From Clopidogrel to Eliquis

[SilverET]

Hi All MPN members,

I hope you are all having the best run you can at the moment.

Just wondering if anyone else is on Eliquis as a anti-clotting agent? I was on Clopidogrel for about 20 years but it seems that it is not quite doing enough suddenly as I have had a few clotting issues lately. I have just started Eliquis instead which has a different action. I am finding that I have been getting frequent, short lasting headaches, sensitive top teeth and gums and very red eyes. I am wondering if these side effects are things that are likely to pass with time and what others experiences with the drug are like. I have only been on it for about a week so will persist as none of it is too bad but really hoping it will settle down. I know for most drugs a steady state is not reached until 5-10 days of starting it so I may be premature with my question. Any insight or experience is welcome.

Regards,

SilverET

[Hidden]

I've been on Eliquis for 3 years. I took aspirin for 20 years but unfortunately had a lower leg blood clot. I was put on Rivaroxaban for 6 months which was then changed to Eliquis.

I've had no side effects so far, but as with all drugs it might be best to speak to someone from your clinic or pharmacist to run your symptoms past them sooner rather than later. We all react differently to the drugs and there are alternatives.

I was advised to ensure I took it regularly at the 12 hour intervals. Also from experience be very very careful not to cut yourself. A momentary lapse of concentration in the garden with the secateurs , plus not wearing my gardening gloves, meant 4 hours in A&E with a lot of tutting. I now have heavy duty gardening gloves plus some specialist ones from the internet to wear when cutting up vegetables.

[SilverET in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I am seeing my GP tomorrow so will run symptoms past him. He is pretty on the ball. It is always encouraging to hear from someone who has fared well with the drug so thank you for your reply. I never bled profusely while on Clopidogrel even though my platelets are now much lower than previous levels so will be interesting to see if this holds up with the Eliquis although I will certainly try not to find that out the hard way (doesn't sound like fun with your experience) . I have high risk gastric varices so bleeding from them on a med that might make it hard to stop is something I dread. Apparently the Eliquis has a much quicker clearance from the system than the 5 days Clopidogrel takes so they can get bleeding under control more easily if it happens.

Best of luck to you and watch out for those secateurs,

Natasha

[light]

Hi there, I know that we all tend to wait for a long time I know I do and not go to see a medical professional and ask them questions and share our concerns about medications we are on. I defiantly will change now and see someone with my concerns.

Wishing you well

[SilverET in reply to light]

Yep definitely running it past my Dr tomorrow. I agree. We all tend to leave it hoping for the best and should be more proactive with the questions even if the medical professionals might get annoyed at times. I have always found that they generally respond pretty well to my concerns but then I've had a good run with some very talented Drs.

Cheers,

SilverET