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Advantages of Eliquis or Xarelto over Coumadin?
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: May 22, 2022 | Replies (49)Comment receiving replies
To all those worried the new anticoagulants do not have an antidote to stop rare uncontrolled bleeding, the wait has been over for years!
If you are comfortable with coumadin and don't mind some of the mild inconveniences using this medication brings with it, then by all means stay on it! If it's working good for you, you trust it and your routine is not a problem, why fix what ain't broken? Vitamin K is the antidote.
The FDA approved andexanet alfa (AndexXa) on May 3, 2018. It's the first and only antidote to reverse bleeding in people taking apixaban (Eliquis), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), or edoxaban (Savaysa). There is peace of mind that all three of the newer, less complicated and highly effective blood thinners are protected by the same antidote.
A fourth, newer newer blood thinner — dabigatran (Pradaxa) — already has an approved antidote called idarucizumab (Praxbind).
For the first time in many, many years, those of us who need to be on anticoagulants, finally have a choice of blood thinners and the security and safety of proven antidotes.
(Information obtained from "Harvard Health Online," available through Harvard Medical School.
Similar information available at Mayo Clinic and Cleavland Clinic.
I am 71 with A-FIB. As soon as I was diagnosed, my cardiologist put me on Xarelto. The first week I noticed some tiredness, but that either stopped or I got use to it. A couple years later I had an ablation which helped a lot and went right back on the Xarelto with no side effects.
Wish everyone good luck finding the medication that works best for you. And please be cautious reading medical information on the Net. There ARE excellent, trustworthy sites available, but there are also a lot of quacks and hacks, so stay sharp and don't take ANYTHING without discussing it with your doctor first! I know you've heard this a million times, but just because it says "NATURAL," does NOT mean "HARMLESS!"
Replies to "To all those worried the new anticoagulants do not have an antidote to stop rare uncontrolled..."
Once again, it is crucial to recognize outdated information presented here when the FDA has later acted to prevent severe consequences from misuse of approved medications. The antidotes for anticoagulants preventing blood clots from A-fib -- especially Coumadin, Andexxa, and Praxbind -- are vital examples.
The Harvard Health letter speaking highly of Andexxa was dated September 1, 2018; it reported initial approval of the drug on May 3, 2018. Two months later (December 31, 2018), the FDA modified its approval. It removed edoxaban (Savaysa) from the anticoagulants that Andexxa may be used against. The package insert and prescribing instructions also were modified (see <https://www.fda.gov/media/113279/download>.
Praxbind, initially approved in October 2015, has undergone two important modifications, most recently on February 11, 2022, when the FDA approved special treatment for wrong-dose errors. The earlier change in April 2018 dealt with dosage and administration problems.
Take notice also that Andexxa and Praxbind are to be given only by intravenous injection. Coumadin (Warfarin) is neutralized by Vitamin K which can also be taken by mouth.
@rubywitch67 gives great advice above: "(D)on't take ANYTHING without discussing it with your doctor first!" They are up to date on safety of prescription drugs. I'll add my personal advice that, in getting treatment for bleeding injuries, ask the medical facility if they have the antidote on hand that you'll need to neutralize your chosen anticoagulant.
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Thank you for the info. Excellent summary!
I always tell people "dog poop is all natural but we don't put it in our mouths."