Hi Everybody Some Advice Required Please

[alpha666]

Hi all for a few years i have been getting out of breath when exercising, usual man thing thought it was me just getting old. Have been on medication for many years for hypertension, anyway a visit to the GP confirmed via an ECG i am suffering with A-Fib also had chest x ray and blood tests.

My issue is the GP tells me i am at a higher risk of stroke and wants me to go onto a medication called Apixaban 5mg (i think the long term goal is cardioversion) however me being me i always look for side effects of any new meds i am taking, just like to know what i am swallowing, and to be honest this Apixaban doesnt get a very good press so un decided to take it or not, has anyone else used this product and did you have any issues ? any help or advice appreciated.

[Czech_Mate]

HiI perfectly understand the concern about what we stick into our bodies.

I have been on apixaban (trade name here Eliquis) since I was diagnosed with heart arrhythmias last May. I take 5mg twice a day. I am not a doctor, just a user but I know that as a blood anticoagulant it slows down the clotting process. Hence the main concern for most people is that you have a tendency to bleed more before the blood clots. So before dental treatment or colonoscopy I had to discontinue it for a couple of days beforehand and a day or two afterwards. The health professionals involved will inform you at the time.

The risk of not taking it is the increased risk of a stroke. I am very aware of that as it happened to my brother and he didn't recover. It has also been mentioned that it protects against other cognitive decline. I have read of some people who don't get on with it, but many folk, like me seem OK with it. More people will reply with their experiences.

Good luck.

[alpha666 in reply to Czech_Mate]

Thanks for the reply Czech Mate, in all honesty i probably did the wrong thing and went searching Dr Google, suppose i should stick to this website and our NHS service, probably for every one horror story there are 100 people who have no problem at all, but the 100 never publicise the fact. Thank You.

[Cavalierrubie]

Yes, with AF you are at higher risk of having a stroke, so it is very important part of the treatment to take an anticoagulant. Unfortunately, l cannot tolerate the new anticoagulants that are available, so l had to go on Warfarin as a last resort. It was trial and error with me and took a considerable time to get stabilised. Many people are fine with Apixaban l believe, and it will probably be ok for you, but if you feel unwell on it there are many others to choose from. It takes time for the body to adjust to a new drug so give it a couple of weeks. I hope you soon get stabilised. My Cardiologist told me that AF is not life threatening so try not to worry. All the best.

[Catlady56]

For me the risk of a stroke outweighed the risk of anticoagulant. All meds have side effects and some chopping and changing may be required via medics to sort something that suits you, but a stroke can be utterly devastating.