Hi, I've been on blood thinners since about 2012. I have had slowly increasing problems with morning diarrhoea since then. I was on apixaban but was changed to edoxaban for safety reasons on the advice of the GP's pharmacist. No change noted. I've been trying to track down the cause of my diarrhoea, and the only pattern I can find is it occurs most when I move more. So this affects my weekly shop on a Wednesday morning but always when we're on holiday, and at weekends when I'm out more.
I learnt today from my cousin that she also had daily diarrhoea after being prescribed blood thinners. She tried every type, no difference, so she stopped them, for quality of life. The diarrhoea stopped and she's had no more problems since.
Has anyone else made this connection?
I'm on blood thinners for suspected AF which has never been confirmed. I have never had any symptoms, just a 1 second glitch on an ECG which was suspicious of AF. A Holter monitor for a week failed to confirm it, yet they still want me on blood thinners!
Written by
Broseley
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Actually Paul, I sometimes wonder if these forum rules would tend to make the forum increasingly irrelevant nowadays. Anything useful, as is your comment, I tend to 'Screenshot' it immediately in case the thought police nobble it. Then do my own research independantly later.
I never saw that. Does it actually work asking admin because I've never yet had a reply from any admin on any of the forums I belong to on Health Unlocked.
What's the point of life (or even this Forum) if you can't say what's in your heart.
Take heart and publish the link young man (as Brian Clough might have said!) ... and perhaps add the following words at the end of your Reply (as previously suggested to me by Admin) ...
"Warning from Admin:
If anyone has any questions regarding the article and how it may apply to them to please speak with their doctor or healthcare professional for advice".
I'll play it by the rules although it is a little frustrating. What if I wanted to reply to a post now and include a link? At this time I wouldn't get approval until tomorrow would likely not bother replying to the post.
I know that anticoagulants can cause gastro problems in some people. I’m curious as to why you’re on them if Afib has not been confirmed, but presumably your doctor considers you to be in a high risk group - maybe family history, age, other heart condition? If I was you I’d seek a second medical opinion.
Yep, had two years of misery on Warfarin with severe diarrhoea but couldn't get the medics to take it seriously. As a result, I developed hemmeroids, which still cause me problems. Eventually persuaded them to switch me to Apixaban and that solved the problem. Been on Apixaban for about two years now without any problems.
That is very helpful to me so thank you. I was put on Edoxoban a few months ago and have had nothing but problems with my digestion since. Acid reflux (despite being on Lanzoprazole) and frequent bouts of diarrhoea which have also caused haemorrhoids! My GP was very sceptical that any anticoagulant would cause digestive issues so hearing that someone else has had problems is useful. Going to see cardiology tomorrow actually so will ask if I can change to something less likely to cause problems.
Yes, I think you have to stand your ground and insist that they give you something else. Beware of being fobbed off with a P P I, proton pump inhibitor, such as imaprazole, which are prescribed for diarrhoea and excess acid. Despite being prescribed for that, diarrhoea is a known side effect of them and people can suffer other problems when they stop taking them. Good luck.
I was put on omeprazole when I started on steroids for PMR. They insisted on it. I did try stopping them for a few weeks to see if it helped my diarrhoea, but it didn't.
I have detected afib with a Kardia Mobile. Cardiologists have not managed to after running 2 holters each for a week.
However I am on edoxaban. Initially I tried Rivaroxaban but 3 weeks later I had bad lower GI pain which kept me awake at night. I changed to Apixaban, then warfarin, and now edoxaban, but the pains persist.
I cannot attribute them to anything other than the anticoagulants.
I have no solutions, but it's clear to me that for some people blood thinners cause gastric problems
CHAD score is your risk of a stroke, its best if you google it.
However, again I am not a doctor and don't know your full medical, but in my opinion it is highly suspect (verging on malpractice) to have prescribed a blood thinner for you when you 1. Don't appear to have had an AF event in 11 years, 2. Were never conclusively diagnosed with AF.
Most people on this forum have official diagnosis (Doctor Ekg, holter monitor, ER room visit), or have a device that can determine they are having an AF event (i.e. an apple watch or kardiamobile)
Some folks won't take a blood thinner even with a higher CHAD score, right or wrong.
But in your case you need to find out why your doctor put you on blood thinners (this does not prevent AF, only the 'risk' of stroke during/after an AF event.
Good luck
(there are others on this forum that have a better grasp on the risk/rewards of blood thinners for folks diagnosed with AF)
Thanks. I think CHAD is not used in the UK. It was not my GP who prescribed blood thinners etc but a cardiologist via a letter with results of a Holter monitor that picked up a 1 second glitch "suspicious of atrial fibrillation". The follow up Holter test 5 years later picked up nothing over a week but the cardiologist, a different one, said to continue on blood thinners anyway. GPs here in the UK are pretty clueless in my experience and always refer you elsewhere!
Hello there. CHADs is absolutely used in the UK (my score is 1, only because I'm female). I've had lone paroxysmal AF for 12+ years (formally diagnosed 12yrs ago), and every time I encountered a GP in the early days they'd panic and say 'You need to be on blood thinners!' All four of the cardiologists I saw in that time frame agreed with each other and with me that I did NOT need to be on blood thinners because I was at relatively low risk of a stroke (CHAD score). The consensus was that 'blood thinners are nasty and you want to avoid them until you really need them', which unfortunately is now (probably in persistent AF since I had Covid last May...still waiting for cardioversion...now taking daily drugs for the first time in 12yrs, alas). Do investigate with a cardiologist. Good luck.
