If you know you're super anxious right now, you may want to be selective about what you choose to read here and on the internet in general. Many of us here are on life long anticoagulation and that makes the stakes higher when it comes to the new meds and choosing what's right for us.

No one said any of the anticoagulants discussed were unsafe. No one here is telling anyone they should only take warfarin.

Switching to warfarin would be a decision you'd need to make with your doctor.

Remember, we're not doctors or experts. We're just people having discussion about what we're taking, not taking and why. There are tons of people here on the new anticoagulants who've not had any issues. In fact, I don't think I can think of one person who has said they've had a problem. All anticoagulants have a bleeding risk. That's just the nature of these drugs. You have to weigh your immediate risk against a potential risk. Your immediate risk is the clot; the potential risk is a bleed. So it's an easy choice to make: take the anticoagulants, regardless of which one.

Double ditto to what rmb said.

The other thread was about flaws in the regulatory system not about the med itself. So sit down with a cup of tea and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. (grin)

I wouldn't go panicking and switching anticoagulants right now. The one you've got seems to be working, so stick with that. There are issues with every med. Warfarin/coumadin is hard to manage (especially if you're already anxious about things!) and Xarelto is a little newer on the marketplace... it doesn't make one better than the other at all. There's just different considerations.

Every med has its risks ... even Tylenol and over-the-counter supplements can have issues. The goal is to make informed decisions and to do what's best for you. I can't see that switching meds in a panic is a good decision when what you're taking seems to be doing the trick.

Take a deep breath, consider limiting what you're reading on the internet when you're stressed and anxious (I highly recommend cat videos as an alternative), and keep in mind that the Xarelto you're taking is keeping you safe from more clots.

Right now, that medicine is your friend and it is giving your body a chance to dissolve the clots and to heal. The odds of getting an uncontrollable bleed are really, really small (but I wouldn't start juggling chainsaws anytime soon), but the odds of the medicine helping you heal are really, really, really high.

You'll be OK. Hang in there!

I agree completely with what the others here have said.

A couple of things to remember with regard to that other conversation:

Well, first is basically a repeat of what rmb initially said - Those of us who were discussing that are all people who have to stay on anticoagulants permanently, so as she said, that puts us in a different category than new patients who only have to stay on it for a few months. The risk of a major bleed when you're only taking it for 3-6-12 months is really insignificant when compared to the risk of taking a medication for 30 years or more, and anticoagulation therapy is pretty much just an assessment of what's the bigger risk and adjust for that, because no matter what we choose, we're at some risk.

Second, my understanding is that the new anticoagulants un-monitored are similar in risk to what well-regulated warfarin is. Which means that for a normal, reasonably healthy person (not an elderly patient with multiple health issues to juggle), there's really not an appreciable difference for you taking one versus the other. Your risk of a major bleed on either medication during your period of temporary treatment is pretty low. And you do get the benefit of not having to test. I don't think that study is indicating at all that a person on Xarelto or Pradaxa is at any greater risk than they would be on warfarin.

I actually am still excited about the possibilities for these new anticoagulants and I would really love it if one of them would seem the right choice for me at some point in my life. If I were taking them for just a few months, I probably would prefer it myself. So if I were in your situation, I'd probably be doing just as you are doing now.

Please don't go back and get anxious over a decision which you and your doctor made, due to our discussion, which really was more about the way medications are pushed through with an agenda rather than transparently presenting the information. To me, the issue is that there is a way for all of us on anticoagulation to be much safer than we currently are on whatever form of anticoagulation we use, yet perhaps that's not being thoroughly explored because of the desire to have a one-size-fits-all treatment.

Actually, this is just my own little thought here, having been reminded of a point that Toss made in her comments.....

Warfarin can be a really persnickety medication, and it takes time and effort to get into the right dose. I had problems keeping my blood at the level it needed to be for a year after I started it, and we had to constantly adjust my dose. Since using warfarin can be so hard to get into the correct "safe" range, just thinking logically, I would suspect that for short term use, the new anticoagulants are probably safer to use than warfarin for most people. And it would be a whole lot less stressful!

