Xarelto

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Just had a regular annual physical and the next thing I know I was prescribed Xarelto. Is it reasonable for me to be scared as hell starting this med? The possible side effects take 3 or 4 pages and the next few pages warn of what happens if one stops taking it. This is almost a no win situation. This just came out of the blue along with mass confusion.

It seems I have a mild case of afib which was explained and it was said that while the afix situation is further explored/resolved I should be on a blood thinner.

[jjsheridan5]

Get an ablation, cryo preferably.

Have you had one? Did it work? Certainly, cyro ablations seem to be the gold standard now, at least among the non-open heart options. In fact, I think the current thinking is to go directly to ablation, and bypass (no pun intended) the cardioversions, at least in persistent cases, since the long-term success rate is so abysmal.

If you did have one, how long was the recovery? And were you limited during that time?

[Lean-Right]

It will cause you to hit
post tab three times on
FR though :)/sarc

[lafroste]

I also suffered from (severe) afib. In my case the afib has been resolved by a cardiac ablation. I was also put on an anti-coagulent (in my case Elliquis). Since I have been in normal sinus rythm now for nearly a year, I tried to get my doc to remove the Eliiquis. He hinted that oh no, I'd have to be on it forever. That bullshit came to a screeching halt yesterday when I tried to refill the scrip and was informed that it's copay had been raised to $350.00 (per month). I have a doctor friend that believes that I don't need it at all at this point, that anti-coagulents have their own serious risks (as you mentioned), and that the only reason that it is required by "protocol" is that if I do have a stroke 10 years from now the lawyers will demand to know why I'm not taking it.

Screw that noise. If my staying anticoagulated is so dang important we can bloody well go back to warfarin. Why? The same reason I don't have a red Ferrari even though I'd like one. The pharmaceutical monster is not to be trusted an inch. Warfarin works just fine, has a 50 year history and is as safe as any of them. The only problem is that it is cheaper than water and big pharma can't make money off it. Sorry, not a good enough reason for me.

Besides, your new drug is featured on late night TV ads for ambulance chasers suing on cases where Pradaxa has managed to kill the patient. Be safe, you need something for now I grant, but demand warfarin then demand to be removed from it once your afib is resolved.

[SubMareener]

There is no conversion for Xeralto. It has to just wear off.

[papertyger]

Pay strict attention to your condition, because when you have afib, by default you have some degree of congestive heart failure. That’s the part the cardiologists don’t usually tell you.

Watch for swelling of the feet and legs, unusual fatigue, and difficulty breathing.

I just went through all this and am now recovering from cardiac ablation which got me off all the God awful meds they prescribe to “control” the condition.

Afib is one of those conditions where the treatment can be worse than the disease!

[KC_for_Freedom]

I had a brain bleed incident on Pradaxa and had to wait 24 hours for a successful surgery to remove brain blood.

This was before Predaxa has a reversal agent but I may have helped this research along. My cardio doc was extremely concerned about my brain bleed because it went completely unknown for weeks.

He subseqwuently moved all his other patients off Predaxa for a review period.

These drugs are powerful and affect people differently. Take as much care as you can.

[lafroste]

I had a cardiac ablation last Feb. I had serious afib that did not respond to any other treatment. During 1 of 3 attempted cardioversions they mucked up the anesthetic and I woke up a few seconds before the shock was applied. I yelled "Ouch!" and the cardiologist almost needed one of his colleagues like right now. It hurt, but it was still kinda funny.

The ablation worked perfectly and I have been in normal sinus rhythm ever since. The doctor told me that the inside of my atrium was a train wreck and he zapped lots of troublesome nodes. It was a congenital defect.

[sphinx]

I had a DVT and pulmonary embolism. Dodged a bullet. I've been on Xarelto since with no problems. The clots are gone but I'm on the medication as a prophylactic measure. I get the normal range of minor cuts (mainly nicks when shaving), which bleed a bit more than they would without the medication, but it's nothing a band-aid can't handle. (A major injury could be a different story.) I'm sure individual reactions will vary, as they do with any drug.

At this point, I could go off the Xarelto and switch to regular blood tests to monitor any recurrence of the clots. (Let's see: go in for a regular appointment to get stuck with a needle, or take a pill. Decisions, decisions.) The wild card in my situation is that the docs could find no underlying reason for the clots. This happens sometimes, but usually there is an identifiable risk factor or precipitant.

There are alternatives with different pluses and minuses. Talk them over with your doc. If option A makes you nervous, try option B. It will have a similarly scary list of health warnings as well; that's one of the prices we pay for living in a litigious world.

[dgkb]

I am a nurse who also experiences occasional A. Fib. - I will not take blood thinners, and have also had another doctor say, “good for you” because I would not. Yes, there is a risk but I would rather face that risk if it does arise. I take Flecainide when it comes as I usually have rapid ventricular response with it. Just investigate this further.......

[Boogieman]

Um, cuts that don’t clot quickly are dangerous, but not usually as dangerous as a heart attack or a stroke...

[Buckeye McFrog]

These drugs are powerful and affect people differently.

Yup. Some people here had wonderful results. Some like my father did not.

[LonePalm]

SweetiePalm is a pharmacist and recommends against taking this unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.

"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[SubMareener]

Yeah, ask Arnold Palmer.

[grwcfl537]

After being on Coumadin for nine years, and not being therapeutic for the last two, my Doctor switched me to Xarelto. Benefit is I can eat more vegetables and lost a significant amount of weight. No side effects that I can determine.

This is anecdotal and not a double blind test. YMMV.

[grwcfl537]

As a follow-up; I am a superb clotter which is why the Coumadin (Warfarin) was discontinued.I have shaved with a straight razor because I am a contrarian. An alum bloc usually stops small nicks. When I restore straight razors and sharpen them, I have a copious supply of bandaids and super glue at hand. I am not concerned with bleeding.

[Tucker39]

I have afib, and have been on coumadin (warfarin) for over 10 years. The monthly blood tests are a miniscule inconvenience, but I wouldn’t switch to one of those outrageou$ “newer and better” drug$ on a bet.