As for diarrhoea, yup, I've never had the squits so much in my life as I have since I began taking daily rivaroxaban/Xarelto three months ago. I divide my dinner and take the rivaroxaban approx halfway through so that it isn't hitting an empty stomach and is still accompaned with food going down (to minimise heartburn, which I'm also having for the first time in my life -- bad enough to wake me up; I hope it's gastric, not cardiac!). Several times a week, between 90min--2hrs after eating and taking the dose, I'm doing the quickstep to the toilet, often several times within the next few hours. Oh joy.
You poor thing! I am convinced it's the blood thinners causing this. The gastro consultant pooh poohed the idea and said it must be diet. I take omeprazole because I'm also on steroids for PMR though I've also never had any issues with acid reflux.
l would not be happy with that diagnosis. I cannot tolerate any of the new anticoagulants and as a last resort had to go on Warfarin, which l just manage to tolerate. You could of just had an ectopic cluster picked up on your ecg. You need to get yourself a monitor. My blood pressure monitor tells me when l am in AF. A heart symbol appears, but l can also feel my heart in my chest going all over the place. I suppose they were being cautious putting you on anticoagulants, but you will probably feel much better if they are not necessary and stopped. I think a firm discussion with your GP/EP is needed. All the best.
Thanks. My Fitbit has never detected AFib, but the GP put that down to the meds I'm on - edoxaban and bisoprolol. Though only 1.25mg of the latter at my request because it lowered my heart rate too much and made me feel sluggish. I didn't think the AFib could be prevented by these meds?
One GP said "You can stop blood thinners if you want". But the cardiologist letter said to stay on them so if I stop them, then have a stroke it's my fault not theirs.
I know it’s difficult for you being in this situation but you haven’t had an accurate diagnosis which is very worrying for you especially being given all these drugs. The meds you are on don’t always stop AF. You are between a rock and a hard place. I can’t take Bisoprolol regularly as it lowers my blood pressure too much and also made me very ill with the side effects. I use it as a PIP. I really don’t know what to advise you to do as it’s your personal decision and you have probably been scared by it all, l know l would be. I hope somewhere along the line you are able to catch this monster, if you have it, and either way put your mind at rest. I really didn’t think they would put someone on these drugs unless an accurate diagnosis was obtained as we are not talking about sugar pills. Hope it works out for you soon.
Bisoprolol had the same effect on me. It turned me into a zombie even at that same very low dose (1.25mg), because they made my normally lowish heart rate drop much too low. For that reason, I abandoned bisoprolol after six weeks with my regular cardiologist's approval. But that was several years ago when I was only having very occasional paroxysmal AF, like once or twice a year, never lasting longer than 12hrs. If your episodes are similarly infrequent, I'd question with a cardiologist (not a GP) whether you really need daily BBs.
Due to being in persistent AF I'm now stuck with 25mg metoprolol twice a day. I'm not a complete zombie (because my heart rate is higher than normal due to being in persistent AF), but I've been told by others that BBs 'make it hard to get out of first gear', and that is definitely true for me.
I have never had an episode, to my knowledge. I do get palpitations which respond to vagus nerve stimulation, and ginger pills so I think that's gut related too.
I read this with interest. I'm on Apixaban (5 years) and am slowly developing problems. It is also diet related but I have to wonder if my anticoagulant has anything to do with it.
That's what this forum is for, glad you found it useful. I hope your problems get sorted. My gastro consultant told me to try the low FODMAP diet, but I'm dubious as I know some things on it disagree with me. But something is causing me to get high levels of inflammation in my colon, as a calprotectin test showed. Funny too, how it always happens mornings only, after I've taken my pills.
My doctor gave me the FODMAP diet too and much of it wasn't useful. We all different and we have to keep experimenting. I journal daily to help understand what the triggers are but it's not consistent. I've started taking as many pills and supplements as I can with food.
Just this week I learned that there are slow-acting (once a day) and fast-acting (twice a day) blood thinners, and the slow/once a day doses are not diet-dependent like fast/old style blood thinners. I had been wondering why I was given no dietary advice when I began taking rixaroxaban/Xarelto -- this is why (and have yet to be called in for blood test monitoring in the 90 days I've been on it?) .
It came up in a completely different context so I'm going to start another post about it.
Interesting. I was put on apixaban which is twice a day, no dietary advice. Then put on edoxaban which is once a day. I was told that edoxaban is safer if you miss a dose. I presume then that edoxaban is slow acting? It's made no difference to my diarrhoea problem though.
I had to cease NOAC medication because it had such a toxic effect on my IBS-d symptoms. I'm afraid gastric tract trauma is a very common side-effect with these drugs. You have to make a personal risk assessment about gastric bleeds and diarrhoea and stroke risk during AF attacks.
Thanks, I already take turmeric. I didn't know it can be used as a blood thinner. I also take D3 as part of Calci-D for osteopenia. I'll look up nattokinase.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Blood thinners eg. Eliquis and osteoarthritis supplements
blood thinners 
blood thinners and cod liver oil?
AF & Edoxaban 60 mg blood thinner
Successful ablations and no medications eventually?
