For blood thinners. For what purpose

@healthytoday, I was diagnosed with A-fib four years ago. My cardiologist prescribed Coumadin as my anticoagulant medication for preventing clots from forming in my heart and invading my brain, causing a stroke. At the time of the diagnosis, I had been on baby aspirins for several years, and my cardiologist recommended that I drop that practice -- worried, he said, that it would cause excess bleeding in combination with the other medication. A good friend is also an A-fib patient, taking Coumadin and baby aspirin; his cardiologist found variables in his circulatory system, including his heart and kidneys, that indicated the aspirin would be helpful.

Neither he nor I have or offer any opinions about aspirin versus anticoagulant. Factors involved are numerous, subtle, and technical -- so much so that we don't make recommendations to anybody. And we restrict our decisive discussions about this to those that we have with our respective medical teams.

Some people consider Coumadin to be its own problem, requiring regular blood tests to make sure of stable coagulation at low-threat levels. I don't share that concern, but only for myself. I don't recommend Coumadin therapy for anybody else, although I do defend it with associates whose cardiologists have recommended it to them. As to Coumadin versus Eliquis, I point out that there is a ready antidote for Coumadin (for use in case of a wound or hemorrhage or intestinal or urethral bleeding), but not for Eliquis, and that makes the choice between the two a primary subject for thorough discussion with a doctor prescribing Eliquis. I'm sorry that this response is so lengthy, but the issues are complex and many and require physician guidance rather than informal opinions of nonprofessionals. Martin