Cardiologist suggests I can stop taking Eliquis. Any thoughts?

Wishing you all the best……. Keep walking..,,,,

I had AFIB during three of my operations. After my by-pass I wore a Holter monitor for a month then my cardiologist took me off the Eloquis. When I had my left kidney removed I also wore the Holter for a month. No sign of AFIB. My BP monitors and Kardio Mobile check for AFIB. He told me to stay on the Eloquis unless I had a Loop recorder installed.
I was sick of being cut so I declined. I suspect that the real reason for the Loop recorder was that a new doctor in an adjacent office was going to be the one installing it.
I have since changed Cardiologists. The new one wants me to stay on it. He says concerning the Holter monitor "What happens on Day 32?".
I have no sign of AFIB other than during three operations! Can I get off the Eloquis?

I am 79, I got off of Eliquis after four months by wearing a heart monitor for 30 days to be sure AFIB was gone after a successful ablation. I had to push my cardiologist to put me on the monitor. My last vital stats while sitting were 116/66, heart rate 66. After a dizzy event less than 3 months ago, where many tests found absolutely no signs of anything abnormal, my cardiologist wanted me to have loop recorder implanted (standard recommendation I guess). I said no for a host of loop recorder concerns and have been fine as wine ever since. My best research indicated that the probable cause of my dizziness was the metoprolol I took that day. For the past month I have been weaning myself off of metoprolol, will be done this coming week. My numbers have been better than ever since I started to wean off of metoprolol and 81mg aspirin. My outlook is, why do any of this stuff if you feel good and your numbers are consistently good? Everyone is different, but that's my story. Hope this helps. Also, everyone should read Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor. I'm not saying that doctors are all wrong or all bad, just that you likely have the time to sort things out better than they can for your particular circumstances.

The medical community and medical insurers are numbers-driven. They want as little liability or claims against them as possible....natch. So, they use statistical speculation by reducing their probability of 'failure' to the third standard deviation, meaning they are willing to accept the risk of about 3% of an error rate in diagnosis, judgement, and treatment. They devised metrics like the CHADS-VasC score to help them to advise their patients against untimely illness and death. If your score rises above 1.0 they advise you to take a statin and/or a NOAC for life. Each person is free to decline the advice. That's all it is, and the advice comes with the offer of a prescription for whichever medications the physician feels will help you to minimize the chances of an early death or disease/disorder onset.

Again, your feet are not held to the fire. You can decline and go on with living your life as you wish to.

I'm sure you know that there is no guarantee that Afib will not return. The loop recorder gets implanted under the skin and would be set up to alert you or your doctor that you are or were recently in Afib. Myself I purchased a Kardia Mobile device that I use on a daily basis to monitor my heart rate for AFIB. It's not 24/7 monitoring like the loop recorder but I can check my heart whenever I want to. In fact I check my heart rate two times daily. And I use a watch type device that montors my heart for evidence of an irregular heartbeat.

I had a TIA several years ago & one side of my mouth is still slightly droopy. Then I had 6 concussions from falling, 5 of which were within 2 years. As an Afib patient, I was put on Eliquis - 2/day. Because of the head injuries, my cardiologist and electrophysiology cardiologist have scheduled me for an ablation and then the Watchman procedure. Each one is preceded by a TEE, followed by another TEE after the surgical Watchman. Once they feel the incision in my heart has healed I’ll have another TEE to ensure it’s completely closed. At that point I only have to take a baby aspirin every day - no more Eliquis. You may want to ask your doctor about this course of long-term preventative treatment.

I’ve had 2 AFib incidents 7 months apart and no others of which I’m aware. Had the watchman implant 3-1/2 months after 1st incident and finished the eliquis/plavix + 81 aspirin EC protocol in January which called for 1 month of eliquis followed by 3 - 6 months of plavix. I opted for 3 months. Since the watchman is supposed to be 90% + effective I’m comfortable with that. It was not necessary to wean off plavix per EP and I continue with the 81 aspirin. I also take 325 aspirin as needed for osteoarthritis.

The concussions due to a fall lead me to this post. I have had 12 vaso vagal syncope incidents in 12 years of which 3 resulted in collapse. The most recent in December 2023 resulted in a broken ankle. Thus I’m interested in learning if your falls were due to a fainting episode and if the doctors related that to your AFib or other cardiac issue. My AFibs are recent occurring in 2023 while the syncopes began in 2012. I’m diligent with hydration and electrolytes but want to investigate further. Any ideas?

AF by itself shouldn't result in syncope. SVT might, flutter possibly, but AF often has a sustained decent BP, and sometimes it climbs a bit, meaning you're moving blood well....enough. It might be somewhat desatted (reduced O2 saturation), but you should still get enough to keep you from fainting. So, I'm inclined, although nothing like an expert in these things, to say that it was something else, possibly medication....? If you are on metoprolol, it can lead to low BP and syncope. Happened to me.

I had two episodes of Atrial flutters. both in 2020 I have been on Eliquis and Metoprolol ever since. I have yet to understand what an atrial flutter really is, and do I have to stay on these medications for ever? I have had two ablations, but am unable to get any real answers to these questions. Also is a flutter less or more dangerous than Afib.