Am I entitled to demand to be put on one of the new NOAC.
Can my Gp insist I stay on warfarin.
What are my rights. who do I appeal or complain to if refused.
I travel abroad a lot. If I go out of range and need less than 4 weekly checks my insurance would be suspended.
Any advice pleases.
Yes. No. Read AFA website. Also NICE guidelines.
I think much depends, apart from how well you stay in range and your personal circumstances, on your GP's attitude, on where you live and what the CCG says.
I didn't have to ask for a NOAC: it was offered because the nurse (probably sick of my frequent INR tests, constant moaning and what she liked to call 'worrying') had given my GP a list of problem patients and my name was on it.
My EP in Liverpool prescribed Dabigatran immediately after my ablation because my INR was unstable..
I was unsure what would happen once I returned to Wales as the Welsh NHS supposedly doesn't do NOACs but there has been no problem so far. It's a capsule per 12 hours and so easy.
My INR was always unstable even before sand after three ablations and pharmacist doing these checks suggested to my GP about Rivoroxiban and have been on it for nearly a year with no probs, ask your GP you have the right !
Wendi
Like you, we travel abroad a lot, often in a motorhome and I was concerned about the effect of changes to INR, especially if I had AF whilst away. In the UK, my INR was always stable, so I considered self monitoring, but my concern was about what might happen if I moved out of range and needed to change doseage whilst abroad. I was lucky in that my GP was supportive and now I am on Apixaban. Ironically, I was recently away in Portugal and slipped back into AF for 24 hours. It was so comforting to know that I did not have to worry about my INR. Whilst you have the right to demand NOAC's, it helps if you have a reasoned case to change, good luck, John
In our area Cumbria most newly diagnosed AF patients are automatically given Apixaban or one of the other NOAC`s (in spite of the cost!)
I asked this and was told that warfarin is safer as they can give you an antidote if you suffer an accident and are bleeding a lot. The implication is that you will bleed to death on the NOACs. Is this true? As an active but accident prone clumsy young 65 year old I'll stick with the warfarin.
There is now an antidote approved for Pradaxa (dabigatran) and I believe another as well. So there is an antidote for at least one, and perhaps two NOAC's.
The consensus does seem to have shifted and doctors have told me several times that antidotes are a bit academic as you would be very lucky to be anywhere near where they might be administered. I'm now happily on Rivaroxaban - a great weight off my mind as regards maintaining the INR.
You are entitled to the best health care available.
Be your own doctor.
Insist.
Be as assertive as you need to be.
And be as informed as you can possibly be. Assertiveness, respect for docs, and knowledge are needed to deal with the medical community effectively. But first, knowledge. People are handicapped - and doctors are overly powerful - because the docs have all the info and patients are kept in the dark. The Internet is your friend here, the best librarian you can imagine.
Best of luck.
From what I have read it is very unlikely that you will bleed to death if on a Noac but you would be OK if on warfarin. If you have a major bleed then regardless they have to do other things to stop it. That's also true for somebody who is not on Anticoagulation
Pre-ablation NOAC
Done with meds! Except my NOAC
Best NOAC
Advised to stop NOAC
