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Weaning off Xarelto to aspirin?

Posted , 16 users are following.

PRthyroid
PRthyroid

Hello everyone,

I've been on Xarelto going on for about 1 and 1/2 year, since May of  2014. I was placed on it for having a second case of PE's in the lung. I've had two cases of PE in total due to taking birth control. After running other blood tests, I don't seem to have any serious blood cloting condition other then my blood cloting from the birth control. Soon after having my second case of Blood clots and being placed on Xarelto I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroid.

Anyways, I wanted to ask is it possible to wean off of Xarelto and being placed on an aspirin instead?

I was told I had to be on blood thinners the rest of my life. I don't think I want to risk being on Xarelto the rest of my life, especially since there have been cases of interal bleeding, no way of rapid reversal (like warfarin) and also the fact there's not a lot of studies on the effects of taking Xarelto long term. I've been on Warfarin for my first case of PE's but it gave me alot of UTI's so I don't think I want to go with that either.

I live a very healthy lifestyle now with my diet. I'm on a gluten free, dairy free, soy free diet, and have no problem getting in a lot of foods and vitamins that help to thin out the blood. 

Would a lifestyle of a daily aspirin and some Vitamin A and E pills be good enough at thinning out the blood in exchange for Xarelto the rest of my life?

 

0 likes, 36 replies

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  • avril87463
    avril87463 PRthyroid

    Posted

    Hi there. I am afraid I have never heard of Xarelto so cannot

    Offer any advice on that. However, I am on a blood thinner, not

    Warfarin as I did not want to go on that particular drug, but was

    Advised to go on one of the newer drugs Apixaban. I have been

    on it for just over a year now with no side affects and no check

    ups needed. I will be on it for life and very happy with that.

    Hope this may help. Btw I too have hyperthyroidism!!!!

    • PRthyroid
      PRthyroid avril87463

      Posted

      Ah, I heard of Eliquis (Apixaban). I was maybe also thinking about switching to that, as I hear less problems with that one over Xarelto, but both are still pretty new.  May I ask when were you diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism? I'm trying to figure out if there's some sort of connection with these new blood thinners and getting hyperthryoid.
    • bowman
      bowman avril87463

      Posted

      Hi. My husband has just started apixaban...3 months...and has no noticable side effects. Unlike warfarin or riveroxaban, where the side effects were awful. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it stays like this
    • PRthyroid
      PRthyroid bowman

      Posted

      That's good. I hope it stays like that for him too. If I can't switch from Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) to an aspirin, then I may as to switch to Apixaban. Gotta do my research and see that's the best bet for long term.
    • lesley65870
      lesley65870 PRthyroid

      Posted

      Eliquis almost killed me a week ago anyhow I'm on xarelto and am in pain. I have the same issue u have. I want off this blood thinner. I hurt and per blood. Can't do this anymore.

  • avril87463
    avril87463 PRthyroid

    Posted

    Hi again. I am so sorry I didn't realise that Xarelto was

    Rivaroxaban. I have heard of that and knew that it was one of thenew ones like Apixaban, If it is of any help to you, when I was told

    by the Consultant that he wanted me to go on Warfarin, it was

    only by talking to a Cardiac Nurse about not wanting to go on

    Warfarin that she strongly recommended Apixaban over

    Rivaroxaban. I think possibly less side effects. Apixaban is also

    The most expensive as it is one tablet twice a day. I do not have any concerns about the fact that there is no antidote. Also a

    Doctor friend of mine is also on this drug and also recommended

    That I pushed for it. I hope this info helps you.

    • PRthyroid
      PRthyroid avril87463

      Posted

      Thanks for letting me know. I will have to think about it. But I rather just get off of strong blood thinners period, since I'd have to take them the rest of my life. Just want to go with whatever will be easier and safer for my body.
  • Joydeck
    Joydeck PRthyroid

    Edited

    I 'm 66 years old and only on low dose Aspirin, with a CHA2DS2–VASc score of just 1. I was about to switch to Apixaban until three things I read yesterday have caused me to pause.  The first that the creator of the CHA2DS2–VASc score had a vested interest in the NOACs.  The second that Rivaroxaban approval testing was biased in its favour.  The third that the NOACs have yet to be proved in clinical practise. 

