rivaroxaban
Posted , 8 users are following.
Hi, I was diagnosed with AF back in april. I'm currently taking Bisolprolol 2.5mg,& Rivaroxaban 20mg per day.
?Since January I have had quite a few medical issues, feeling as one goes another one comes to the point I have now had to take time off work, to which I absolutely hate & doesn't help.
?For about 3mths,to start off with on occasions my skin felt very tender each time in a different location. then with time became longer lasting, to the point I feel sunburned all day every day, usually always on my hands & feet, but accompanied by being anywhere else on my body & though it moves around. As the weather is changing & getting colder I have even resorted to sitting outside in just shorts to try & cool down, even clothing feeling uncomfortable to wear.
?For other health issues I have had many & thorough blood tests all come back fine, no arthritis no inflammatory markers incorrect etc...
?I have seen my gp this morning, & has suggested that due to all my blood tests show nothing to not take my rivaroxaban for 2wks to see if this is the cause.
?Due to the stroke risk I'm very concerned about this. I'm a 42 yr old man,eat healthy, apart from my AF which is occasional I have GERD issues for which I'm having tests for, as I strongly believe food or eating habits have a huge part of my AF,then I believe I'm quite healthy & fit.
?My questions are, has anyone else experienced this sunburn feeling of the skin with this medication,& am I right to be worried about not taking a blood thinner for 2wks?
?My AF can usually come on in the morning as I wake up, lasts between 5mins to an hour, some days no AF. Or if I haven't been able to eat regularly or had a slightly more larger meal than normal. So I'm not constantly in AF, but does this matter?
?I am very anxious & concerned,as taking a blood thinner since being told I have AF has sort of become my one thing that helps me relax as I feel safer on it. Any help, advice will be greatly appreciated, thankyou.
0 likes, 10 replies
sherpa_al dean0612
Posted
Hello Dean, I have to admit I would be very anxious not taking my blood thinner, but having said that I have not had the problems you sadly seem to suffer. I take Apixaban, 5mg, twice daily and have done since having a stroke in early December last year. After a couple of significant episodes of what I now understand to be atrial flutter last year (April whilst cycling, November whilst trekking in the Himalayas), I was diagnosed end November, and had a stroke a week later, having not been prescribed even aspirin upon the diagnosis. The two episodes each featured very rapid heart rate plus breathlessness and fatigue.
It was the stroke consultant that then prescribed the anticoagulant plus 80mg of statin, which I now have down to 20mg daily. I certainly suffered some aches and pains due to the high level of statin, but I now have no apparent side effects of either the apixaban, or the atorvastatin.
Until recently I do suffer from palpitations, but nothing like the two episodes I referred to earlier. Like you I am convinced my digestion is the root cause of the palpitations, if not the original arrhythmia. I have suffered a lot of heart burn which I now control with omeprazole daily, but am seeking advice via a nutritionist to try and ascertain why I should suffer the heart burn and the accompanying bloating and constant belching; when I control the belching and trapped wind, I do not suffer the palpitations. A gastroscopy, plus a number of other tests early this year found nothing sinister, which is the good news, but no answers as to why I constantly produce gas, and trapped wind, which is worse at night, when I regularly have to sit up to release it, and minimise the palpitations.
I have found I have a couple of food intolerances, the main one being cows milk, and I am now on a dairy free diet for a couple of months to see what effect that might have. Early signs are encouraging, and my stomach feels much more relaxed than it has done for some time. I see my cardiologist just before the end of the month to review the outcome of the ablation I had in early June, but I would take a lot of convincing that the arrhythmia had been corrected, and I no longer needed to take the apixaban, a lot of convincing.
I am a 68 year old guy, pretty fit and slim for my age, runner for 15 years, cyclist since 2011, never smoked in my life, drink in moderation, and have no family history of heart disease, but I still copped a stroke due to a blood clot from the arrhythmia, even though the risk was deemed very low. It has taught me if I didn't already know, that there are only probabilities in life, but no certainties, well apart from taxes and death that is.
Good luck Dean
Best Wishes
Sherpa Al
sarah88339 dean0612
Posted
Don't worry about coming off your blood thinner. AF patients don't start a blood thinner until they are 65 years here in Britain. It also takes several hours for a blood clot to form and your AF doesn't last that long.
read all the side effects for your medication,I seem to remember red itchy skin being a rare side effect.
digestion is always the cause of my AF so I keep a food diary to see what causes my wind,bloating etc. It has helped a lot. No caffeine or alcohol.
good luck
derek76 dean0612
Posted
Also check on GERD and the vagus nerve for the connection with AF.
From my experience Bisoprolol is most likely the cause of your problem.
sherpa_al derek76
Posted
You are correct Derek, the stroke risk at 48 is very low, but Sarah you are not quite correct. As I stated I was 67 when diagnosed with an Afib, and suffered a stroke shortly after. When I wrote to my medical practice to ask why they did not immediately prescribe an anti-coagulant upon receiving the atrial flutter diagnosis, I was told that I was deemed low risk, I scored only ONE on the CHADS2 assessment, and that score was due to being over 65; all other risks factors were scored zero. To warrant prescription of an anti-coagulant you need to score TWO or more on CHADS2, so you don't get it for just being old!!
