in perspective.

If you happen to be someone who tends to always project and imagine the worse, then view this experience as a golden opportunity to move past those limiting and largely unwarranted reactive projections. Embracing this opportunity could pay big dividends in many areas of one's life going forward.

In conclusion, arm yourself with wisdom and understanding around the known issues with these drugs, and thus minimize your risks as much as possible for the temporary time you will likely have to be on them ... however long that may be. Remember too that It is far from the end of the world here. Unless it really becomes that, which is quite rare, in which case you wont be around to worry about it for long after the precipitating event ... in any event. Although perhaps that last little insight might not be exactly reassuring :-).

Best wishes Travis and take it easy .. you will do fine ... really! Your one big job is done and its time now to relax and be happy that you truly have put yourself in the best possible hands.

Go forth with a glad heart and prosper!
Shannon



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/05/2015 06:57AM by Shannon.

Hello Travis, i have been taking eliquis for about a year now and it is completely unremarkable. No side effects that i can notice. My grouchy old shecat scratches me sometimes and the scratches heal up normally. No side effects at all. All the best to you, live well and prosper.

PeggyM

Travis
I lifted weights and did daily activities with no side effects, no problem if I did cut myself a little. I was on Eliquis pre and post ablation. It is perfectly fine. Im off it now
Tim

Travis,

I think you are having excessive worry about something that is unlikely to happen. When I was initially prescribed an anticoagulant I had a similar reaction.

I came to realize that the likelihood of a major bleed was about 2% while the likelihood of a successful Natale ablation was 90% so I then began focusing on my ablation and could not wait until the day. I have been afib free since my ablation and no longer on anticoagulants.

Best of luck with your upcoming ablation.

Allan

Hi Travis,

I have been on warfarin for two years, and haven't had any problems to date. I am going in to see my cardiologist next week for my yearly check up. I am serioulsy considering changing from warfarin to elequis, and will discuss this with her. The only reason I haven't switched already is the fact that warfarin has an antidote which gives me a little piece of mind. I am 70 years old, I hike and fish, I golf, go to the gym daily and lead a very active life. More than likely you will only be on the elequis for a few months. I am stuck with being on a blood thinner, because I also take meds for high blood pressure and my family history with heart disease is not good. After my ablation in Bordeaux I had four glorious years of no afib. It did return in 2009 because I got cocky and thought I could get away with avoiding the obvious triggers. On the bright side, I have been afib free for over 1 1/2 years now. Very few missed beats and feeling great. You just have to be aware that you are on a blood thinner and use common sense to avoid bleeding related injuries. I understand that elequis is very close to having an antidote approval.

All the best.

Lou

Hi Lou - Good to see you posting! I'm also glad you are doing well after the setback. Hopefully, you will be able to switch to Eliquis when an safe antidote is available because, as you probably recall, a downside of warfarin is the increased prevalence of both bone thinning and osteoporosis plus arterial calcium deposits. I hope you are taking vitamin K2 MK7 to help direct circulating calcium into your bones for strength and arterial health.

Best to you,
Jackie

Shannon, thanks for the very practical tips. I didn't even think of the id bracelet. That's a great idea!

Thanks to everyone else for your input as well.

This place rocks. I don't know what I would do without it. I always feel better once I spend a little time in here.

Eliquis here I come

Travis

HI Travis - I'll ditto here what others are saying..I am also on Eliquis, and may be indefinitely due to a LAA isolation (although I am going for a TEE on the 24th of this month to see if I might be able to get off of it). Shannon had suggested the ID bracelet to me too, which I thought was a great idea and wear it all the time now. I have gotten some cuts, but nothing unusual happened afterwards - just normal bleeding like I would have had anyway. I never had a desire to bungee jump or sky dive, etc., so I'm not in dangerous situations that might be a bad idea...just living life normally

Don't worry - get the ID bracelet, know where the Level 1 Trauma center is (something I need to find out too...), and live as you always do (minus jumping off of bridges and so forth) and you'll do fine.

Best to you! ~ Barb