I had a phone call with my doctor today, during which she referred to Edoxaban as a 'blood thinner'.
Now I'm seriously worried about her abilities... Is this a natural mistake for a doctor, is she just trying to dumb things down for me? She used the phrase a couple of times. I'm not quite sure what to make of it!
Unfortunately the majority of the medical profession describe anticoagulants as blood thinners.
When and how it started is not clear but it is here to stay.
I speak as someone taking Warfarin.
Pete
Thanks Pete - I guess it's a long time since I talked to a doctor about the meds...
Try not to worry about it Earsalottie, our combined attempts to educate the medical profession have been incredibly successful but it is a mammoth task and unfortunately, sad as it may seem, there will always be folk who will refuse to see the light. My claim to fame was when the revered Dr Sanjay Gupta agreed to talk via Zoom, to the Surrey Arrhythmia Support Group, and rather tongue in cheek, I asked him if it might be more helpful if he referred to anticoagulants rather than blood thinners. With a smile, he graciously agreed and as far as I know, he has only mentioned anticoagulants in all his videos since……so there is hope!!
Thanks Flapjack! I guess it's a lot more common term for them than I'd realised.
You're lucky. If she called them "anti-coagulants", I would ask to see her medical license 
That was a bit tongue in cheek, but doctors, even the best doctors, call them "thinners", both when they talk to themselves and often to patients. And so do many medical articles
Don't get hung up on semantics like some here. BTW when they mean aspirin, they will say "aspirin".
Likewise, when you have a myocardial infarction, your heart is not really being "attacked", yet everyone calls it a "heart attack". Many other similar examples. More important things to spend time talking to your doctors about than medical semantics.
Jim
I guess I shouldn't have been a proofreader in my previous working existence! That's me told.
Well said Jim.
Another way of looking at it is that 'Communication' has been achieved, as such you knew exactly what your medic was on about. No doubt there are many if they heard the word "anticoagulant" would then have to have it explained to them what it is. Basically they have saved time and nothing for anyone to really worry about.
Thanks! I'm trying to be positive about it.
Lovely to hear from you. Now come on, if doctors always used the correct medical terms when talking to us, we wouldn't have a clue what they were talking about. Blood thinners has always been the general way to describe anticoagulants, they help prevent blood from coagulating and forming clots.
Jean
Apologies Jean, I am going to be pedantic - blood does not thicken and anticoagulants/‘blood thinner’ do not affect viscosity of blood because blood consists of various elements and cells suspended in a liquid. Clots form by red blood cells clumping together - bit like how queues form on busy motorways as the traffic slows and then blocks surrounding roads - sorry - best analogy I could come up with.
I’ve given up on what people call them now, too engrained in the culture but the idea of blood thinning or thickening is incredibly misleading.
Off on our hols to the sun (I hope) tomorrow so will wave to both of you as we sail past Devon.
Best wishes S x.
Have changed the word thickening to coagulating.
A holiday, how lovely, can't remember the last time I went on one. Other than a few days in this country staying at a nice hotel.
Jean x
Hi there both, yes, sorry, maybe I was being pedantic, it's the proofreader in me! I always got told off for referring to them as 'blood thinners' so I guess I'm just sore 🙂 Hoping you have a lovely holiday! We just had a day away on Anglesey, much needed. Take care both!
Lis
Great to hear from you, just thinking about you and wondering how you were doing a few days ago.
Not a lot has changed around here, as you can gather.
S x
Haha no so I see, didn't mean to drop a bomb in the middle of the forum lol. I will learn my lesson one day.
Lis
The term ‘blood thinners’ is a catch all term covering all types of medication which affect the clotting mechanism in some way but have different actions, in the same way that ‘palpitations’ covers all sensations of your heart beating. If your GP had referred to Clopidogrel, also used to prevent clots, as an anticoagulant instead of an antiplatelet then you would have had cause to worry 🤔
That's true. I shall try to stop worrying about her lol.
