Afib/dangers of eliquis

@activegal
Sorry to hear you are in afib 100%. You’re on a one year wait list for Dr. Lee?

No, not with Dr. Lee but he does sound amazing. Looks like I got bumped up …. I kept pushing for an urgent status. I see the catheter ablation lab on July 8. Have an ecg, meet with the cath nurse and then a consult with Dr. Ratika Parkash. She sounds very good…. Does a lot of research on a fib. I had a second opinion recently with chief of surgery in London, Ontario Dr. Michael Chu. He also advised me not to go ahead with valve surgery, saying my valve was too damaged to repair and chords too called and thus the valve is not opening or closing well. So far, surgeons have said wait till I’m symptomatic, pressure over the valve is 10 not 7 as currently because the clock will be ticking once I get a new valve. That’s exactly what they said…. I’ll not be the same and the clock will be ticking! Anyway, with the mechanical problem, even if I get a thorough ablation, it is likely not to hold for long but worth a try! I hope the electrophysiologist sees it as a worthwhile attempt. Still waiting for my second opinion from the Cleveland Clinic. That was paid for through my employee medical benefits plan. It will be a report. I had asked for Dr. Marc Gillinov but turns out he doesn’t do second opinion reviews. Also contacted Mayo clinic ….. they set me up with $ 25,000 worth of tests and appointments arranged over what would have to be an 9 day visit. I contacted them again as I’ve had almost all of these tests recently, many involving radiation and really only want a second opinion re surgery at this point. All this medical navigation is very exhausting but figure it’s best to do now while I’m still capable and not breathless. So difficult to plan travel or for anything I had hoped to do just 6 months ago when I didn’t know about the valve, dilated atrium, a fib mess. Maybe it’s all just a bad dream.

Did you know that marathon runners were 2.5 x more likely to develop a fib….. surprised me as exercise is good for a fib. Six months ago I also went into a fib at 69. Very active lifestyle hard core skiing, cycling, weight training, competitive tennis. Unfortunately, Abixaban( Eloquis) is necessary. The chance of stroke from blood clots is much higher. You need to get cardioverted and if that doesn’t hold then catheter ablated asap. Get this done before you are in persistent a fib x 1 year. A fib only grows. I’m in persistent a fib 100% of the time and fairly asymptomatic but I know from research now that this will get worse and be permanent in 1 year with an impossibility of ever getting rid of it. It gets locked in. I have not noticed any bad side effects from Eloquis yet. It’s a lot better than being on Warfarin, which I’ve been on before after valve surgery in 2012. My concern and probably yours is the fact that high risk sports like my favourites are not recommended as a fall or hit can cause a medical emergency with internal bleeding. I refuse to stop doing what I live for but will need to be extra cautious now. I’m also on Metoprolol, a beta blocker that slows the heart…. That and the a fib are impacting me more than Eloquis. Take the Eloquis and get a plan to get out of a fib asap then you can go off Eloquis.

I've been on it for about five years. Like you I had no symptoms and work out aggressively and cannot see anything unusual happening. Have annual tests at Mayo where Eliquis was prescribed after I had some reactions to Xarelto. Do not take drugs for blood pressure or cholesterol. Managed by diet and exercise. Parenthetically, I am a 39-year kidney transplant patient, so I am a nut about compliance with Mediterranean food, exercise and immunosuppressant drug regimen. My only side effects with Eliquis are bleeding profusely whenever I scratch my arm or leg on a branch on hikes or otherwise, so I wear long sleeves and pants. The price is outrageous. I gather once you're on Eliquis, it's for life. Good luck.

Hello. I have had 3 Afib episodes since May 5 th and now monitor my triggers. It only takes one episode to activate blood clots for stroking. I've never been on any meds in my life, but antibiotics when needed. I react poorly to mostly any drug, even children's vitamins! However, thus far, Eloquis has been tolerated. I realize it's still new in the game, but my cardiologist says that I'm not a candidate for ablation therapy...yet. I see an electrophysiologist in September. At that time, we will discuss the misfiring rhythms of my heart parts. In the meantime, I will continue to take the Eloquis. I carry in my purse a towel and a packaged blood clotting powder if I get wounded. So far, so good. I still remain very aerobically active, but refrain from extended or not at all , vigorous exercise numbers. I watch. If I hit 125 bpms, I back down. My Fitbit is my guide. Who would have thought? But as for Eloquis, give it a try. : )

@d050526 THAT's the spirit!!!!!!

I've been on 5 mg Eliquis 2X/day for about 5 years now. No side effects at all that I can determine.

@joko
After a triple bypass heart surgery I was started on Eliquis. Had the same problem with free bleeding from simple scratches and about 3 weeks after finishing rehab I had to stop it completely due to bleeding from my kidneys.
I had stage 4 bladder cancer back in 2014 and it was subsequently removed and so far haven't had any recurrence. But unfortunately all the chemo treatments and literally dozens of CAT scans with contrast over the years have literally destroyed my Kidney function. My eGFR hovers between the high 20's and low 40's and once the surgeon told me to stop the Eliquis the bleeding from my kidneys stopped within 24 hours...
They ran a heart monitor on me for a week and I have had no problems with my heart since stopping Eliquis...