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Stroke medication: Taking Eliquis to reduce risk of stroke
I am a 72 year old women who just recently had a heart ablation which was successful. Because of this my doctor feels I should be taking Eliquis since I probably still have afib. My problem is Eliquis makes me very tired and causes quite bad body aches for me. I think my risk of a stroke is 5%. My doctor still feels I should stay on Eliquis for a stroke. This is really the first major health issue I have ever had. I wanted to know if anyone has any advise they can give me. Thanks
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I too have statin pain. My internist ran tests on statin sensitivity and mine was high. He put me on Crestor 5 mg/day (half dose) and my pain went down substantially. My LDL dropped from 170 to 80. Of course I still must follow a low saturated fat diet. I recommend trying a half dose if your doctor will agree. The only issue I do not like is my blood glucose increased to 105. My doctor said statins do increase blood glucose.
I took plavix for over 10 years and July of 2022 caused me to have a stroke after it quit working and no one keep track of it .. Been on Eliquis ever since ... now your post is concerning me .. I do take 81mg of coated aspirin daily.. I guess time wil ltell and time tells all ..
Welcome @harp23, I had not heard of Nattokinase but I just started on Eliquis (5mg) twice a day after a trip to the ER and an overnight in the hospital for a blood clot in my leg and then one in my lungs. I don't have AFIB but do have hypertension so also take high blood pressure meds. I have to go back in January for an ultrasound to look at the clots and determine if I need to be on Eliquis a few months longer or if it is a lifetime thing. After doing a quick search and finding the following article, I think I might discuss Nattokinase with my vascular medicine care team to see if it might be an option.
"Nattokinase dissolves blood clots by directly hydrolyzing fibrin and plasmin substrate. It converts endogenous prourokinase to urokinase (uPA). It also degrades plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and increases the level of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)."
--- Nattokinase: An Oral Antithrombotic Agent for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372539/.
I would not take Nattokinase without discussing it with my care team especially if you take any other blood thinners or medications. Here are a few more research articles:
"Nattokinase has not been approved by the FDA, and contrary to claims on the internet, it should not take the place of an anticoagulant."
--- Can I replace prescribed anticoagulants with Nattokinase?: https://www.stoptheclot.org/faq/can-i-replace-prescribed-anticoagulants-with-nattokinase/
--- Nattokinase: A Promising Alternative in Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6043915/.
Have you discussed it with your doctor?
Hi, @harp23. Welcome to our ongoing discussions about anticoagulants (sometimes called "blood thinners") by patients exploring whether to start using them. Your condition seems very similar to mine over the last several years -- A-fib, small stroke, anticoagulant, concern about side effects. I have a more serious issue to raise presently. First, though, my A-fib is essentially asymptomatic, normal heart rate over the last 50 years or more (except for the short time after A-fib was diagnosed and a short time later when I suffered a small stroke), relatively good health otherwise for an 80-year-old man, taking a 5mg dose of anticoagulant every day, no upgraded treatment for my A-fib since the beginning.
My "more serious issue" is something you didn't mention -- antidotes for anticoagulants. For any one of those blood-thinners, an antidote has been developed -- sometimes more than one for an anticoagulant. The problems here are numerous, not singular. Here's why I feel that way: A friend from down the street fell off a step ladder in his garage just before I drove by and saw him in pain and blood from his head. I called 911, and the ambulance was there promptly and took him to the new hospital a mile away -- minutes away. In that emergency room with him was his wife who provided immediate information on his medications, which included an anticoagulant. But within a half-hour, he was on a helicopter for a 35-mile ride to a major hospital for treatment of a bleeding head wound. By the time his wife and children could catch up with him in the other hospital, he was in critical condition and died in their arms.
What happened? The crucial factor was that the first hospital he was taken to DID NOT HAVE AN ANTIDOTE IN STOCK for the anticoagulant that he had been on for several years. So he essentially bled to death.
That tragedy overwhelms me every time I go to a clinic or urgent care program or emergency room. So my first question at the outset of every one of those places is whether they have the most recent up-to-date antidote for my "blood thinner." Twice in the half-dozen times I had to ask that question, the answer I got was, "We'll get some brought in from another hospital right away." In both cases, I quickly left the facility and had family or friend take me to a clinic I knew I could trust. I always arrange for friends or family to be with me, right behind the 911 ambulance, for this purpose.
Whatever anticoagulant you are using, check several times a year to see what the latest and most effective antidote is for THAT SPECIFIC "blood thinner" and whether the antidote is available wherever you may need it. Take care and join me in making sure nobody else is told to take aspirin as an antidote for their anticoagulants. Martin
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4 ReactionsMy cardiologist is somewhat familiar with Nattokinase. He says the biggest drawback is the lack of studies and because of that he can’t actually recommend taking it but since it’s not a pharmaceutical studies may be hard to come by and will not be funded . From what I have read it has no side effects and does not need an antidote. I was told that my risk of stroke is 3 1/2 - 4% if I do nothing. If I take Eliquis it will be reduced to around 1 1/2%. I am somewhat perplexed by one post in which someone mentioned having had irregular heart rhythm since birth yet apparently had not had any blood clots or strokes even though they had not been on blood thinners all their life. And one other question I have is since there are no blood tests done if you are on Eliquis how do you know it is doing it’s job of preventing blood clots? Is there a test in which it is determined that your blood is not at risk of undue clotting?
The only test I’m aware of is the D-dimer test which I think measures blood clot particles in the blood. This was the test that sent me to the ER to check for DVT in my right leg due to the high number.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22045-d-dimer-test-
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1 ReactionThank you. The test seems to be for blood clotting disorders. But as I understand it with AFIB it is not because of a disorder that the risk of a clot exists but rather because the blood may get “stalled” in the heart chamber which can supposedly cause clotting. I can see where there would be an increased risk if you have a blood clotting disorder and AFIB but perhaps not necessarily if your blood is normal…
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1 ReactionMy son was incorrrctly diagnosed with afib and put on Eliquis. He had suffered a mild stroke about a month before and after being on Eliquis suffered a MAJOR hemorrhagic stroke leaving him with severe disability. He wasn’t given any antidote but was helicoptered to a major hospital where he underwent a craniotomy. He miraculously survived but was left with left side Hemiplegia. This was in 2017 and he’s still severely disabled but making slow progress.
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2 ReactionsThank you. I will be asking our ER if they have the antidote for Eliquis.
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2 ReactionsI have infrequent episodes of paroxsymal A-Fib for 2 years. I was able to taper off of Flecainide twice a day to PIP. I also stopped Eliquis until recently when I experienced an overnight episode of asymptomatic AFib while I was asleep. My Apple Watch detected the irregular rhythm and sent out alerts. I saw them in the morning, checked my ECG, and took 75 mg of Flecainide and Eliquis. Two hours later my heart rhythm was normal
I have an appointment with my EP to discuss adding the food Natto, which is a staple in certain Asian diets, instead of the supplement Nattokinase, and a small dose of Eliquis. I feel there is less of a toxicity risk with eating Natto instead of the supplement. I don't want to take 5 mg twice a day of Eliquis for reasons others have stated.