She's just using 'common' language. Like referring to nosebleeds as just that rather than epistasis (so?) or heart attack Vs myocardial infarction.
Or indeed fainting instead of syncope. Yep. Got it.
Think they just say that as they think that’s what the public perceive them to be which is true generally….
Indeed.
I agree with the general opinion here. Your doctor knows full well that the term 'thinners' is not strictly accurate in terms of how the drugs work, but is using the common vernacular, which is fine. As Jim said, more important things to worry about.
I gather that, got the message loud and clear.
I don't use the word having been roundly put down by one particular member when I first joined the forum several years ago. Indeed, I almost left the forum because of it.
However, it's my experience that a great many ordinary people, as well as doctors and health care staff, do still call anticoagulant drugs "blood thinners". Indeed, a quick web search will reveal that many UK NHS websites do the same as well as other health authorities around the world.
They should know better and, if pressed, we would surely find that they do; but in their defence, they would perhaps say that the phrase "blood thinner" has a long usage and, unlike "anticoagulant", easily rolls off the tongue. Importantly, its imprecision in meaning is unlikely of consequence within the contexts it is used. It's certainly no more imprecise than many other medical words that have entered the daily vernacular and stuck (I could make a list!).
Steve
The problem is that it actually sounds more sinister giving patients the idea that their blood will somehow be watery and inferior - though when I saw the blood running down my hand escaping the dressing after the removal of a canula in my wrist yesterday it certainly looked watery!
I hope it stopped soon enough! 😉 I don’t mind at all the phrase blood thinner myself and think it precise enough for daily use but I understand the views mentioned here by some.
From what a nurse told me this week while having my Covid booster, in reply to my saying that I don’t bleed any differently since being on apixaban, I gather that many people don’t bleed much differently but that more do bruise more easily.
Steve
I have definitely noticed longer bleeding times. I also get small bruises on my inner upper arms that I am sure just rise spontaneously. I had to press for 5 minutes on the wrist and then the nurse put on a new dressing and fixed it on tighter. Fortunately the site does not seem to have bruised much despite the cat scan tech having to fiddle around with it 😫 as the nurse had forgotten the port for the contrast.
Yes, after this little drubbing I'm thinking of leaving the forum myself. If I'd known it was going to be this contentious I'd never have posted, and I certainly won't post anything ever again for fear I'll get the same reception.
You know, I thought we were here to support each other. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for the heads up Steve, and goodbye. It was nice 'meeting' you. At least you're civilised 🙂
You should see the personal message that came my way from that person at the time! 😳
And, hopefully, as you’re clearly such a good sort as well as a good sport, you’ll see past these few obstacles and keep penning your missives so we can learn from your interesting experiences and useful advice.
☺️
Steve
Goodness me Eatsalottie, every post has been supportive in reassuring you that your doctor isn't making a mistake as such, that's all! I haven't read anything other than good intentions. No 'drubbing' to be seen here, we're all trying to help! And there's no contention as we all agree!
In Italy as a lot of the medical terms derive from Latin they usually use the proper word if they did this in England you'd be well on your way to learning another language! 
Though I must admit that I came away from the Dentist yesterday feeling a bit confused by all medical terms he used!
A rose by any other name……….etc
I'm in the US. Eliquis and Xarelto both refer to themselves as blood thinners in their commercials, The others don't advertise at all.
Blood thinners dissolve clots already formed.. anticoagulants prevent clots forming.. but the grey area is both actually keep blood thin.. less likely to stick.. or aggregate.
Doctors do regard anticoagulants as a thinner for this reason..
What is the issue?. What makes you think your Dr is incompetent??
Perhaps your Dr was trying to explain the tablet in laymens terms, in which case it IS a blood thinner...Or its true function is as a newer type if ANTICOAGULANT in which normal INR testing is not required.
If you have established Afib be thankful you are on on it...its there to prevent the probability of a stroke!!
about Warfarin...
Very rude a&e doctor
Diltiazem alternatives for my mother?
Finding the right Doctor for ablation 
an update on my wife's afib journey
