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Paroxysmal afib and pausing oral anticoagulant before colonoscopy
I have history of paroxysmal afib and taking eliquis 5mg two times a day .I have to do colonoscopy and my doctor told me to stop eliquis 2 days prior to have colonoscopy, I am very scared to have stroke if I stop it and I asked my doctor to have bridging but he said eliquis doesn’t need bridging. I am very scared should I do colonoscopy ? Is it ok to stop eliquis .
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@witsend000 You should not be answering if you have NO CLUE. Aspirin does not prevent AFIB blood clots and YES YOU DO NEED TO STOP IT.
@witsend000
I recently had an unscheduled colonoscopy while on the same dose of Eliquis as you. Five tumors were removed and afterwards I was given half a liter of blood and a small quantity of Ringer's to help with rehydration.
I am 83 yo, have Afib & COPD so I wasn't the greatest candidate for the scoping but wanted to reassure you that I had no adverse effects 🙂
@itasara
A generic version of Eliquis is due out in 2027 and in the meanwhile we seniors have the $2,000 annual out of pocket help from SS. -At least I know that my drug cost for the year will cap out at $2k.
@vbpets
Please be considerate. They did not say that aspirin prevents blood clots. They said "From what I read, you do not have to stop.... Maybe you could ask your doctor IF....
@bettyz I believe the key phrase in your statement is "you had no adverse effects." That's great but definitely doesn't apply to everyone.
@vbpets If you'll note the date of the original post and the post you're responding to, you'll see these posts are from 2022. So I imagine the OP has had his colonoscopy, hopefully had a good report, and the issue of stopping the Eliquis prior to the procedure is a footnote in his history by now, so to speak.
But regarding the topic of stopping an anticoagulant before a colonoscopy, that really depends on the instructions from the person's doctor. The instructions vary from stopping the anticoagulant 2-3 days before the procedure, to not stopping it at all. I had a colonoscopy in 2022 to find the source of GI bleeding, and my doctor instructed me not to stop the Eliquis I was taking, but just not to take the morning dose before the colonoscopy. His rationale was that the anticoagulant might enhance the probability of finding the source of bleeding. They'd have found it in any case since my bleeding was coming from a cancerousmass in my transverse colon. I really didn't notice any additional ill effects from not skipping the Eliquis. I had a follow up colonoscopy one year after the previous one that showed the cancer, and didn't notice any additional bleeding or problems at that time either.
On the other hand, I had a colon resection shortly after the cancer diagnosis, and I was instructed to stop the Eliquis 3 days before the surgery- they had to get cardiac clearance for that. They started the Eliquis again on the evening of 2 days following my surgery ( I was still in the hospital).
But for stopping anticoagulants prior to colonoscopies or any other procedures, instructions can vary, and it's important to get those instructions from the person's doctor/health care providers.
Maybe this will change after President Trump’s new bill goes into effect? Why wait until 2027 and make us patients pay so much more until then?
I got this reply below from a group connact I must have responded to. The New year starts soon so I assume the way it stands I’ll be paying a lot more until I reach the $2000 OOP amount
in 2026. I surely hope some changes will take place in 2026 to help patients not pharmacology companies and insurance companies.
Ellen Lerner