I am 69 yrs old with low heart disease risk and have had diagnosed afib for three years. I believe I was suffering with it for 2-3 years prior but did not address it until I got the classic symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, out of breath, and vision problems. My doc ran numerous tests on my heart that revealed I have no structural changes and no heart disease. I was put on metroprolol 25 mg and eliquis 10 mg daily. My normal BP is 103/60 so the beta blocker dropped it too low. Now I take 12.5 mg. I also cut my eliquis down to 5 mg due to side effects. My cardiologist put me on propafenone as a pill in the pocket to get back in rhythm when I have an event. This works well in that the beta blocker prevents the accelerated heart rate during an attack and the propafenone gets me back in rhythm in 2-3 hours. My concern is cutting the eliquis dose in half. There is evidence in the literature that the half dose is as effective as the full dose in preventing afib strokes. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Thanks.
Half dose of Eliquis: I am 69 yrs old... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Half dose of Eliquis
"There is evidence in the literature that the half dose is as effective as the full dose in preventing afib strokes."
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I cannot comment on whether the side effects you experienced from Eliquis required a dose reduction. That should be a discussion between you and a trusted Doctor who has your full medical history.
However, except for special populations, I have found nothing in the literature that says a half dose of Eliquis is just as effective as a full dose, or maybe it was a typo on your part and you left out the word "no"?
Jim
Thanks for the reply. The 2.5 mg twice a day dose is based on age 80, low body weight, or kidney disease. I read a journal paper that indicates it is as effective as the 5 mg twice a day dose in reducing stroke risk for this patient category. My side effects are bleeding for cuts and scrapes and stomach upset. My doc understands my concern and because of my low risk has agreed to the half dose along with pill in the pocket approach.
I believe if you read that paper you cite carefully, you need TWO of the three criteria mentioned and even then -- while the lower dose is warranted -- you wlll not necessarily get the same stroke protection as from full dose.
To be clear, I am not disagreeing with your decision to cut your dose in half. That should be a shared decision between you and your doctor and given your stated low risk, sounds like a very reasonable decision. My comment was solely about the statement I cited.
Jim
Hello Tralfa, I'm interested in the dose discussion as I had some bleeding problems with colonscopy and removal of polyp. I weigh 8st 5lbs and am 79.3months old. Despite this my gp says I should take 5mg twice a day until I'm 80. So on 18th June 2024 I take 5mg as long as I'm still here and on the 19th June I can take 2.5mg!
I also cut my eliquis down to 5 mg due to side effects. What dose of Apixaban were you taking?
I have only ever taken 5mg Apixaban - that is the full dose.
2.5mg is the half dose and you cannot cut these tablets in half - there is no score line. Please talk to your pharmacist as there is a 2.5mg dose available.
Please revisit your conversations with your consultant.
Information on dosage:-
I also cut my eliquis down to 5 mg due to side effects
Reducing the dose recommended by doctor or your own initiative ? As mentioned, best to discuss with your doctor. Your relatively young age (69) and overall heart condition will be factors.
As you have found, many studies available. Best to review those and discuss with your doctor. Use opinions here only as info and others' experiences.
My brother looks at drugs carefully and cut his anticoagulant in half.
In the clinical trial of Eliquis the half dose was NOT found to be as effective as the full dose for preventing strokes but the difference was not great. Eliquis has a short half life which is why it's dosed twice daily. Halving it by taking once a day would not give protection.
I reduced my dose to 2.5 mg twice a day but when my consultant found out he said I would not be getting full protection and told me to go back on 5 mg twice a day. I was 77 at that time and very low body weight. I'm almost 80 now.
All the best
Roy
I wish my husband had CBeebies given this as he had a stroke three months ago due to AF . He had an ablation in 2017 that had obviously stopped working somewhere along the line .
I wish I could advise about the half dose but am not knowledgeable about that and suggest you consult your cardiologist.
I can only say I have been on Eliquis 5 mg twice a day for a year and do not believe I have had side effects from that medication.
I could not tolerate the side effects from Metroprolol however as it was making me very loopy, dizzy, fatigued. So I had to discontinue that.
I would discuss with your doc about which medications might be giving you the particular side effects you have just to be sure it's most likely Eliquis. Good luck with it.
I only take half dose Apixaban 2.5mg as prescribed by Cardiolagist, 78 year old female and 52kg no other health issues. My Dad died from a bleed on the brain aged 68 . I was very nervous about taking an anticoagulant because of that so we agreed half dose was OK.
eliquis
Asthmatic with P A F 
Bisoprolol and Beta Blockers 
Flecainide daily without beta blocker 
