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Rare serious side effect of Eliquis: Muscle weakness
In late July 2017 I was admitted for very high heart rate and Afib. Had been, and still am, on minimal meds. Hospitalist put me on Eliquis, 5mg 2X/day.
Within a month my leg muscles were weakening to the point where I could no longer play Pickleball or walk golf. Within a few weeks my Cardiologist did an ablation and inserted a loop recorder. For the next 2-1/2 years the loop recorder saw MINIMAL Afib, under 0.5%; the ablation did its job.
By November 2017 I needed a walker. By December 2017 I needed to be wheelchair pushed through an Ice Sculpture display as there was no way I could walk the 25-30 minutes of the exhibit.
When I finally got to see a Neurologist at Shands (Univ of FL, Gainesville) in July 2018, he ran an extensive battery of blood work tests but could find nothing to explain the muscle weakness.
Has anyone else encountered similar muscle effects following being prescribed Eliquis?
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@lwools My dose is 2.5 so yes I bite it in half. per my hematologist.
@clj9821 I think you're better off buying a pill splitter than biting the pill with your teeth. I take my Eliqus that way and as long as you're taking the 2 half's from the same pill each day you're pretty close on the dosage.
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1 Reaction@sandw40 I’ll try that l, thank you. Living in Colorado pills that aren’t scored seem to crumble.
Thank you!
FWIW, I've never experienced leg or ankle pain while taking Eliquis for over three or four years... 5 mg twice daily.
Just thought I'd chime in on this.
All the best!
/LarryG
Yes. I was on Eliquis fo just over 3 months for PE. Weakness in my upper legs, glutes and hips as well as shoulders have been the result. I have been off of it for 5 weeks and it has not gotten better. I was a very fit 55 year old who worked out every day and had no pain prior to the Eliquis.
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1 ReactionReport your issues to an allergist. I found out, Those are the people who turn in the adverse reactions to meds to the pharmaceutical companies and what’s left of our govt.
It’s taken me months to get over my many bad reactions to Eliquis
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1 ReactionBeen on Eliquis for 18 days 2.5 , 2times a day. Starting having diarrhea every morning 10 days ago. Not sure I need to take it. Had one 30 second afib a month ago and one a month before that. Nothing prior since 2 years ago. Wearing a monitor now for 2 weeks. Only having multiple PVCs. Anyone have this reaction?
@lwools I am cutting the 5mg Eliquis in half and doing 2 1/2mg
Twice a day. Things have improved a little. I’ve been doing this for a couple weeks.
After my PF ablation, I was given the choice of getting off AFib (I went on for the procedure). The risks from Eliquis and the risks from stroke following my successful procedure were about the same (at least until I begin to age out; 73M now). I’ve never been a fan of being on drugs, but since I had no bad effects from the Eliquis I elected to stay on it; reasoning that it would not be long before I would be a solid candidate for it anyway. Guess I’m lucky that I’m feeling no side effects.
@cstrutt52
Same with me on no side effects. I have been on Eliquis for 3 years, even after 2 Ablations because my Cardiologist was not that sure if my AFIB would return or not. Well, unfortunately, after 2 to 3 months without any AFIB, it returned and he wanted to do another Ablation, but I told him thanks but no thanks.
I have had 3 cauterizations to determine any blockage, 1 Cardio cauterization, and 2 cardioversions and 2 Ablations but my AFIB always returned after all these procedures. I am 80 years old, and I am not going through anymore of these procedures because they don't help me any.
So, I will just continue to take Eliquis (5mg) in the morning and 5mg in the evening for the rest of my life. It is what it is, and I tried all these procedures as per the recommendation of my Cardiologist but to no avail.