    The trouble with just Aspirin is the latest suggestions that it actually does nothing to reduce AF risk, disputing earlier studies. 

    • PRthyroid
      PRthyroid Joydeck

      Posted

      Wow, well none of that sounds good. : (

      I don't have AF but not sure what other options to go with, if that's the case. I don't want to go back on Warfarin cause it kept giving me UTI's. I was looking into just natural blood thinners like Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric pills. But after resereaching, they say there's not a way to really measure how well natural blood thinners are working. Don't know if that's true or not, or if they just want to keep people on real Meds the rest of their life.

    • susan39248
      susan39248 Joydeck

      Posted

      Hi Joydeck

      I was very interested to read your post. If you still have them could you post the link to the info you found? 

      I am on life ling blood thinners due to two episodes of DVT and then PE. It isn't cancer that's causing it and so they are not interested in looking any further but I have a damaged vein ( caused by phebitis I beleive, though no Dr has even commented) in my calf and  private consultant believes that is the cause of my clots ( that's where the pain was) . I am on Rivaroxiban, switched form Apixaban because of pain in my varicose veins.

      I am just switching over to Warfarin as I want to be able to confirm that my INR is ok and I plan to have my bad vein dealt with and then see if I can get off the warfarin permanently. I am considering self monitoring my INR, by buying the machine to do it.

      I would then hope to be able to reduce the Warfarin and increase natural blood thinning supplements /foods as needed to keep INR in therapeutic range and then see if I can get off the Warfarin completely. I don't beleive that I will need the thinners once my problem vein has been dealt with. The NHS won't do it as I am too fat and I guess they consider it a waste of resources :-(

      Did you change onto the NOAC's in the end? 

    • susan39248
      susan39248 PRthyroid

      Posted

      Hi PRthyroid

      Like you I do not have AF but clots due to damaged/varicose veins. I am hypothyroid and have low in range B12. I am not medically trained.

      I am just switching to Warfarin so my INR can be monitored and then I plan to buy the machine for testing my INR myself. Once I have had my damaged veins removed which will, I hope remove the threat of further blood clots, I plan to try to get off blood thinners completely. 

      Your INR , when you are taking Warfarin, is affected by some foods and supplements( lists availabe online), which I am still researching. This is reliably the case, so it seems logical that you can prevent blood clots ( if, like me there is a removable underlying cause) by ensuring you eat/take those things that keep your INR low. I have also read that low B12 can predispose to abnormal blood clotting and I am pursuing this line of enquiry too. B12 is not mentioned in relation to Warfarin in anything I have seen yet. Of course,unless you can monitor yourself frequently you would have no hope of doing anything to help yourself. 

      I don't undertake this plan lightly as I have been lucky thus far and have survived both episodes of Pulmonary Embolism almost unscathed. PE can damage your heart on the way through and can also damage your heart if the clot ends up lodged too close to your heart, within the lung. My first PE came after a prolonged DVT which I didn't attend to. If this happened again I would know that I had a DVT and would take appropriate action. My second PE however came with no advance warning, it just arrived in my lungs and was big and painful. Although they are not telling me, I believe the lady doing my heart ultrasound gave away that one side of my heart had been damaged.

      Having had a chat with a private Vein specialist, he said that both types of occurrence are not unusual. 

      I am posting my musings here to see if you managed to sort anything out for yourself, perhaps have some info to share. :-)

       

    • Sway
      Sway PRthyroid

      Edited

      Fish oil is a natrual blood thinner to because of thw omega 3. I take asprin and fish oil.
    • Joydeck
      Joydeck susan39248

      Posted

      Sorry, I didn't see your post earlier.  

      I've seen dozens of NOAC studies in recent years.  The trend seems to be that dabigatran and apixaban are best but time will tell.  

      Dabigatran seems to increase heart attack risk somewhat.  Apixaban has no reversal agent if you end up in intensive care for any reason. 

    • anna83343
      anna83343 Joydeck

      Posted

      what was the dose of aspirin that was studied?

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