Very good point! What you ADD to your oats can be important especially if you have to watch your sugar or salt intake. Even if it’s not a concern you still should pay attention. There are plenty of healthy additions you can make such as nuts or nut butters (if you’re not allergic), seeds, berries, fruit, yogurt either dairy or plant alternatives. Sometimes I use curry spices and leftover beans, which is delicious but time-consuming to make, unfortunately. The possibilities are endless.
I’m sure you’ll be grand! It just goes to show that all someone just has to say “I read somewhere that …” and everyone is spooked by something that may just turn out to be internet hogwash!
I was on Apixaban until very recently (now on warfarin following surgery) and I have eaten lots of porridge. I had never heard of that one. You could ask your pharmacist next time you pick up a prescription or even ask your doctors surgery. They may be able to check and get back to you. Take care
You can eat your oats! There are no warnings on most foods while taking Apixaban (Eliquis).
The only consumables which you should take care with while on Apixaban are: Cannabis and it's derivatives, alcohol, caffeine. sugary and spicy foods and high dose herbal supplements or teas like garlic , ginger , st.johns wort , Q10 and other herbal supplements that have blood thinning qualities. Garlic and ginger at the small level they appear in recipes is usually ok.
In fact , consensus in the medical community is that you should still swap to oats from other breakfasts because the soluble fibre can help improve cardiac health whilst on heart medications and blood " thinners".
There is a small amount of debate that eating your oats at exactly the same time as taking your Apixaban could increase the amount of the medication in your bloodstream because of metabolic pathways, but, all that means, is that you take care on timing your meds and your breakfast and you could choose to leave your oats to 1-2 hours after your Apixaban or vice versa.
There is a bit more debate on whether you should have grapefruit juice, lime juice, cranberry juice, mango , wild blueberries or fish oil in foods but Apixaban does not have the same precautions for these foods either that other medications have , so again it may be a matter of timing and individual needs.
Apixaban is considered a better option than Warfarin, if you can use it, because it doesn't have the same amount of interactions. In fact , you don't have to limit Vitamin K on Apixaban as you need to on warfarin and certain other anticoagulants because it is not metabolised ( processed ) by the Vitamin K pathway so an increase of the medication in the blood does not occur as it would on Warfarin.
Oats are also an excellent source of beta glucans and soluble fibre which can lower blood cholesterol levels. Oats are very versatile. I buy whole oats groats and use them as a substitute for rice or any other grain-type food sometimes. I love overnight oats too, so I’m definitely on Team Oats.
oats contain bit k, like most anticoagulants you need to reduce the amount of vit k intake. It’s not specific on any anti coagulant either, I’m on warfarin same thing applies
Hello I've been taking Apixaban since 2019 and I've never had any issues with oats, in fact they are a regular thing in my diet 😊I do watch my sugar intake and no longer have salt but otherwise my diet hasn't changed.Its down to the individual though and if you still have questions or concerns then I would suggest you speak to your pharmacist....I hope this helps x
How odd. I am on Apixaban since 2020 and before and after that always have porridge for breakfast made from supermarkets own brand of whole porridge oats . I use 60 g dry oats to 300ml oat milk that way I don't need to sweeten them or 60g dry oats 300ml skimmed milk and 20g of honey. Never had any problems. I have porridge for breakfast every morning all year round cooked in the microwave. Only when on holiday have continental breakfast at the hotel, but still have oats but granola with yogurt and naughty breakfast pastries .
Slightly off topic!I have started putting 1.5 table spoons of oat bran on my cereals. A friend told me about a study that found oat bran is very effective in notably lowering cholesterol. Something to do with the soluble fibre, I need to do some more reading, but from what I was told it sounded pretty convincing
I noticed they were charging a fortune for it in Holland and Barrett, so got big bag for under £2 from local health food shop!
Yes, that’s correct. Oat bran, oats or barley are good sources of beta glucans /soluble fibre, known to have beneficial effects on blood lipids. I buy them all, though H&B - what a ripoff! If you live near any Eastern European shops they often sell boil-in-the-bag barley groats which cook in about 15 mins as opposed to pearl barley which takes about 50mins. Those barley groats are a great way to add in more beta glucans. You can use them as a substitute for rice or quinoa. Napolina used to do tinned barley, already cooked. That was so handy, but it’s discontinued now. Barley flakes are good for porridge and not too expensive either.
