Stopping Eliquis Safely (Top voted first)

I've been taking Eliquis for a couple months after a bout of a-fib. I'm back in sinus rhythm and am in the low risk (Cat 1) group for clots. Due to the side effects and cost, I want to stop Eliquis and take aspirin daily. But the FDA black box warning makes me scared to stop Eliquis. Is tapering the dose over time a good way to get off it safely? IS there a safe way, or is it a scare tactic to have me pay for Eliquis for the rest of my life? I'm really angry - if I'd known about the FDA warning, I'd never have agreed to take it in the first place.

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I was on Elequis for 2 years. I needed to go off of it. My doctor said to just go off of it cold turkey. I did. Have been off of it for a month.

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Have been off almost 2 months now. Doctor said to just stop taking it. I did.

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As an A-Fib patient I have been on and off Eliquis several times over the last few years. My doctors always have stopped me cold turkey and I had no ill effects from doing so. I am an over 65 year-old woman and the past month of taking Eliquis, I noticed major hair loss and extreme skin sensitivity. Not sure I will want to take it in the future.

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I have been off Elequis for 2 months. Went off cold turkey. That is what my doctor said. I was on it for 2 years.

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In reality, this medication is usually just stopped, cold turkey, as Jo has said. Thus, I have to say that I don't quite understand that black box warning, other than to think that the FDA wants to scare people out of stopping it early, without their doctor's approval, which I do understand to a point. But, it could also create unwarranted fears, in some people.

However Jon, given that you still have some risk, it would be safest for you to consult your doctor first. Aspirin may not be enough to help lower your risk. If needed, there are other medications you can try, such as Coumadin, though it requires frequent INR testing.

The FDA lists its typical side effects as including nausea, dizziness, headache, and easy bruising.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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I got bilateral PE after pacemaker insertion gone wrong and wires poked through my pericardial sac so they had to redo the entire surgery. That resulted in pericardial effussion/fluid around my heart, shortness of breath and PE. Seems like my PE was not unprovoked, but still ended up in ER few weeks later. So my regimen is 3-6 months on Eliquis 5mg 2x daily. I feel awful. Developed insomnia, anxiety and panic disorder. I'm not sure if this is the Eliquis fault or the fact that my entire life did 180' turn after the botched pacemaker and I can't adjust - but I can't wait to get off this drug. And this is my dilemma - I'm afraid. I don't have any genetic factors of fast clotting, but there is a lot of info about rebound hypercoagulation after quitting these drugs and no simple way to monitor these levels. Was told that aspirin isn't really helpful as it works on platelets not on fibrins that Eliquis or Xarelto effects.

I'm planning to go to my haematologist to have blood work done 2 days after quitting Eliquis...but I feel these diagnostics should be done at least every other day - to make sure, and obviously no one will be doing that. The rebound hypercoagulation state lasts about 6-10 weeks and that's when most strokes happen to people who discontinue blood thinners. What did you do after you discontinued Eliquis? I tried to quit already, stopped for 3 days but got scared and restarted after a panic attack.

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Right. My partner was on it for 60 days for a clot in his heart. After the 60 days and he was checked the doctor said stop..and he did. Honestly..I was scared. I thought a tapering off was the normal thing to do,evidently not. It's a year later he's fine and no recurrence of the clot, and he's checked every three months. Best of luck.

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HI. I WAS TOLD AFTER A SONAGRAM I HAD AN QUCULAIR ABNORMAL BLOOD CLOT FROM MY KNEE TO MY HIP. WOW, THEY PUT ME ON ELIQUIS TWICE A DAY FOR 6 MONTHS. MY SWELLING AN PAIN IN MY CALF WENT AWAY IN ABOUT 2 TO 6 WEEKS. I WENT OFF THIS MONTH, WENT FROM 2 A DAY TO 1 A DAY FOR 15 DAYS. I START ASPRIN 81mg NOW EVER OTHER DAY. WHY ASPRIN? IT ACTED FAST ON THINNING MY BLOOD IN THE PAST. REMEMBER, KNOW YOUR BODY IF YOU CAN... WISH ME LUCK

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Re: eva2000 (# 11)

Hi Eva,
I really feel for you. I'm a newbie on Apixaban and trying to get over the horrors about unprovoked internal bleeds, stroke if I go off it for surgery, etc.

I'd be interested in where you got that info on "rebound hypercoagulation state lasts about 6-10 weeks", and was it for Apixaban/Eliquis or one of the others? I know each drug is different and that Rivaroxaban has a rebound, but can't find any actual research on Apixaban....

thanks,
Dianne

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Re: eva2000 (# 11)

I'm 77 and cut my 5mg Eliquis in half for 3 weeks. I stopped cold turkey after that which has been 4 weeks. I also started taking 800 mg of Natural Vitamin E, 4 weeks ago. I have not had Afib for the past 3 months. My wonderful side effect is that my hip is 99% better and I am no longer in the bed. I've completed forms for the FDA on this horrible pill. I wish you good health and a quick recovery!

