Good morning
My husband who has AF took 2 x 5mg Apixaban this morning instead of one! The leaflet with the tablets says if you take too many, you should contact your doctor immediately. I've phoned over to our surgery and told them and am awaiting a reply. I am a born worrier but he is so precious to me. This must have happened to others on here? - any advice would be extremely welcome. Many thanks for reading my post.
Just an update and to save you wasting your time on my post. John's GP has phoned him to say that the upper dose of Apixaban is 20mg daily as sometimes 10mg twice a day is given to clear blood clots so he just has to be careful not to cut himself and not to shave and apparently not to get the chainsaw out today! He should take another 1 x 5mg tonight.
I am such a worrier and panic when something like this happens. I do not post on here very often these days but I read through others and it is a great comfort to me knowing this group exists. Thank you.
Just don't hit him with that frying pan either. Glad your are re-assured.
Thank you Bob - and he says I'm dozy in the mornings, I think we know who is dozier!
BobD you cheer me up every time 😜🤣
Hi Jerseygirl - yes it DID happen to me - the day before I was due to have my ablation! I was so terrified they’d cancel my ablation that I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone! I spent an hour or two researching and figured I should still take my evening dose as Apixaban is only active in the body a set amount of time and they’d be more likely to cancel the ablation if I hadn’t had my evening dose. I had also taken an extra digoxin and discovered this larger dose was frequently given to relieve heart failure so at least I wasn’t about to die or suffer hallucinations!
On the morning of the ablation my husband persuaded me I MUST tell the cardio team. Such an embarrassment! But the EP was lovely and told me I’d done just the right thing to take the evening Apixaban as usual and that everything would be fine! Don’t panic, just take it easy and tell your husband he has my sympathies !!
Thank you Rainfern. Its always best to be honest about these things and its good to know that your EP was nice to you. I wish I didnt worry so much, but at age 74 I'm probably never going to change!
On the note of Apixaban being active in the body a certain amount of time, I was talking to my pharmacist about this recently as I'd thought about stopping it for a couple of days so I could take Ibruprofen for a really bad toothache. He said absolutely not as Apixaban stays in your system a lot longer than folk think......... about a week if you stop taking it completely.
Guess that's why you have to stop taking it for 5 days before surgery.
Hi
5 days before.
PRADAXA is 3 clear days.
cheri JOY. 74 (NZ)
I was told 5 days for apixaban before my ohs. I'm sure they all differ slightly.
Hi
I've had 3 operations since Feb 2020 and all anaesthetists said 3 clear days. 30 Oct 2023 they argued about restart from day after to 2 days after. Of course without that protection there is risk of stroke so surgical stockings and legs moved mechanically in bed and head raised up.
The last one right shoulder repair.
cheri JOY. 74. (NZ)
Don't worry about being a panicker and worrier as that was extremely useful information for all of us. I have missed a dose of Apixaban once or twice but I have always worried about taking too many, as taking tablets at set times of day becomes so much a habit that it is easy to do so and take too many.
It's good to know your doctor's advice and that you should still take the second normal dose of the day despite the 'overdose' in the morning. Thanks for your post.
Nice to hear alls well.👍
No washing up with sharp knives 😁. I think a fair few of us have either forgotten or taken one too many....easily done ... Panic over ...have a good weekend xx
Good to know the official stance on this. The opposite for me- a forgot a morning dose earlier this week, only realised when I went to take the evening dose so just carried on as normal.
I was going to say, it was an excuse for him to stay in bed and only use a spoon!!
You sound like my wife, and I mean that as a compliment. Bless her heart, she worries about me a lot. Roger on the chain saw. 😉
Your not on your own , I’m a panicker too x
lots of us have done it and lived to tell the tale but pleased to hear that you have been properly reassured. Suggest you wrap him in cotton wool and lock him in the bedroom 😉😂😉
Dear FlapJack, if only it were that easy - he is pretty laid back about these things and I'm worrying myself silly. Thanks for taking the trouble to send a reply.
Glad you got reassured, jerseygirl. I did exactly the same thing a while back and Hidden gave me the same advice as above. 🤣
Nuffin if not consistent! 😉
Thank you Finvola. I'm just so glad this group exists and usually the same names come up with replies - you are all so good and thoughtful and reassuring. Many thanks.
Yes - I’ve done it - rang the surgery who said it should be fine but to ring paramedics if I felt ill. I missed my evening dose & next day back to normal.
Glad you’ve received reassurance.
Thank you CDreamer. It's odd but it almost seems like I know all you folks on here who respond to questions and concerns. Many thanks for taking the trouble to post.
A .... Easily done. I've done silly things with my meds too.... Still alive or I was at last count! 🤣😅Solution? I bought a seven day pillbox and I set it up for the week. Not done it since. Mine you can take the individual days out so don't have to log the whole weeks supply out with me if I'm out for the day.
My problem was a cheap pill box from Boots from which the printed days had worn off. When I double checked to see if I’d taken my meds (over-vigilant prior to ablation) I counted forward from the wrong day!
