Rectal bleeding after taking blood thinners

I experienced rectal bleeding after taking Pradaxa.

My Doctor told me to stop taking Pradaxa for a couple of days and see if the bleeding stops, if the bleeding has stopped then continue taking it.

What if I experience more bleeding at a later time. What then? Will this lead to something more serious?

I have tried Xarelto but it has too many side effects for me.

Eliquis is not available in New Zealand.

What's the procedure if blood thinners is not suitable?

You can mail order Eliquis. You just need a prescription that you either scan it snap with your phone. 5mg twice a day for 28 days is $105. Below is a $50 off code so it will cost you $55 with free expedited shipping. Try it for a month to see if you get any side effects like your other NOAC. They sell 2.5mg for the same price BTW. Or order the 5mg and if you can get eventually a watchman, split the remaining 5mg you have left after the watchman to 2.5mg to get 2 months worth for the same price. I order 6 months worth at one time from israelpharm.
[www.israelpharm.com]
$50 off code for any rx they sell.: ref6604998 Is the $50 off code

Thanks Susan.d,

Unfortunately we are not permitted to import prescription drugs in to New Zealand.
Although there maybe a way arround it, I will do some resurch.

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colindo
Thanks Susan.d,

Unfortunately we are not permitted to import prescription drugs in to New Zealand.
Although there maybe a way arround it, I will do some resurch.

[www.medsafe.govt.nz]

Start the process with getting a letter from your doctor. You may need a medsafe form signed as well. IDK. Email israelpharm and ask:
rx@israelpharm.com



“ Reasonable excuse
We define "a reasonable excuse" as either:

An original letter from a New Zealand authorised prescriber (doctor, dentist, midwife or nurse prescriber - the prescriber must be one who is authorised to prescribe these medicines to you)
Or
An original prescription from a New Zealand authorised prescriber (doctor, dentist, midwife or nurse prescriber).
The letter or prescription should state why the prescriber has authorised the importation of these medicines that may not have been approved by Medsafe. The letter or prescription from the authorised prescriber must match exactly the name, strength, quantity, and form of the imported prescription medicine, and must show that they are aware that they are authorising the importation of the prescription medicine from overseas.

You should be aware that your imported medicines may be detained by the New Zealand Customs Service until the prescriber’s authorisation has been verified. It would be helpful if the package documentation includes a copy of the authorisation letter, or the prescription.”



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2022 01:17PM by susan.d.

I seriously doubt that your doctor is going to write a prescription for a drug that can't be legally prescribed in NZ.

Keep in mind that anticoagulants don't cause bleeding, they only prolong it. So the bleeding happened all on its own, not because of the Pradaxa. So changing anticoagulants may not make a difference.

Is it bright red blood? If so, that means it's coming from low in the colon, with the most common culprit being hemorrhoids. If it's darker blood, that means it's coming from higher up and could be a number of things. If it doesn't stop I'd worry less about the anticoagulant and more about finding out what's bleeding.

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Carey
I seriously doubt that your doctor is going to write a prescription for a drug that can't be legally prescribed in NZ.
.

He said Eliquis is not available. That doesn’t necessarily mean it cannot be legally prescribed. Perhaps it’s not on the insurance’s drug list.
[www.healthnavigator.org.nz]

Perhaps NZ has the same limited drug selection based on overall cost as other subsidized national health care plans. I did read on the NZ medsafe link i provided that it doesn’t sound like NZ is not as strict as other countries because they don’t require forms and reviews before one is allowed to import the drug.

[www.health.govt.nz]
NZ Ministry of Health -pharmacy

Hmm..I just found this. Maybe it will be helpful:
[www.legislation.govt.nz]

Medicines Regulations 1984

More digging…Eliquis is mentioned on medsafe (page 15 of 16, question #5, “test your knowledge “) but that doesn’t confirm it’s locally available or legal to prescribe:
[www.medsafe.govt.nz]

“ Dec 4, 2015 — (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis) is not increased when taken together with which of the following: a) verapamil…”



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/2022 05:18PM by susan.d.

Okay, looks like you're right that it is legal in NZ. However, now I don't understand why Colindo says it's unavailable because I found several NZ pharmacies offering it online. Other web sites say it can be obtained at local pharmacies as well.

That’s what I found too just now. Perhaps it’s the same situation I faced that socialized medicine has different plans, each plan offers their own drug basket. Maybe Colindo’s plan doesn’t offer it.

Eliquis is not offered by the Doctor as it is not a free medicine, I have since found it being offered for sale at about $145.00 nzd for 60 tablets.

As Carey says would it make any difference changing to a different brand. My Doctor didn't think so, he put it that, they all do much the same thing..
The color of the blood was dark, so maybe it was something I ate?

It has never happened before and I wonder if it would have happened if I was not taking any blood thinners...??
Do the drug companies tell us all they know? ?
If the blood thinners is not the cause of the bleeding then why is it a common side effect?

I read that Pradaxa and I think Xarelto are on watch, as it has been found that the chances of a stroke and heart attack is 33% greater than taken warfarin.
The Doctors don't tell you that.

Your doc is right that all they all work more or less the same way even if they use different chemical pathways. However, Pradaxa is known to have a higher bleed risk than Eliquis and Xarelto, especially in older people.

Bleeding spontaneously is actually a pretty common event, especially in the GI tract. Small leaks develop but then your body clots them off and they stop. In most cases they don't bleed enough for you to even notice. But if you're on an anticoagulant, the bleeding will last longer, so maybe long enough to produce enough blood for you to notice. So it is true that anticoagulants don't cause bleeding, but they do prolong it, sometimes long enough for it to be noticed. That's why it's listed as a side effect.

Quote

I read that Pradaxa and I think Xarelto are on watch, as it has been found that the chances of a stroke and heart attack is 33% greater than taken warfarin.

Where did you read that?! I'd have to see data to even begin to believe it because all the data from clinical trials say quite the opposite. Those drugs never would have gotten approval if that were even remotely true.

Thanks for the explanation,.

The bleeding has cleared up. I need to discover what was the cause.


I first read about pradaxa being found to have higher chance of stroke and heart attacks on another forum and went researching to see if it was true, l have found one article but it's not the one I wanted to refer to you. I will do more looking.
[www.webmd.com]

Most of the horror stories one may find on the WWW about Pradaxa are highly exagerated. The main reason for that is Pradaxa has been the very first NOAC introduced on the drugs market and, as it, has been a long time target for scepticism and bad comments since it was fighting the well established business of "rat poison" and laboratories making blood analyses...

I’m in Oz and I can get Eliquis for $6.80 for 60 tabs as I’m on a pension. Private script around $90, and PBS $41