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Have you reduced Eliquis dosage

Posted by msvjv @msvjv, Nov 6 7:24am

I’ve been on Eliquis since 2019 for second incidence of bi-lateral lung clots. I’ve asked pcp to reduce to 2.5 mg twice per day from 5.0 mg twice per day. Just wondering if anyone has reduced their dosage and pros/cons of doing so.

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 7 8:18am

@msvjv When you say you have asked the doctor to reduce the dose, what was their response? Are you having side effects you can clearly attribute to the Eliquis, or do you just want to take less medication in general?

I did some reading, and it seems most testing of the effectiveness of Eliquis was done at the 5 mg dosage, and their are specific guidelines for reduction, but these come with an increased risk of stroke or death.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.061

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kdalda75 | @kndaustin71 | Nov 7 10:00am

There are also guidelines for the use of Eliquis ie the diagnosis for which it is being prescribed. For instance, certain dosages are more appropriate for someone with atrial fibrillation vs. history of a deep vein thrombosis, and/or valve replacements etc. Is the dosage causing problems......what is your goal in dose reduction?

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1 reply
msvjv | @msvjv | Nov 7 4:30pm
In reply to @sueinmn "@msvjv When you say you have asked the doctor to reduce the dose, what was their..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@msvjv When you say you have asked the doctor to reduce the dose, what was their response? Are you having side effects you can clearly attribute to the Eliquis, or do you just want to take less medication in general?

I did some reading, and it seems most testing of the effectiveness of Eliquis was done at the 5 mg dosage, and their are specific guidelines for reduction, but these come with an increased risk of stroke or death.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.061

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Hi Sue. I asked my hematologist at Cleveland Clinic and he agreed. My usage is for clots not AFib and protocol (Eliquis patient info) says that after 6 months at 5/2 times day with no episodes of clots, the prevention dosage is 2.5/2 times a day.

I’ve had muscle weakness in thighs and numb/tingling toes for at least two years. These can be side effects of Eliquis. PCP is reluctant to change prescription which hematologist here said is wise (that she’s reluctant) but he is saying the change is okay and has put that in his notes which she’ll receive. I’ve never talked to anyone who made this change and was hoping to find some here who has.

Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out.

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msvjv | @msvjv | Nov 7 4:50pm
In reply to @kndaustin71 "There are also guidelines for the use of Eliquis ie the diagnosis for which it is..." + (show)
@kndaustin71

There are also guidelines for the use of Eliquis ie the diagnosis for which it is being prescribed. For instance, certain dosages are more appropriate for someone with atrial fibrillation vs. history of a deep vein thrombosis, and/or valve replacements etc. Is the dosage causing problems......what is your goal in dose reduction?

Jump to this post

Hi. Yes. My usage is for 2 episodes of bilateral pulmonary clots, the last episode in 2019. Muscle weakness and numb/tingling toes are the problems and can be side effects of Eliquis. If the reduction in dosage would help with leg fatigue I’d hope to get back to walking a mile or so a day. Right now I can only go a short way before my legs lose all energy.

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kdalda75 | @kndaustin71 | Nov 7 7:27pm

Got it! By all means as your hematologist! It seems to me that to be able to increase your exercise tolerance would be a major plus! I'm not a fan of Eliquis but have been on warfarin for an extended period of time...it one of the oldies but goodies, the major draw back is having to monitor you PT/INR frequently to ensure that you are within therapeutic range. My short stint on Eliquis gave me vertigo that was out of this world, and dizzy spells up to 3-4 times per day. Once I researched and approached my physician we changed back to warfarin and haven't been dizzy since!

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