PS Beans and legumes are also a great source of soluble fibre and very good for lowering your blood lipids. A barley and butter bean stew is a good one. If your health food shop does whole oat groats, they work well with savoury dishes.
my husband has just come out of intensive care. He’s on apixaban and was encouraged to eat porridge for breakfast so I agree it’s what is put into porridge that could be the issue.
Another example of the wonders of the internet and its ability to cause us to question everything, even clearly known facts are no longer safe in this wonderful world of knowledge. Maybe all this is a major cause for the rise in anxiety and growth in mental health problems. I have eaten porridge for breakfast for over 30 years been on Eliquis for the last 10 years so finding out that it might possible be endangering my health came as a shock to me. After due consideration I have called bulls*** and just enjoyed my breakfast porridge as always, hope that I survive the day. Best of luck to all fellow oat eaters on apixaban.
Hi, I went from warfarin to Edoxaban and I was told I can eat whatever I want, unlike when I was on warfarin. The only thing I can’t have with any of my 7 meds is grapefruit.
The anticoagulant clinic and my Gp pharmacist told me this.
I've been on Apixaban for over a year (previously on edoxaban). I take one 5mg tablet at 10pm and only half a tablet at 9am as I take a lot of porridge every morning (150g). IIRC the warning is that it "may" increase the concentration of the AC in the blood. I also take an omega 3 capsule in the morning. I've noticed that my gums are more likely to bleed a little when brushing my teeth (probably too vigorously) after taking the evening dose than after the morning one. So far I've not had any issues. However, the usual caveat applies. We're all different.
Oats are not a problem, but green veg, cabbage, kale, broccoli and sprouts MAY be a problem. This is because apixaban is an anti-coagulant and Vitamin K found in green veg helps blood to clot, so theoretically one cancels out the other. I have been on apixaban (5mg twice daily) since mid-September, have not changed my diet and have had no problems so far. As has been suggested, have a word with your pharmacist, who should be able to help, given their knowledge of your dose and frequency.
l take warfarin and don’t restrict any foods. My warfarin dose is adjusted to what l eat. Eating vitamin K in moderation helps to stabalise my INR. The advantage of warfarin is a blood test to ensure my blood is at a safe level whatever l eat, unlike the new DOAC’s. I am unable to tolerate any of them.
It’s only a finger test every 6/8 weeks providing your INR is stable, the same as blood sugar test and takes about a minute. I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal for an anticoagulant that has been used for over 50 years and is very safe and for which the medical profession are very experienced with. It is still a very much needed anticoagulant in that respect and very reliable. A doctor in AE once told me that l was on the best one.
For me personally, l am grateful it is around as l can’t tolerate any of the new DOAC’s.
I've been eating porridge for about 30 years and I've been taking Apixaban for 7 years. I've never heard of that being an issue. Makes no difference to my AF and I've just had breakfast. I eat my oats raw, but well soaked in water nowadays. I also add blueberries and nuts. I'm 81.
hi I have been on Apixaban for 4 1/2 years and have not stopped eating porridge with whole milk no sugar or sweetener hope that you will enjoy your porridge as I do
hi, I’ve been taking the lower dose of Apixaban since an emergency triple heart bypass 5 years ago left me with AF. I was told the medication shouldn’t cause any real problems with foods but should try to eat a healthy diet and avoid eating too many high fats and sugary foods. As my research showed how healthy and good for cholesterol levels oats are, I now have porridge made with half skimmed milk and half water most days around 20 to 30 minutes after taking my meds. I also add a heaped teaspoon of milled linseed, a few blueberries, half a level teaspoon of Manuka honey (rather than sugar) and half a small chopped banana (as my potassium levels were really low and the hospital Doctor advised me to half a small banana daily) and it fills me right through to lunchtime without feeling the need to snack. To date my lovely breakfast has never had any reaction with my morning Apixaban as I am aware and have no intention of changing my routine as I love it. Hope this helps.
I agree with Crystal614. I have taken porridge for years with fruit. no sugar. No problems with Apixaban which I have also been on for years. I think whilst the internet is good it can be dangerous if taken as Gospel so to speak. I think your Medical people or Pharmacist would be a better bet than Google!
Well, I developed T2 diabetes in 6/2021 virtually overnight 🤯 I went low carb to try and manage it, porridge is part of my menu and as for restricting my diet even more, that’s not an option.
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.
Cooked breakfast and cholesterol 
Apixaban, tremors, weak
Edoxaban change to apixaban