The response from my medical practice explaining all this I accept was clinically correct, but as you might expect I would vote for an anti-coagulant based on a CHADS2 score of ONE, i.e. being an old fart!
I was very unlucky to have a stroke, and very, very lucky it did not leave me disabled (it has left me with a slight impairment to my vision, fortunately not enough to prevent me from driving, but I had to wait four months before that was confirmed).
Hope that sheds a little more light.
So, as I said, no certainties, only probabilities.
dean0612 derek76
Posted
Hi, sorry for the late reply my wife & I ended up getting the dreaded flu and felt terrible with it. I ran the course of 2wks without the rivaroxaban and my burning skin symptoms stayed the same if not worse at times. I saw my gp yesterday & she has put me back on the rivaroxaban. But she suggested I stop the bisoprolol 2.5mg for 2wks and see if this stops my symptoms.She didn't want me taking anything else in the meantime but I expressed my concerns about just stopping this medication & she gave me a pill in the pocket I believe was her phrase in case I go into AF and need something to take the edge off it (Verapmil 120mg). I feel more at ease with having something there than just stopping altogether.
?Also I checked the CHADS2 score for myself thankyou, due to high blood pressure which is also in the family ive scored 1, which put me at intermediate certainly a useful tool to know thankyou.
derek76 dean0612
Posted
I took verapamil and losartan for about twelve years side effect free after a variety of medications that did not agree with me.
Verapamil was eventually stopped after my last cardioversion as it slowed my heart rate too much.
I am intolerant to bisoprolol in the long term but keep some to take as a pill in the pocket if my heart rate goes to high.
sandiishealthy dean0612
Posted
Hi there. I can understand your concerns and fears. I am a 58 year old female with A Fib for 6 years. I've had 2 ablations and MANY cardioversions. As recently as August 31 this year. I am not on any blood thinners but have been in the past. It seems doctors and specialists here in Canada have different opinions about taking a blood thinner for this condition. I was on one pre and post ablation for a few months. Now I'm not on one as my cardiologist of many years says I don't have the risk factors to be on one. I always know when I'm in A Fib and if I don't self correct within the hour I go for a cardioversion. Some doctors in emergency don't like the fact that I'm not thinners and start bugging me about going on one. So I basically tell them off and they leave me alone lol. I do believe mine is due to the gut, food sensitivities the vagus nerve and Gerd etc. I have found the FODMAP diet that is suggested on this forum to have changed my life. I have had 1 attack in the past year that needed to be cardioverted. When I have problems I can 100% of the time trace it back food or stress, food and the vagus nerve. I'm currently only on one drug. This drug is an anti arrhythmia drug called flecainide. I'm on the lowest dose of 50 mg twice per day and have NO side effects. I'm VERY thankful I found this fodmap diet and the changes it has made for me. Personally I want to be on as few drugs as possible for fear of side effects. I have not experienced the side effects you have when I was on the same thinner as you. But everyone responds differently. I agree that you should check this drug for all the rare side effects and go from there. As far as being off the thinners for 2 weeks. Only your specialist knows if this is a good idea or not and then use you gut instinct to make the right decision. Take care and hope you feel better soon
dean0612 sandiishealthy
Posted
Hi, thankyou for getting in touch & my apologies for the late reply. My wife & I are just getting over this awful flu that is going around here.
?My symptoms of the skin feeling sunburned continued without being on the rivaroxaban so yesterday my gp put me back on it. She has now asked me not to take the Bisoprolol 2.5mg for 2wks and see if its this. She reluctantly gave me another (pill in the pocket she called it) verapamil 120mg incase I go into AF and need something to hep with it. Unfortunately with this I have had to take some time off work, therefore my eating habits have been more structured & I can honestly say my AF & ectopic beats have been to an absolute minimum more so than any medication has helped with. I mentioned this to my gp that I'm convinced its all diet related but she said no it will be because ive had some time off work. I couldn't stress to her enough I enjoy work its nothing to do being off, but every episode Ive had to my memory was around food or going longer periods without food. I'm due a 24hr monitor test in December of my stomach for ongoing issues ive had for over 12yrs for heartburn/acid etc... they've also planned me in for a FODMAP consultation so I'm really hoping to have a lot of questons answered, Thankyou for replying to me it really helps getting other opinions and advice.
andrew95119 dean0612
Posted
i recognized those skin burn sensations right away. They began shortly after my AF started about 4 years ago. Around that time I was also enduring a number stressful situations which taken together I believe put me into a state of GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). Burning skin sensations is a symptom. I also get vibration sensations in various parts of my body. You may be more anxious about the AF than you realize. It can be challenge to re-calibrate your body as the anxious state is the new norm but regular mindful meditation practice can help ie 2 x 10 minutes a day as well as truly trusting the experts when they say that AF itself won’t actually hurt you. Google GAD to see if you see other familiar symptoms
cardiac_congo dean0612
Posted
Hi. Im female, 54. I used to take bisoprolol but it made me feel dreadful. Changed to verapmil which was better, but it didnt seem to have any impact on my PAF. Ive had 3 ablations and took rivaroxaban for about 18 months. Ive stopped all meds, still get episodes but feeling rough now n then is better than all of the time on meds. Foods also trigger me as does being too hot, too cold, too tired! For me, meds aren't good, so I always aim to be off them. Might be worth a go with your Dr supervision. Good luck.