Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
Hi, so I was diagnosed with PE in November and I had a very hard time adjusting to the Warfarin I was taking but eventually got used to it. Now I've been taking Eliquis for about a week now and I'm starting to feel a little depressed and anxious again. I'm wanting to know if I'm just adjusting to the new medication or if I might need to go back to using Warfarin. What are/were your experiences while being on Eliquis and how did it compare or contrast with being on Warfarin?
I haven't been on Warfarin, but I was originally on Coumadin after my first PE in May 2014. On Coumadin it was very difficult for me to keep my INR within the therapeutic range for the six months I was on that medication.
After my second PE in November 2015 I was put on lifelong anticoagulation with Xarelto. Doctors thought it was a better alternative as I am young (28 at the time), travel a lot, and struggled a bit with Coumadin. However, Xarelto gave me some side effects: I will keep it short, but I had an haemorrage, bruised easily and had very heavy periods.
Last year I was switched to Eliquis and I am currently on the lower dosage (2x2.5mg per day). So far, I am very happy with this medication, as it gives me the least inconvenience. I think it is a lot easier to manage than Warfarin (I don't need to go for blood tests every few days), the dosage is always the same, and you can eat whatever you want (it does not interact with Vitamin K).
I lead a very active lifestyle and run a lot. With Eliquis, I bruise a lot less and my period is also more manageable (this might also be because I am on the lower dosage, but on the other hand this takes into account my small frame). I would not go back to Coumadin!
Good luck!