The news yesterday (Oct. 12, 2022) was about the contraindications of heart meds with Paxlovid.
Just a heads up for knowing about your needs to get consultation before taking Paxlovid.
The following are examples of the reports:
cnn.com/2022/10/12/health/p...
Yes, I have some issues showing up but right now I am not on anything but a choloesterol med, which I understand can just be stopped should I get COVID and need Paxlovid.
According to my doctor. I would have to stop Alacabrutinib, BP meds and statin for that 5 days. That was my arguement for Evusheld. However now Evusheld doesn't cover all varients. You just can't win. Covid is sly and tricky.
Hi, I am in UK and tested positive a couple of weeks ago. I had a very thorough telephone consultation with someone who sounded knowledgeable about Paxlovid and she went through very thoroughly my other meds etc She told me to stop the statins for 8 days ie. 3 days beyond the end of the course of Paxlovid. The Paxlovid arrived in a taxi, Day 1 of testing positive, so that was an excellent, prompt service. I have been slow to get a negative test but the line is finally fading and I feel much better. All good so far!
Thank you for this information. My doctor told me I was immediately eligible to take Paxlovid were I to get Covid although she knew I had been prescribed heart meds for blood pressure which I take. I have also been prescribed blood thinners and statins. I am however not taking the blood thinner prescribed because I found out it was contraindicated with Ibrutinib i took and Acalabrutinib I now take. I am not taking statins because an angiogram revealed that my blood vessels were not severely clogged although my chloresterol is high. Because of these decisions a cardiologist refused to show up for a first appointment with me. In fact I have been practically prescribing my own treatment without guidance as my GP gives her info sources a quick glance and simply goes along with me. I was prescribed multiple drugs in a hospital after a severe high pulse and afib incident after minor surgery due to stress. No follow up or investigation into the nature of my afib was done -- it is occasional. This is why i find it difficult to blindly follow the advice of doctors. I do not trust the stats we get on covid these days in fact. I would like a trustworthy breakdown of percentages of unvaxxed and vaxxed in relation t infection levels. I am unvaxxed. And the number of new improperly tested vaccines people are encouraged to get I wonder about. Does it not eventually confuse the immune system? Only my vaccinated friends have had covid, and some repeatedly so. My unvaxxed friends who i have more of have not been infected. Of course were I riding subways daily and working in tight quarters would be vaxxed but only up to a point. I am sorry for anyone these days forced to work in conditions conducive to getting infected. I do however go out daily to shops, on walks and visits to friends. So far uninfected.
Hello, just please be careful w/afib. It us when you are out, then go back in that you can throw a blood clot it & may cause stroke. Be well~
thank you. Very confusing. I do not know if the blood thinner that is in calquence (acalabrutinib) can break or prevent
You are welcome & ok, the way you said you "found out it was contraindicated", makes it sound like it was against the advice of doctors. So, just want you to be safe & well~
A cardiologist from NY stateor acalabrutinib at our top Cardiac center in Toronto (after my afib and tachycardia incident after surgery) prescribed Apixaban (eloquis) although I was on Ibrutinib. I researched the drug and found out it should not be taken with Ibrutinib (or acalabrutinib) which he knew I was taking, as that increases chance of severe bleeding. I told my GP who then also looked it up and agreed. Also there was no follow-up (another cardiologist with whom appointment was made did a no show and later told my doctor he purposefully did that as I did not take the prescription given) now a year and a half later I still have no appointment and so I monitor my Afib myself and am not sure if i should take another blood thinner. I take metropolol, a beta blocker and reducer of heart rate (which i don't need as my pulse never a problem except for that time in hospital) and Ramipril, an ace inhibitor to lower bp. So far i cannot not get another cardiologist's appointment. The wait times are killing people in Canada. My doctor allows one sometimes 2 issues for discussion. But my afib acted up several times recently due to stress and overuse of salt and lasted longer so i do wish to discuss with a specialist.
There's no blood thinner in Calquence. Platelets also contain Tyrosine Kinases and it's the off target effect of BTKi drugs like Calquence that can affect platelet clotting effectiveness. That's why petechiae (small red dots under the skin), purpura (larger red spots ) and bruising are common when you are on BTKi drugs like Calquence. My experience was that these side effects lessened as my platelet count improved.
Neil
onu1tadi2, you say that "I would like a trustworthy breakdown of percentages of unvaxxed and vaxxed in relation t infection levels."
The Australian state of New South Wales is Australia's largest state with almost a third of our total population. It's also the only state that records the vaccination status of people omitted to hospital for a COVID-19 infection. For a while they did the laborious calculations of deaths by vaccination status per the tables at the end of this report. Clearly, it pays to be vaccinated health.nsw.gov.au/Infectiou...
