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Questions about Eliquis and Meds for Pain Relief
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Jun 7 8:53am | Replies (123)Comment receiving replies
Hi Catmom...I have been on Eliquis 5 MG twice daily for 2 1/2 months. I had a headache for the first week but it went away. I have not had any symptoms except hip, lower back and now knee aches and pains. It has been hard to tell if this is a symptom or not because I have had existing problems with my hip and lower back for years. The difference is I cannot take Advil to buffer the pain. The knees are new as of this week. I use ice, physical therapy, and Tylenol to deal with it. The knees have made me wonder if this is really a side effect because I have not had this problem before.
I went and talked to my Pharmacist whom I have used for the last ten years and trust explicitly. Pharmacists know more than docs when it comes to drugs. He spent quite a bit of time looking up the joint pain and told me it is a 1 to 10% chance of side effect. He said that if my joints were not red or swollen, it was something I might have to get used to because the only other drug that is as effective is Zorelto and he said Eliquis was better. It's frustrating, because for all I know, I might switch and then have different or more side effects. He did say that just like my headache, my body might get used to the drug and the pain might go away. I am praying... This did not happen until way into the second month. He said sometimes it takes a while to get side effects because the level of the Eliquis is not high enough in your blood stream or body until a certain point.
I wish I didn't have to take this or any blood thinner but I don't want a stroke and want to enjoy my life and grandchildren...so I still exercise and go to yoga,
eat correctly and drink plenty of water and try to just live my life.
Blessings to you and I hope your side effects pass and you feel better.
CECE55
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I agree with you about pharmacists. I even had one explain to me how to deal with my cough when my doctor wouldn't listen to me and just prescribed an inhaler, which didn't work for me. Pharmacists are great.
But, now I will find out if Eliquis has side effects for me. The side effect I thought I was getting was actually from low sodium and an electrolyte imbalance. When I got diagnosed with afib the ER didn't tell me anything about how to take care of myself, so I read online that staying hydrated is important and a few people said (plus a friend of a friend) that cutting back on salt would help because salt can trigger an episode. So, I drank more and cut back on salt. Well, I started getting dizzy, feeling confused, couldn't think at all, was afraid to bend over because I thought I'd pass out, was afraid to even take a shower, quit driving, and kept getting worse and worse. Finally after not sleeping all night Friday, I decided to go to a different hospital ER, and this time was admitted. My blood panel showed a sodium level of 127, which if way too low. The minimum is 136. And the symptoms for that are exactly what I was going through. So they admitted me, put me on a saline drip, gave me a stress stress and echocardiogram to rule out heart issues (my heart has no issues), got my sodium level up to 132, and sent me home.
But, I have an appointment with my doc on Wednesday and will get a referral to a cardiologist and start addressing how to keep these afib episodes at bay and hopefully never get one again. I"m sure everyone with afib hopes the same thing. I don't like being on blood thinners. I am an active person and it's scary to think I could bleed to death if I have a bike accident. I might not be able to control the afib and have to remain on Eliquis for life, but I'm going to try to have a steady heart anyway.
But, the goal is to stay alive for the grandkids sake, like you, and not become disabled due to a stroke also.
Thanks, and have a great week.