Advantages of Eliquis or Xarelto over Coumadin?

A friend takes Eliquis without any apparent side effects, after having had leg weakness while on Xarelto. The major concern with these drugs initially was that there were not readily available antidotes, while bleeding while on Coumarin could be stopped with vitamin K. But there are antidotes now, so that seems to make doctors more comfortable prescribing them and sparing the patients the frequent blood work, which became a bigger issue during lockdown and when people were reluctant to go to medical facilities unless really necessary. Here's a blurb from the Harvard Health newsletter.

"The wait is over for an antidote to stop rare uncontrolled bleeding linked to some newer blood thinners. 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).

Another newer blood thinner — dabigatran (Pradaxa) — already has an approved antidote called idarucizumab (Praxbind). A dose of vitamin K is used to reverse the action of warfarin (Coumadin), a blood thinner used routinely for more than half a century and, until recently, the only such option for most people."
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/more-antidotes-for-newer-blood-thinners

Thank you, I will do that. Also, I talked with my Dr today and he said he would give me a written Rx in case I want to try buying from a Canadian pharmacy. I’ve read that a generic version is available up north.

My husband has just reached the "donut hole" and his cost for xarelto (comparable price to eliquis) has gone up substantially. We applied for Prescription Hope (877-296-4673) and are awaiting a decision from them. If approved, the monthly cost will be $50.00 which we pay to Prescription Hope. They in turn send us a prescription card which we will use at the drug store to pay for the xarelto.
Please contact them. I hope this information helps you!

My husband has just reached the "donut hole" and his cost for xarelto (comparable price to eliquis) has gone up substantially. We applied for Prescription Hope (877-296-4673) and are awaiting a decision from them. If approved, the monthly cost will be $50.00 which we pay to Prescription Hope. They in turn send us a prescription card which we will use at the drug store to pay for the xarelto.
Please contact them. I hope this information helps you!

I started on Eliquis this past February (2022), and have had no problems with it. However, I just got a call from my Medicare Advantage company to inform me that I will soon be paying $360/ 90-day supply rather than the $100 I paid initially. The explanation was something about having reached the “donut hole” limit of my Part D insurance. Guess in need to go read the fine print…

Igerkin, your question was: “are there other benefits to taking Eliquis over Coumadin?“
I believe the answer to your question is to be found in a number of places. I’m just including some links that I found helpful.
https://www.singlecare.com/blog/eliquis-vs-warfarin/
https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/features/warfarin-new-blood-thinners
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/are-the-new-blood-thinners-better-than-warfarin-coumadin
I take Eliquis after having an internal bleed when on Coumadin. I would not go back. Don’t fall prey to alarmists or misinformation. When one needs to be on a blood-thinner - or any necessary medication - one needs to weigh the cost to benefit ration in terms of the cost to your body of taking vs. not taking the medication.
Good luck and good health

Absolutely essential: read everything you can find about Elequis, especially the maker’s package insert. U think it comes with an FDA black box warning. It is not a drug to mess around with, but it looks to be better than Warfarin (BTW: Warfarin is diluted rat poison).

There is less risk of serious bleeding with Elequis & Xarelto. However, at least some of that evidence comes from meta-analysis which is not a very valid statistical procedure. The inventor of meta-analysis used to work for me, and he refused to use it because he didn’t trust it. There is a very costly way to stop internal bleeding from Elequis but not Xarelto. Do not do anything that might increase the risk of internal bleeding. That includes no aspirin, no NSAIDs. Blood has 2 different clotting systems, one for little cuts and bruises, and an additional system fro big cuts. The newer drugs only affect the big cut clotting system because that is what makes dangerous blood clots.

IF you get a cut that bleeds for more than 15 minutes, check with your MD right away because you may need a trip to the ER to stop it. Or you can do what the ER will charge $1,100 to do-- slap Combat Gauze on it. I asked the ER MD what Combat Gauze was. He gave me some chemistry mumbo jumbo. He got a funny look on his face when I replied “That’s a napkin soaked in powdered kitty litter”. High quality kitty litter costs less that $1 a lb. Wait till you see what Combat Gauze costs, but I keep it handy, and it is a lot cheaper than the ER. I’ve only had to use it once at home, so far.