Reading about Apixaban I was disappointed to see that it has to be taken twice a day.

[paolina]

I'm sure I read of a pill which is taken weekly.

there doesn't seem to be much of an advantage to taking it instead of Warfarin. Is anyone taking it and do they find it better than Warfarin?

[AFAssociation1]

Hi Paolina

For some people; warfarin maybe better suited or preferable. Apixaban has undergone extensive studies and proved equal if not more effective than aspirin and oral anticoagulants (warfarin, dabigatran and rivaroxaban) in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in people with non-valvular AF.

The biggest advantages to this drug over warfarin are that it doesn't require monitoring, which could impact lifestyle options for many patients. Also, this would omit the need for continuous blood tests. Moreover, there are no dietary restrictions with apixaban, which again would make a huge difference to patients. More importantly, the bleeding risk has been proven to be lower with apixaban.

It is promising to see there are more options for patients, so they can make an informed choice depending on their individual circumstances, rather than being limited to a particular drug.

Hope this answers your question.

Thanks

Raj - AF Association

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

That's what I was going to say Apixaban is the third novel anticoagulant that has been approved here in the U.S. I have been on Dabigatran (Pradaxa) for the past year, have never been on Warfarin but I truly appreciate having no dietary restrictions and especially no need for monitoring with blood tests. The twice daily dosing is a bit of a pain, but all things considered after reading the studies about its efficacy in stroke prevention I am happy to be on it. The rivaroxaban is the only one of the three new drugs with once daily dosing. That said, the studies with Apixaban give it the edge for stroke prevention so I was thinking of emailing my cardiologist and asking if he thinks it is worthwhile to switch. My yearly appointment isn't until April.

[paolina]

Thanks. It would be nice not to have to watch what I eat and the 2 hours after taking Warfarin sometimes seems very long!