Oh Nooo. Would a permenant marker pen work to relabel them?
I use Medications within the Health app on my iPhone. In the options at the bottom I turn on Follow-Up Reminders. It reminds every half hour on phone and watch until you log as taken. Was using the Reminders app before but this is much better.
Here’s a link how to set up support.apple.com/en-gb/HT2...
I've not see that app.... Will look.
Hi you can phone you pharmacist at any chemist for advice and it's quicker
Happened to me. Panic set in but doctor told me not to worry and take evening dose as usual. Also said double dose given for people with clots at times
glad you are reassured. I know one can be prescribed higher doses so dinna worry. Just don’t let him do any tree felling or hedge trimming or even water melon cutting today.
Again, many thanks to you ALL for your reassurance yesterday. All well today.
Oh my goodness this has happened to me too! I was soooooo worried. But I read what I could find on the internet, took a few deep breaths and tried to forget it. I took the evening dose as usual. I’ve got a 7 day pill dispenser but it’s still easy to get muddled. I’m so pleased you were reassured.
I'm the opposite. Have forgotten to take on on occasions 😁. As the packet comes with them lined up in 2s, I can tell if I've taken it by taking one side am and one side pm.😊
I'm exactly the same hence I knew I'd missed my morning one earlier this week when I came to take the evening one! Now the packet is all out of sync 🤣
When that happens, I put a marker pen over the odd one and keep the blister pack at the back of the box when I've had the others on it. I just hang onto it until I miss another 😁.
Hey, that's a great thought! It's annoying me every dose just now because it's not "paired up". 🥰
Imagine my confusion, as well as missing one of my apixaban earlier this week...........I am currently testing two foot creams for a trial for Boots. One on the left foot twice a day and a different one on the right foot once a day. 🥴 Thank goodness it's only for 7 days 🤣
🤣🤣🤣. Can I ask what foot creams you're testing. I'm a Foot Health Practitioner so being nosey in a professional capacity 😁.
Flexitol and and Footmender but sorry I can't share the results outside of the trial 🦶🦶 🙊
Not heard of Footmender but I've been using Flexitol on my patients, after their treatments, for the past 4 years. Love the stuff. Will have a look out for the other brand. Thank you.😊.
Ah, thank goodness! I'm not alone in occasionally getting my meds wrong! Also, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who panics when I've done so!!
I'm glad to hear the double dose of Apixaban wasn't a problem in the end, but it IS a worry when you realise you've done it.
My latest thing involves my steroid inhaler (I have dodgy lungs!). I am meant to take it once in the morning. One night, I took it again! Why? I have no idea as I have not needed to take an inhaler twice a day for years. Senior moment, I suppose. I went to bed frightened to death after reading 'notify your GP or hospital immediately' on the info sheet, but as it was midnight, I didn't want to phone the hospital or 111 as I imagined they would tell me to go to A&E. My husband was already in bed and asleep and I can't drive myself, so I took a chance on it and was absolutely fine - thankfully.
Yesterday I got my inhaler out ready to take, then took my other meds and followed up with a gargle as directed. BUT I couldn't remember if I had actually used my inhaler or not before I gargled! Dhurr! I decided to leave it rather than risk doubling up. Clearly this was a big mistake as by lunchtime I was having an asthma attack. Presumably, I hadn't taken it after all.
When you do things automatically as I do (having taken lots of medication for years) any small shift from routine can get you wondering 'Did I or didn't I?' so I'm now blaming my cat! She's new and is flatly refusing to follow my routine as she is nearly 15 and has her OWN routine. I like to do my meds as soon as I get up but now realise that madam must be attended to first and I can then concentrate on what I'm doing with the multitude of pills and puffers!
Thank you for your post. I really AM glad your husband is ok but I'm also glad to find out I'm not the only Dozy Dora who gets it wrong some times.
xx Moy
Dear Moy
Don't beat yourself up over getting mixed up from time to time. We all think that we are never going to be like that but age creeps up on us and we find we are possibly losing a bit of confidence too. I never thought I would but its happening and as much as I don't like to admit it, I just have to accept it. I think I'm going to get a couple of those weekly pill holders - and start dishing out the tablets once a week in those just to see if they will help. Enjoy your new cat and thank you for taking the trouble to post.
👍🙂xx Moy
Imagine my confusion, as well as missing one of my apixaban earlier this week...........I am currently testing two foot creams for a trial for Boots. One on the left foot twice a day and a different one on the right foot once a day. 🥴 Thank goodness it's only for 7 days 🤣
Nothing whatsoever to worry about. If he takes it twice per day, ask your cardio if he should skip his evening dose if he takes it twice per day. That’s all. Best, Jan
To save me taking too many / forgetting to take my dose, I purchased a week’s dosage pill container from Amazon.
Each half day has a separate compartment for the correct dose, I just make up a week’s medication and have alarms set on my mobile phone to act as my reminders.
Reducing Apixaban dose 
Double dose apixoban
Update to double dose of Bisoprolol 
