Now started Rivaroxaban

Those who read my blog know I have been waiting to be prescribed Rivaroxaban. Well today the hospital issued my first prescription and my GP will then continue to prescribe the drug and will keep my blog up to date how I get on!

[Tipper]

That sounds good. Will you continue to monitor your INR?

[Hidden in reply to Tipper]

Hi Tipper, that's an interesting question. As you know, there is no need to monitor your INR on Rivaroxaban but the hospital wants to do a blood test in three weeks time to see if it's working. I don't know how this blood test works with Rivaroxaban but will be asking some questions to find out!

[Tipper in reply to Hidden]

The existing INR test is solely based on clotting time so won't that also apply to Rxn? (Sorry can't pronounce it let alone spell it) Not sure how the drug works yet. If you've some test strips left over then see what results you get.

[dizzielizzie1 in reply to Tipper]

xaltero comes with an little fold out Patient Alert card. It has info for health care providers: INR values should NOT be used as they are not a dependable measure of the anticoagulant activityof xaltero,( which is Rivaroxaban.) Hope that helps.

[loretta1106 in reply to Hidden]

My doctor is considering putting me on rivaroxaban/xarelto now after 1 year on warfarin after a stroke. I'm interested in knowing how it has been working for you and is it true that there are no dietary restrictions on rivaroxaban?

[maejane]

well done, and welcome to the club, I have been on it since june 2012, and there isnt alot of us on it for longterm use, so really we are test studies for future users, I have to get my blood checked every 6 months to make suse it is working and to check my kidneys, so good luck. here is hoping all goes well and no side effects! it is scary at first being let go and having no INR testing but so far so good

[Hidden in reply to maejane]

Hi maejane, Thank you so much for letting me know you are on rivaroxaban and your kind words have reassured me that I have made the right decision. I must confess that I am a little scared about not having to test my INR as I achieved such an excellent therapeutic range (85% over 2 years) and 90% in therapeutic time range. My anticoagulant consultant was quite impressed by the results and agreed that therapeutic time range was more important than being in therapeutic range.

This goes back to pubgirl question on INR too low on 7 Feb 13 and her INR readings. So far, nobody has yet got back to her and said how well her warfarin therapy is working using the Rosendaal Method and I'm sure she would like to know! Pubgirl has been in touch with me and my advice was to discuss her results and warfarin therapy with her GP or anticoagulant provider and request a copy of her therapeutic time range.

I am not medically qualified and my advice was based on my experience and research into Rosendaal Method and my INR study with Birmingham University. I have written an excel spreadsheet using the Rosendaal Method and tested against my INR study and is available on request. However, it is a complex spreadsheet and you need advanced excel knowledge to use it and understand how it works. For legal reasons, I cannot show any results on the forum.

[Ladymunroe in reply to maejane]

Hi, I have just got my first prescription for rivaroxaban and am totally nervous ! How are folks getting on?

[drumcannon]

WAS WONDERING WHY MEDICS CHOSE RIVORXABAN OVER PRADAXA MAYBE BECAUSE YOU ONLY TAKE ONCE A DAY OR IS THERE ANOTHER MEDICAL REASON INTERESTED AS AM TAKING PRADAXA

[Hidden]

Hi drumcannon, an excellent question but I have no experience with Pradaxa so look forward to seeing the replies!

[darksteele]

There will be many reasons for the choice of which drug the doctors prescribe. However, in this case the biggest and most important reason will that Xarelto (rivaroxaban) has been licenced and is approved by NICE for DVT and PE treatment and preventation.

Pradaxs hasn't got a licence for DVT or PE and therefore has also not been "NICE'd"

[Hidden in reply to darksteele]

Well answered darksteele and of course you are right.

[drumcannon]

darksteele you sound to be in the know for what has nice approved pradaxa

[darksteele in reply to drumcannon]

Google is your friend! Enter a drug name, research on the web and it is easy to find. You read about NICE in the papers, google and you find their website. Search for a drug name and hey presto! NIce is a public body so it's findings are open to the public. Www.nice.org.

I suffer from AF and recently had an ablation. I am on warfarin which I cannot stand. However wasn't allowed the new drugs due to them not being licensed for ablation. As I am a scientist I did my own bit of Internet research, there is lot on the web on these drugs and luckily I do understand clinical trials and the jargon used but I am not a medical doctor and would always recommend speaking to an expert on anticoagulation.

[jimbo2011]

hi there i have just started rivaroxaban and my dose is 20mgs per day, i was on warfarin for nearly 2 years for a double DVT and a PE on my lungs. my inr range was 2.5 - 3.5 but it was very hard to control cause i was in and out of hospital quiet a few times because it was dangerously low, i felt like a pin cushion between getting my bloods taken constantly or getting clexane injections so they prescribed me the rivaroxaban, so do you think that its been the best decision all round for me cause with it being quiet a new drug my gp didnt know much about it they are only going with what my consultant says so if any one can advise me or tell me a bit about it i would be very grateful...... jim..

[darksteele in reply to jimbo2011]

I think only you can answer this, how do you feel?

The drug would of been in development for many years and I think has been used after surgery to prevent blood clots for 4 or 5 years so it isn't brand new! However it was only licensed for DVT in 2011. GPs don't seem to know that much about anticoagulation and what they do know is all based on 50 year warfarin! They tend to leave these decisions to the experts in hospital. That is who I would listen to and if they have recommended Riva then you should be OK. Let us all know how you get on.

[Ozmo]

Hi there, I've been taking warfarin for about 4 years after having a PE, I've had to have my INR checked weekly for last few years as never in range, I've either been too high or too low, over the last few weeks my doctor has been looking into switching me over to rivaroxaban. I picked up my new prescription this evening, so I will be starting new tablets tomorrow, I have been told to take 15mg twice daily for 3 wks then 20mg daily, I'm a little concerned as I was told you should have an INR of below 3 to be switched over to rivaroxaban, my last INR was 1.5 a week ago and the doctor told be today that there was no need to check INR today, I'm meant to be starting new drug in the morning, and I'm assuming the fact that I didn't have INR checked today that I'm to take my doctors word that all be be ok....

[Ladymunroe]

Just realised this an old

Blog so I don't know if people still look at it. I hope so as some of you are very similar to me. Clots and PE's

Ozmo was at the time they posted exactly where I am now. As in tomorrow morning 20mg will be taken for the first time

Carol

[Ladymunroe]

How do I follow blog?

[maejane in reply to Ladymunroe]

At the very top the first comment there is a follow post press it, welcome to the world of rivaroxaban and good luck!