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AFib - Question about blood thinners
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Mar 7, 2022 | Replies (126)Comment receiving replies
I am turning 60 soon. My mom had a-fib (lived to 88). I had it off and on the last few years; then last year after the vaccine, I started getting a fib every other week. I ended up in ER. He prescribed metropolol and aspirin. I felt great. Then my cardio prescribed metropolol and Eliquis. I hate it. I am achy, swollen, joints hurt, depressed, fatigued, etc. ugh. My question is why do I have to take blood thinners if my afib is controlled and no longer occurring? Why can't I take aspirin. This is affecting my quality of life? Thank you. How do I find the risk of blood clots one v. the other?
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I think MD's overprescribe blood thinners, and my cardiologist finally agreed. I have afib once a year or so, with heart rate 160-180, and always end up in ambulance. However I have declined blood thinners. I recently read that they have found short-term blood thinners for afib lasting more than 5.5 hours is better than long term blood thinners for those with infrequent afib. This has not yet been put into practice though. My last episode was 7 hours and they did an echocardiogram to check for clots in the heart. Aspirin is no longer recommended, both because it is not effective for this purpose and because of side effects. You can decline medications anytime you want to. If your afib is more frequent than mine, you could consider trying another anticoagulant.