Questions about Eliquis and Meds for Pain Relief

My heart doctor said I had Afib and put me on Multaq even though I had CKD (about 40% of my kidneys). Within a week I had an appt. with my GYN doctor and she did a blood test. They found that my kidney function was down to 23%!!!! I stopped the Multaq right away and they said my kidney function should go back up. Last time I had it checked it was only 28%. I have had another test done but don't have the results yet. The doctor has me on Eliquis (2.5mg. twice a day and I haven't had any bad results from it. Just a warning-if you have CKD think twice before taking Multag.

I take Eloquis and the only side effect I have is bruising. But I'm taking Brilinta also, two blood thinners.

So, I just got back from the hospital. I went to the ER again at 4:30 am yesterday. Different hospital this time. I told them this is the 4th time I've been to the ER in two weeks so they admitted me. I was not having an afib episode but my dizziness, confusion, feeling rotten was so bad I literally thought I was going to die. After being hospitalized overnight I finally got my answer. My sodium level at admission was 127 and my brain was swelling. I had increased my water intake and reduced my sodium in my diet to avoid triggering an afid episode and made myself sick. After giving me a saline IV all night and half of today and monitoring my heart rate, they got my sodium level up to 132, didn't see any afib incidents, and sent me home. I will follow up with my GP this Wednesday and get a referral to a cardiologist at this same hospital so they can see my records easily, and go from there. I do want to get off Eliquis but know I can't just stop. It wasn't Eliquis that was the source of my dizziness and confusion though after all.
But, thanks for the input. I will keep trying to figure out a way to avoid afid episodes and maybe if I don't have any for a LONG time the docs will help me get off it.

Good morning, catmom, Wow! You've been through an ordeal and a half! Who knew that simply drinking too much water could affect one's health to that degree?! I have seen football players writhing on the ground during a game due to dehydration. And I just read that those same athletes must not drink too much water to recover or they can be in the state you were in. I never thought it could lead to someone being hospitalized.
Can you tell me how much you drank in a day? I am asking because I suffer from recurrent bladder infections (31 rounds of antibiotics in 2 years 3 months..which is my medical crisis) and I try to drink as much as possible. I drink 6 or 7 glasses of water per day and I feel like I spend a lot of time drinking. I guess feeling symptoms as much as you did would be an indication.
Now that that has passed, try to put it all behind you and move on as soon as possible. A wise Russian woman told me a few years ago that in her country when someone is suffering from distress, he or she should walk in nature near running water. Listen to your favourite music, visit your baby grandson, pat your cats, go out for dinner with a friend, sing, dance etc..

I have been taking Eliquis 5 MG twice daily for 7 months. Did have occasional mild and severe dizziness upon standing for the first 2 months. These symptoms have all disappeared.

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

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.

I have not been having fun. I can't tell you how much I drink a day. A full glass of water in the morning (maybe 10 oz), a cup of camomile tea at lunch and after dinner (20 oz total), and I sip throughout the day. Plus I cut back on salt. Between those two changes to my routine I wound up with low sodium so the hospital put me on a saline drip. My symptoms were the dizziness, confusion, inability to think or even drive. The hospital got my sodium level up to 132 and discharged me. I feel better, but am still a little dizzy. Now that I know the problem I hope that goes away as I get more salt into my system. I can at least function now.

I've been taking Eliqus for two years. I fell down two weeks ago learning to play pickleball. My retelling of it compares the bruise on my hip bone to the state of Delaware. It's getting better. What a bruise! Thank you Eliqus. Taking Eliqus makes my hair grow faster. My cosmetologist said thinner blood more oxygen makes it grow faster. How about that.

I'm going on my third week of blood thinners. So far I've noticed that when I bruise from the needles when they draw blood the bruises don't go away for a long, long time. Also,when I blow my nose a lot of blood comes out, and I've coughed up some blood too. Trying not to have a stroke sure comes with a high price, but I know for fact that a stroke is a horrible thing, so Eliquis is the lesser of two evils.