Has anyone else high blood pressure for number of years then in last few weeks it's been fairly low? Eg 104/73 at 9am. I know this is not too low but 2weeks ago I had a few seconds faint ( while sitting waiting for sandwich) I was with friends just after completing a walk with a bit of an incline. It was about 7k steps not unusual for our group. It may have been lack of water and snack. In early days of afib I used to take snack and water. Later after food and fluids I was checked out by gp who said I was ok. For the last year I've wanted to reduce my Apixaban to 2.5mg from 5mg as I felt better when I had to pause it for various procedures. I understand the importance of it preventing strokes but one side effect is low bp for 1 in 10. Yesterday another gp was reluctant to reduce it. I'm 79 +2 months and weigh 54k height 5' 5. He suggested changing 5mg ramipril to 2 x.2.5 ,one in morning and one evening. My fear is falling over. Any ideas please?
Reducing Apixaban dose : Has anyone... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Reducing Apixaban dose
Well, your Apixaban can be reduced at 80 to 2,5mgx twice daily. and esp. since you have a lowish weight . i am not a medic but I understand this is usually what happens and it happened to me. I am a bit heavier than you at 5ft.2 and was the same weight a while ago when my Apixaban was redused to 2.5mgx twice daily.
Thank you for replying. I'm tempted to try reducing it now.
I had a conversation with my GP about this last year because I felt I was bleeding and bruising too readily. I weigh 50kg and am now 78 and six months. My point was that the day I turn 80 my dose will suddenly be reduced which seems daft to me but she insisted on going by the book. As I’ve recently had balance problems which may be caused by episodes of low BP I quietly decided to take 7.5 mg of Apixaban daily, a half tablet in the morning and a whole one in the evening. I too felt better when I accidentally ran out of Apixaban!
Thank you Buffafly. That's the great thing about this forum, finding someone else with similar experiences.
They don’t just reduce your Apixaban when your 80 I have a couple of friends who are still on it at 83 and 85 other things are taken into consideration as well
I understand that but I have noticed how different, better, I feel when I've had to stop the Apixaban for procedures etc. The gp did spell out the stroke risk too.
The rule is : two of - age over 80, weight under 60kg, reduced kidney function. So I will qualify on the first two.
I am just about to ask my GP whether I should reduce my Apixaban 5mg x 2 daily because I too am 50kg and 80 years old. Am worried that it might impair my kidney function. Does apixaban make any difference to one’s bp?
One side effect of Apixaban is that 1 in 10 people MAY suffer low bp. I emphasise may because we are all different. On the day I had a short faint my bp had been lowish when I started out on a walk. I took water but not food and didn't eat till 1pm. Since then my 5mg ramipril has been split in to 2 halves one in morning and second evening. This seems to be making a difference.
I have now spoken to a GP (cannot say my GP cos never spoken to her before) and she has reduced my dose of Apixaban to 2 x 2.5daily and am having blood tests including iron every 6 months. My bp is always slightly on the high side but usually not high enough for me to take bp pills which I hate taking.
They reduced my husband’s apixaban to 2.5 about a year ago (he had a stroke in 2021 and was put on it at 5 mg. ) a few month later he had a stain the eye and they put it up to 5 mg again. He is 82
Interesting. I think it depends on weight as well. I hope your husband recovered well.
Sorry that should have been stroke in the eye. He lost his sight in that eye.
I'm very sorry to hear that. Is that a stroke in the part of the brain that deals with sight, or literally a blood clot in his eye? My eyesight is one of my biggest concerns in the event of a second stroke. I lost the part of my brain that deals with speech and it left me aphasic but at first I could not speak at all or move anything on my right side. Fortunately the brilliant NHS stroke unit had me back on my feet again and walking after 3 days and I left hospital 10 days later. I'm on 2x 5 mg Apixaban a day. I'm coming up for 80 in a few months and will stay on that dosage as long as I can.
All the best.
Roy
It is a blood clot in the eye. Not in the brain.
So when they develop the artificial eye more he will be a candidate for a transplant and get some eyesight again? Or even get someone else's eye who has died? I guess they will give first options to those people who have lost both eyes though. The eye surgeon who replaced my lenses in both eyes specialised in eye transplants and has written several papers on the subject. Hence the reason I chose him. It seemed such a minor thing to him as he had done thousands of lens replacements. He's the eye surgery director of Moorfields.
All the best to you both.
Roy
I am afraid that he is not well enough for that, he also has Alzheimer’s, but it seems that the good eye has compensated and he still reads. He is bedridden as his brain does not tell his legs what to do.
Isn’t it amazing what they can do nowadays
Yesterday another gp was reluctant to reduce it.
Best to discuss with your GP and inform him about feeling faint especially if the faint feeling becomes frequent.
Thank you. I saw one gp on day of faint then another last Wednesday. He is actually sticking to the 80 rule but suggested I divided my 5mg Ramipril in half to have one am and other pm. Waiting for new prescription as capsules can't be split
Matter of fact I had a nurse come to the house and when I told her my blood pressure taken an hour and a half before she arrived was 80/68 she really freaked out saying I should have gone to emergency. She took it again on wrist and it was 121/ 72 which she was happy with. I was told to take BP after moving around in morning after bathroom visit and before eating and taking any medication and if it was low don't take my lisinopril meds. Called later that night to the VA 24hr nurse advice hotline and told her what happened and took my BP while she was on the line and it was 122/72 and was advised to go to the emergency room. I told her I had afib for 32 years and been all through the routine and more often than not was just told to "ride it out" which I did. The nurse said there could be something going on with heart but was afib when this all happened. I am 77, 256lbs, and 5'8". I am seeing my EP in a couple of weeks to get this sorted outed once and for all. I would advise you to do the same just for peace of mind as stress is not good with afib. Hope you get it all sorted out. If you are getting dizzy or fainting or feel "off" I would definetly be seen by DR.
Hi
I chose PRADAXA x twice day 110mg. Usually 150mg x twice but recommended for older folks with heart conditions.
But your anti co-agulant shouldn't affect your BP.
When mine was reduced as I should have been on it from beginning - I did feel improved in the energy level.
cheers JOY. 74. (NZ)
Thank you Joy. Low bp is a side effect of Apixaban. 1 in 10 people MAY get it. Gp also suggested I could change anti coagulant to Edoxaban or split ramipril dose but I was less sure about the former.
Hi
Really your decision. But when you make a decision the responsibility lies on you!
So what I say that is what I wish to do.
In Sept my Triage team had me on 110mg PRADAXA x twice.
But I was transferred on day 4. The local hospital raised it to 150mg x twice. Why never given an explanation or referred to the change. It was 2 years 3 months that I put the 2 discharge papers together.
I was furious!
I had it changed but usual locum doctor argued with me, she relunctantly changed it but with every 3 monthly pick u I had to read "PATIENT WANTS THIS DOSAGE".
Unhappy I finally had the best ever locum ever to stop that on my prescriptions. The major well known public hospital triage had me on 110mg x twice day.
On the leaflet inside PRADAXA box recommends 150mg up to 80 which she and I turn a blind eye to. My triage team would have taken everything into consideration.
Also latest research says that Cancer patients shouldn't be taking these drugs at all. Reason a risk of bleeding internally as well as externally.
cheers JOY. 74. (NZ)
I’m 81 and weigh 49kg. When I asked my cardiologist if I could reduce Apixaban to 2.5mg x 2, she said I had to continue with 5mg x 2 to be well protected because my kidney function was good. I was disappointed but what can I do? I don’t have to guts to adjust it myself though I’m sorely tempted to cut the darn pills in half.
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