just read some peoples comments on dabagatran blood thiners

[duckpopper]

just read that dabagatran is a new drug which i have been taking for 6months , has no antidote yet and iam worried about taking it now .has anyone else heard of this .

[BobD Volunteer]

Yes it is an anticoagulant and as Ian mentioned on another post it doesn't thin the blood,. merely slows the way it clots.. None of the new oral anticoagulants have an antidote as yet but they do have a short half life which is why you have to take them twice a day. I am told that in an emergency there are ways of dealing with it via red cell packing transfusions. The question is which do you worry about most. Maybe having a bleed or having a stroke? Personally I wouldn't take one of these new drugs since I have zero problem taking warfarin but many people find this not to suit them, so at least there are three alternatives now whereas two years ago there was nothing.

Bob

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Duckpopper

You're reading right there is no immediate antidote, unlike warfarin which can be reversed very fast, BUT

The new anti-coagulants typically are taken twice a day, as they have a very short "half life" in other words they come out of the body very fast, unlike warfarin, which builds up and takes ages to settle (as those of us with variable INRs know) so that within 24 hours or so there is often a much (15% I read but not sure) lower level of the anticoag in the body and therefore less of a problem.

Of course these are new drugs, but they have been in testing for a very long time, and whilst there are all sorts of stories around, they are now licensed and obviously with no INR testing, and no dietary changes they have a place in the mix of which anti-coagulant to take.

I would not worry too much about it

Take care

Ian

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

You are right, that there is no antidote yet, and they do clear the body very quickly, and even reversing warfarin is not immediate. The huge PLUS with the newer drugs is they are more effective than warfarin at preventing stroke. So depending on your age,(much more likely to cause a bleed if you are over 75 ), you have to weigh which is the bigger risk for you, a stroke or a bleed. My age and my risk factors my make a stroke far more likely than a bleed so I will happily take the Pradaxa! It's all a numbers game of which risk one wants to take and all you can do is try your best to stack the deck in your favor!

[RobertELee]

Perhaps a naive question but with Warfarin one knows that it is working (or not) by the monitoring of INR. Presumably Pradaxa and the like simply 'work' but for peace of mind, could this be confirmed with an occasional INR test?

[BobD Volunteer in reply to RobertELee]

Lee, Sorry but INR is specific to warfarin and as I have mentioned elsewhere is in itself not an exact science. There are no tests for these NOACs as there do not work in the same way as warfarin.

BobD

[Hidden]

I have been on Dabigatran for a few months as was unable to tolerate warfarin and have had no problems with it. My understanding is that the INR test is for Warfarin only as it measures vitamin K levels which are altered by the Warfarin. The new anti coagulants change the thrombin levels in the blood but, not being medical, I don't know why that is not measurable in a similar way. I do wear a medi alert bracelet in case of accidents but otherwise I just try to take extra care not to get bumps or cuts, without being paranoid about it. The plus side for me is the lack of dietary restrictions and not having to have regular testing. As has been said already the half life of the drug means that it leaves the system fairly quickly, also a small bleed does respond to pressure so is not likely to cause a major problem. Hope this helps. I am sure you will find it more convenient in the long run. Good luck.

[Badbrunnen in reply to Hidden]

THANK YOU - MOST HELPFUL COMMENTS !! KIND REGARDS Badbrunnen

[Hidden]

Hi, I have also been taking Pradaxa (Dabigatran) for 6 months now due to having 2 serious hemorrhage episodes with Warfarin.....both experiences I do not want to have again!...yuk!! I don't worry about taking this new drug as I have much more freedom in my diet and no more bloods tests...yay! Because my INR was so unstable due to lots of meds i take (immune system problem) I was having to have bloods taken weekly and what a pain that was!

It was important to me to wear a bracelet/band with Pradaxa on and i even got a 1000 of them made up and sell them online...As has been mentioned by other posters about this drug, it has a slightly higher success rate of preventing strokes and as I have already had one, am happy to take it. I bled more on Warfarin, but thats just my experience.

[duckpopper in reply to Hidden]

Hello I need to get a bracelet where can I get one from thanks

[Hidden in reply to duckpopper]

I sell them on ebay for £3.40 free P&P.....debossed silicone bracelets, ink filled in colours black, red, green, pink & blue....

[duckpopper]

Thank you for your comments it has helped

[Hidden in reply to duckpopper]

You're very welcome