I was started on Xarelto 2 weeks ago when I was diagnosed with my PE. Even though I share the original poster's fear regarding the newness of the medication (particularly because I have a high probability of becoming a lifer on anticoagulants--still waiting on word from the hematologist), I am do grateful not to have to get my INR checked every week like my dad had to when he clotted a few years back. For those of us who are new to anticoagulants, Xarelto seems like a slightly less anxiety provoking choice. At least we are survivors and the new anticoagulants have the potential to make many of our lives easier. (Fingers crossed)

Very good points, especially when speaking about the lifelong use of these medications. I guess I hasn't considered the difference we face when I'm looking at 6 months and done (hopefully) vs. forever.

I think I should stick to cat videos on the internet.

I started with Warfarin and had a hard time staying therapeutic. Plus I love "green vegetables". I switched to Xarelto and had no problems. I was worried too since the drug is fairly new. As the other posters have said there is risk in all the drugs. There is risk in not eating greens. Hang in there, breathe. When this happens to you there is so much information and feelings to absorb.

I need to get more cat videos in my life too!

Regarding diet and warfarin: I'm on warfarin and eat greens. There's no reason to stop eating healthy foods simply because of warfarin. Just sayin' so any new folks on warfarin reading this don't think they have to completely re-haul their diets.

I will probably be taking Coumadin the rest of my life. It definitely doesn't interfere with my diet because I educated myself about what foods have high Vit K. (Hint: It's not just green leafy vegetables.!)

My INR has remained stable for the entire 3 or 4 years (hey, who's counting?) I've been on Coumadin with the rare exception of a point or 2 above or below range, quickly corrected by an adjustment of my diet or very occasionally a small correction in dose for one day.

There ARE people, I know, who might have some genetic predisposition or other condition that makes staying in range much harder. I'm talking about most of the people.

I've seen weight-loss diets that are a lot more convoluted and restrictive than the one I follow to keep my INR in range. LOL

I agree with what rmb said and wanted to post this myself as well. It's complete misinformation this idea of not being able to eat vegetables while on Coumadin. The point is to be consistent about what you eat. I eat mostly vegetables, it's the way I've always eaten and there's no reason to change that just because I'm on Coumadin. In fact, I think it's far more harmful for the body to be deprived of the other benefits of vegetables high in vitamin K just because I need to take Coumadin. For instance, the proverbial "green leafy vegetables" also tend to be the ones that are higher in iron and other vitamins I need as a young(ish) woman. So I eat veggies all the time including spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. The point is that I eat like that regularly and hence my Coumadin dose is adjusted to a high intake of vitamin K. In fact, I do almost the polar opposite of cave (and she and I have really torn into this topic in the past because of our differing opinions), because I really believe that I eat pretty consistently without having to consciously think about my diet. I'm also on Coumadin for life, and I'm also consistently in the range of therapeutic now. Actually, ironically, when I cut vegetables out of my diet is the time my INR was most inconsistent and I also, interestingly enough, needed about a 50% higher dose when I wasn't eating high vitamin K foods (and I had also correctly educated myself about what those were too).

Point is, it's really a myth that you can't eat healthy foods on warfarin. Yes, vitamin K is one of many things which can have an effect on INR, but there's no reason not to have it in your diet as long as you are reasonably consistent about your intake of it. But every person has to do what works out best for them individually. Just like the decision of which anticoagulant to take, what works best for one person may not be for another, so we have to weigh the pros and cons of each choice and decide which is best for us.

My Coumadin pharmacy doctor suggested figuring out how many servings of high vitamin K foods I tended to eat a week prior to warfarin and continue to do that. He said that it's more important to be consistent weekly than daily, so no need to say "it's Monday so I have to eat my broccoli today, then Wednesday I can have some spinach". He suggested a checklist on my fridge door where I mark off how many servings of high K foods I've had this week until I hit my "limit", then no more till next week. It's worked pretty well so far. As a matter of fact when my INR has been out of whack, it's been too high, not too low.

I have had excellent results with xarelto

I'm on Coumadin for life and my Doc told me to eat what I want and he will adjust the dose. I even take Vit K at his advice. My INR has been stable for the last couple of years.
But you have to do what you and your Doc agree is best for you.