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Re: Joyce (# 30)

I had one incident of AFib resulting from a surgery, severe dehydration, diarrhea and immobility.. dr started me on eliquis 5 mg twice a day.. after 7 days my knees were swollen and I could barely walk.. my arms and hands also hurt. I have arthritis but this was totally different from Arthritis stiffness. I cut dosage in half and took for five days then I switched to 81 mg aspirin a day. I also am taking metoprolol and anti inflammatory.

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Re: Diannet (# 20)

The information about hypercoagulation state after discontinuation of blood thinners comes from several clinical researches done on Eliquis and Xarelto. The mechanism of action of these both Xa inhibitors is very similar.
I talked to my hematologist about it as well. Im off Eliquis now but not without problems. About 2 months after stopping I got DVT / blood clot in calf/ and had to restart these meds. Also got genetic testing for any and every possible inherited clotting factors. I dont have any predispositions - there was no reason for that DVT other than that pesky hypercoagulation. Now I try to drink a 1/2 glass of red wine a day, incorporate 2-3 cloves of raw garlic in my food, stay hydrated and generally try to move as much as I can. Try to put this behind me but the anxiety from months ago resulted in severe chronic insomnia due to health anxietes. Wishing everybody the best of health!

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My husband was prescribed the med just in case he had PE after a visit to the emergency room. My husbands primary doctor reviewed the test results from the ER 2 weeks after and he tells us that he was given the med as a precaution and cannot just stop taking the med. He wants to go cold turkey. But of course there's a little fear. We are looking for feedback from others who have gone cold turkey.

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Re: John (# 13)

Still on Bayer 325 MG Aspirin instead of Eliquis. Always check with your doctor. Works/still working for money. Saving money.

Good luck.

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Re: lena (# 12)

Did you realize if you are female, over 75 and have high B/P you should be on Eliquis, according to that CHADS score? This is terrifying. I'm 77 started Afib 2 days after increasing my thyroid dose. Went back to old/previous dose, but was left with Afib. Had to leave FL to find competent doctor to change my thyroid dose completely. After 2 months on new thyroid meds I'm out of Afib now for 2 months. The Eliquis is causing horrible hip pain and now both shoulders. No doctor will take me off the Eliquis until I've been out of Afib for over 3 months. In 3 months I'll be in a wheel chair, so I halved my Eliquis for 3 weeks and stopped taking it one week ago. I'm taking Krill Oil and Natural Vitamin E 800mg. I did not know you are in danger of clotting for almost 3 months. I have completed forms for the FDA and will be counted as one of the over 110 people with joint pain from Eliquis. I hope everyone will take a minute to report their side effects. Eliquis is making billions of dollars for Big Pharma.while it inflects horrible side effects on people. My cousins husband had an Arianism while on Eliquis and died within 48 hrs.

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Re: Eva2000 (# 25)

Hi Eva,

Thanks for that fill-in. I don't suppose you still have the actual references to those studies? I have been googling apixaban rebound hypercoagulability and so far not found any actual studies showing it. Yes for warfarin, rivaroxaban and dabigatran, but not apixaban.... I'd like to find them and show my doctors. It's pretty scary that you had a thrombosis 2 months after stopping. I've heard that there can be trouble for up to 6 months, but the people were guessing and they didn't say which DOAC drug....

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Re: darla (# 3)

I was on elequis for over 2 years. Dreadful side effects. It was when I was being put on pills to cover the side effects of the pills that I decided enough was enough! I first reduced down from 5mg twice a day to 2.5mg twice a day. The side effects didn’t improve much so I just stopped taking them. I have my life back. I had so much pain in my joints and shoulder a rash on my arm also fatigued. Very sore toes! Stomach pain and occasional bleeding. My doctor doesn’t know I have stopped them yet and I am going to now take a small dose aspirin in it’s place. I have allowed my body to heal first and get over whatever damage elequis has done to it. To me this tablet is a poison! I have Afib and still take 3.75 mg bisoprolol a day.

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I took elequis for over two years and the side effects were gradually becoming worse! I was scared into continuing with this drug by the doctor and the pharmacist! Eventually I lowered the dose to half the quantity but the only thing that changed was less
pain in my toes. About two months ago I began talking it every other day and then I stopped it altogether. I don’t know if this was the correct way to stop it because the only advice I got was to continue. Elequis may be a wonderful drug for some people but to me it was a poison. I have now told my doctor and I hope to be prescribed aspirin! I feel so much better, it took about 6 weeks for my body to recover from elequis. I have far less joint pain, stomach pain, I sleep better, I can move more, my hair is better and my hearing is beginning to improve. I would love to know what elequis does to your body because to me it was really damaging!

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hey jo

I have just gone coldturk yest. Did you feel anything odd/different? I feel changed suddenly this morning.

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Doctor has instructed me to go off eliqus for 5 days before colonoscopy.
What is the risk?

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