was it too difficult to accommodate with xarelto ? because it usually takes time and it is a very good medication

Good morning Catmom! Oh dear! You really are not feeling well. I just looked up the side effects of Eliquis and sure enough, they are exactly what you are experiencing. I can't help but think that an overeager, litigation fearful resident (inexperienced and working in the ER) saw you so worried about your occasional thumps and blips and decided to be overly cautious and put you on a blood thinner. You said it yourself, "I have felt rotten for a week now since going on Eliquis.". There's your answer.
Catmom, when I had Afib, I did not have 3 normal beats in a row and I was put on blood thinners temporarily until the beta blockers made my heart steady. Then I didn't need them. Unless you are experiencing an irregular heartbeat all the time (every 10 - 20 seconds that cause lightheadedness, I doubt that the cardiologist will consider you to have Afib.
Keep in mind that often the cure is worse than the disease and those blood thinners have strong side effects...as you have noticed. How about aspirin if absolutely necessary?
Btw, you don't always have to go the drug route for everything. For reflux (which I experience), baking soda in water works. For stress, there's exercise. For borderline diabetes, there are dietary changes. My aim is to AVOID drugs as much as possible. To me they cause side effects that then need more drugs to control them.
Your blood pressure is perfect, your oxygen levels are perfect, your pulse is perfect, your weight is perfect and your blood sugar levels are almost perfect (up the veggies and protein, lower the carbs). Rejoice!
Are your thyroid levels normal btw? That could be the cause of any weight loss AND your nerves.
I predict that the cardiologist will send you home with a clean bill of cardiac health and tell you to keep away from the stimulants and excess sugar/carbs and to go to the gym. And to relax!

I just bought a Fitbit Inspire HR.

@catmom777 You found the missing piece of the puzzle, so now embrace it, and go out and advocate for yourself to take care of these things. Now that you are more aware, pay closer attention to the details and clues about your health. Don't stress over it, but be aware and informed, because with knowledge and acceptance there are choices to be made. If you have more critical issues before your appointment with the cardiologist, please go for help. Good for you, you're on the right track now!

It is easy to look up side effects of medications...and Eliquis symptoms include: quote: 'headache, dizziness, weakness, feeling like you might pass out.' One thing I have trained my kids to do since childhood, "Never put anything in your mouth without researching its effects completely."

Being a good health detective is a must because doctors don't have the time to figure it all out for you.
I would love to know what other meds you are on, cat mom. Have you gone on sites that give reasons for sodium to drop. I have and it's worth delving into it all (with a positive attitude of "I'm going to figure this out and beat this, damnit!".
That's how I am working on my 31 rounds of antibiotics in 3 years 3 months issue...and so far, touch wood, with lots of lifestyle changes and a few supplements, a new kind of estrogen (only 2 weeks in however) no return of the bladder infections. Usually by now, I am into the next UTI so I am very encouraged...and even proud of myself.
And as I told you, with exercise I beat my Afib. The cardiologist said it was impossible and that it would return (after almost 2 years on strong beta blockers) and as long as I kept FAR away from stimulants AND exercised, I have been fine...for 24 years now!
On my own with plenty of research, I also cured hives that were so bad that they required antihistamines. The 3 specialists I saw said no one knows why people get hives and that I would likely have to take antihistamines for the rest of my life. I hunted for a cure and finally I found it. A local health store owner who is also a licensed pharmacist, gave me the solution. What was it? Eliminating carbs (so basically meat, eggs, veggies...which today is a kept diet) and about 6 weeks later reintroducing rice, bread, potatoes, pasta very slowly and not much of it. Even now if I have something very sweet like a birthday cake, I will start to itch.
So I HIGHLY recommend spending a lot of time hunting and collecting information. Copy and paste in Word and formulate questions you can ask your pharmacist, doctor and eventually cardiologist.
Dizziness and weakness ARE side effects of Eliquis (look it up) and didn't those symptoms start once you started taking that drug? Or when you had your 'episodes', were you also experiencing weakness and dizziness? I am almost sure you wrote that the symptoms coincided with the start of the Eliquis...
Think positively like you are in a confusing maze and on your way to reaching the end of it and coming out into the open where the sun, clarity and fresh air await you. You can do it cat mom!

Wow, but glad the REAL answer was found! I had been on eliquis 2 months until I made my Dr let me stop due to no Afib after a while after valve replacement surgery. 2 months later it came back, got put on xarelto this time. On it 2 months now... Anyway, I was going to suggest it was NEITHER of these that caused your dizzyness! LOOK ELSEWHERE! THAT happened to me on eliquis right away; but they also put me on staon to reduce my already low enough cholestral - I found THAT made me dizzy, not the eliquis!

A comment was made about maybe taking aspirin instead: ASPIRIN DOES NOTHING TO REDUCE OR PREVENT A BLOOD CLOT according to my heavy research, so don't go there without doing your own reserach and disproving all the studies I found!

God luck!

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.

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 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.