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 all,
hope you are all doing well (or better!).
This week I went for some check-ups (heart echo, lung echo and hematologist). Good news is that my heart is in good shape and I have only slightly increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries (I still have residual clots from my first PE back in 2014).
The hematologist suggested I switch to another blood thinner.
I am currently on Xarelto. The reasons for switching would be slightly reduced risk of bleeding, and better pharmacokinetics for Eliquis vs Xarelto (since you take two daily doses, there is no single "peak" effect); 2).
After a horrific first period on Xarelto (I haemorraged really badly because of the increased dosage you take in the first 3 weeks), some of my other periods have been ok, some others quite bad. The doctor said that these classify as haemorrages anyway, and I already know myself that they affect my quality of life.
So he suggested that I switch to Eliquis.
Moreover, he suggested I don't take 2x5mg as from Eliquis protocol, but 2x2.5mg (50% dosage), as he said that in one big study half the dosage has proven equally effective and seems to reduce haemorragic risk. He said it could also work better for me since I am small framed (newer blood thinners are not dosed depending on weight, but he said the mechanism these molecules work is partly unknown).
I would need to discuss the switch with the pulmonologist anyway, but he said I should think about it.
Does anybody here have experience with switching to Eliquis, and especially to a lower dosage?
Thanks a lot!
hope you are all doing well (or better!).
This week I went for some check-ups (heart echo, lung echo and hematologist). Good news is that my heart is in good shape and I have only slightly increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries (I still have residual clots from my first PE back in 2014).
The hematologist suggested I switch to another blood thinner.
I am currently on Xarelto. The reasons for switching would be slightly reduced risk of bleeding, and better pharmacokinetics for Eliquis vs Xarelto (since you take two daily doses, there is no single "peak" effect); 2).
After a horrific first period on Xarelto (I haemorraged really badly because of the increased dosage you take in the first 3 weeks), some of my other periods have been ok, some others quite bad. The doctor said that these classify as haemorrages anyway, and I already know myself that they affect my quality of life.
So he suggested that I switch to Eliquis.
Moreover, he suggested I don't take 2x5mg as from Eliquis protocol, but 2x2.5mg (50% dosage), as he said that in one big study half the dosage has proven equally effective and seems to reduce haemorragic risk. He said it could also work better for me since I am small framed (newer blood thinners are not dosed depending on weight, but he said the mechanism these molecules work is partly unknown).
I would need to discuss the switch with the pulmonologist anyway, but he said I should think about it.
Does anybody here have experience with switching to Eliquis, and especially to a lower dosage?
Thanks a lot!
I haven't switched yet, but will definitely post an update up here if I do!
I haven't been here in so long. I hope everybody is doing fine.
I thought I would post an update after switching to Eliquis/Apixaban from Xarelto.
I have switched a month ago and so far everything is fine. I am on Eliquis 2x2.5mg (50% of the normal dosage).
My period has improved a lot, it is not as bad as on Xarelto. I also had less nosebleeds and less gum bleeding.I hope that less bleeding will help with my iron deficiency.
The only difference is that I bruise a lot more, but it is not a big deal for me and it is probably caused by my active lifestyle (lots of running and working out).
Best wishes to you all!
@mlgamer: Glad to hear that you could stop with the thinners! Where I live (The Netherlands), blood thinners are covered by medical insurance once you go beyond a state-determined excess. Xarelto and Eliquis are comparable in terms of price. The only annoyance is that the 2.5mg pill has to be ordered everytime by my pharmacy because it is a less common dosage than 5mg.
@Dc1960: The "good days/bad days" situation you are describing sounds very familiar. Unfortunately PEs take a toll on our bodies and it takes a while to go back to "good days only". But hang in there, and best of luck with your hema visit!
I made the switch from Rivaroxaban to Apixaban on the advice of my Consultant Haematologist.
I switched over 12 months ago and take the daily 2 x 2.5mg dosage.
Not problems or side effects whatsoever.
Good luck!