I've also mentioned Swiss data, which I've included below.
With respect to your question, "And the number of new improperly tested vaccines people are encouraged to get I wonder about. Does it not eventually confuse the immune system?"
I won't debate improperly tested vaccines, other than to ask you how many countries have decided not to roll out COVID-19 vaccination programs, because they consider them improperly tested?
With respect to confusing the immune system, your body is regularly exposed to other infectious viruses and that doesn't confuse it, but certainly it can happen. There are concerns about this happening with COVID-19 vaccinations, but it hasn't shown up in Israel yet, a country which is in the lead in encouraging boosters.
Neil
ok. If I get Covid, should I stop bp meds so I can take Paxlovid wonder?
The process in U.S. is if you get COVID, call your GP for advise. Since you will not have taken any of the vaccines, your best bet (in U.S.) would be to go to the emergency of the nearest hospital, because without having had any vaccines, you will need to be carefully monitored and have greater possibility of having a severe case of COVID.
Sorry, i do not know the process/protocol for Canada and its different provinces which I understand can differ widely.
thanks. I have been told by doctor what theprocess here is.
It might be helpful for other Canadians who are members to post that info with a title that would give them a heads up. I know you may not want to do that--just a thought and I suppose there are online sources for each Province, so that may be iffy to do.
in Canada asking your doctor is what you do. I was told to call my GP with symptoms and she would direct me to best place to get the right test and if positive , send me to closest place for the treatment.
When and if that time comes, you would be wise to take any information you have in regard to stopping medicines before taking any treatment for COVID. That discussion now in relation to all the meds you take and the possibility of those not being able to be stopped or needing to be stopped for whatever length of time needs to be written somewhere for you to relate to with any Dr. in an emergency type situation.
Letting you Dr. know there is a problem with some heart-related meds. (and you don't know which ones) and ask for that information--either GP or Pharmacist should be able to give you that info and you need to be certain all your Drs. have the information.
Best wishes for not getting COVID, though---it would be to your advantage to be vaccinated regardless of your conjecture in regard to your friends being vaxxed and getting COVID. They were better off because of their being vaxxed. They just were in willing to go into crowds without masking and perhaps had decided to eat out.
We all have that choice to make. The vaccines helped them weather what could have been a fatal virus episode had they not had the vaccines.
The blood meds cannot be stopped abruptly. But maybe one day will meet a cardio specialist. My GP knows less than me. As for eating out. I eat out, go all places i used to go pre covid, but do not stand too close to people when i talk and stay in well ventilated places. M. two cardinal rules.
Thank you for your concern. Actually in Ontario, there is treatment available in places, through a program started and tested by an Indian doctor here, which is legally available to immunosuppressed people. 85% of the immunosuppressed who have been treated, including unvaxxed people, had only a mild case of Covid, and were not hospitalized. They had to go to get the intravenous treatment within 5 days of getting infected. The treatment meant staying at the clinic or hospital outpatient's for a few hours and then going home. So I am confident it works.
I don't know what BP meds you are on and whether they are contraindicated with Paxlovid. Their dose may just need to be reduced. Or you could reduce your risk of developing COVID-19 by vaccination 
.
Update: Good to hear you've been advised of the process by your GP. (Sorry for the earlier garbled reply. With the post herpetic neuropathy, I'm not getting much sleep and I fall asleep when the pain eases up). Tip: get the Shingrix vaccination before you begin treatment and save yourself from the worst pain ever.
Feel better Neil 🙏✨️
Depending on how high your blood pressure goes, and other health issues around the high blood pressure and meds themselves, IDK if suddenly stopping meds may be advisable. Some meds should not be suddenly stopped. Some meds may not be affected by the Paxlovid, depending on their mechanism of action. I am sorry to hear you are having to figure out a lot of this yourself. Do you have a local pharmacist who can look up potential interactions, and advise you on potential side effects from drug interactions with Paxlovid? I assume you have a BP measuring device, where you can check readings if you are advised to cut down or stop some of the meds. Most pharmacies, hospital and retail, have interaction checking software that is more up-to-date than what we can access for free online. The pharmacies pay to have the most current knowledge input, shortly after it is published.
When I had Covid, my CLL MD directed me to stop Calquence as the drug would make it harder for my body to fight off the virus. I was off of it 2 weeks.
when I got covid I was phoned by a doctor from local hospital who went through all my medications before prescribing paxlovid and the only one I had to change was my anti platelet ( ticagrelor) to another ( plasugrel) I also had to stop taking statins for 8 days, however I was told to continue my acalabrutinib by my haematologist, so I never stopped taking it. Dave
Interesting all the varied advices.
PAXLOVID - What next 
Paxlovid while on Calquence
Evusheld and Paxlovid Issue
should I take Paxlovid?
