Eliquis and AFIB

I would do anything to get off Eliquis. The side effects have pretty much destroyed my quality of life. For me, and I know for many others, it is a horrible drug. I'm having a Watchman inserted, in the hopes that I can at least lower my dose significantly (the literature says a lower dose can mitigate side effects) or switch to baby aspirin. There is no history of stroke in my family, and I've never had one. I've had one blood clot incident connected to a case of pneumonia. That's it, even after multiple surgeries and cancer treatment. I guess once you've had a clot incident, your chances of more clots increase. I've tried diltiazem and warfarin and one other I can't remember the name of, and they are all unbearable. I understand how awful a stroke would be, so I do not need that lecture, but right now I am enjoying a medicated existence rather than a life.
And, for what it's worth, I get mine from the Canadian Pharmacy Store. Quick, easy, and much cheaper.
Good luck, everybody.

@maryannnik1112
I had post operative AFIB after three of my operations; otherwise, no sign of it.
I wore a Holter twice for 30 days. I had a chest patch for a week. I've had numerous EKG's I use the Kardia mobile twice daily. No sign of it!
My cardiologist still wants me to stay on Eliquis???

@gloaming Just being greater than 75 puts you at 2. Looks like all people over 75 need Eliquis!

@lenmayo well at least that’s what they tell us. Doctors are not gone half of the time. It’s a guessing game. I don’t know what I want to do at this point. I do not want to take the Eliquis. I’m running too much negative crap

I don't take any blood thinners at all.

Starting in 2015 I have had afib with very rapid heart rate, once a year, or even had a two year interval. This past year I had one episode in late August 2023, two in early October, and I just had one two nights ago, 4/16, with heart rate peaking around 200.

I am meeting with a new cardiologist at a teaching hospital and am going to ask about the "pill in a pocket" approach meaning short term anticoagulation. Some say a month, some say less time. And there is a lot of difference of opinion on how long it takes to form a clot.

When one of my episodes lasted 7 hours (usually they are 45 minutes to 2 1/2 hours) the hospital did an echocardiogram to check for clots.

A cardiologist pressured me to take a blood thinner back in 2015 and I declined. He later told he he agreed (much later) and that they were "probably" overmedicating people. Then again, my mother had continuous afib and had a stroke when off Coumadin for 5 days.

How often do you have afib?

@shepsiccle Unfortunately you're "quick, easy and much cheaper" source won't be after 10/22/26 thanks to the wonderful world of politics.