Afib and coumadin

I am taking coumadin for afib and I hate it. I hate giving myself rat poison but I'm afraid to stop because of stroke risk. I have had a pm for a while but I am cursed with afib. Anyone taking anything else to prevent stroke that's a little easier on the system.

7 Comments

Rat Poison

by donr - 2013-02-17 03:02:06

Betti: Dunno what you mean by hard on the system. I've been on it ever since 2002 w/ no real problems. Still alive

There is an alternative - called Pradaxa. You get to choose your Pizen (to quote Gabby Hayes from western movies).

There are down sides to Pradaxa. It is under litigation in a class action suit because it has apparently caused some spontaneous bleeding of stomach & brain, leading to death. It cannot be reversed in an emergency as Coumadin can w/ a shot in the butt from a syringe as big as a bicycle pump filled w/ Vitamin K. You cannot easily your INR by eating a pound & a half of spinach over a 24 hr period (Don't ask how I know about the spinach bit). My cardio is converting his A-Fib patients from Pradaxa to coumadin because of the relative disadvantages of it compared to the Coumadin.

Have you had physical side effects or are you fighting the mental visualization of the rat poison aspects? If it makes you feel any better, you do drink water, don't you? Well, under the right circumstances, water is just as poisonous as Coumadin - drink too much & it can also kill you.

There just is no such thing as a free lunch.

Don

Coumadin

by TalkinCardio - 2013-02-17 04:02:36

I've been on it for 24 years due to having a mechanical mitral valve and I have not had any problems with it. I am grateful that I havent had a stroke.
Cathy

Coumadin

by golden_snitch - 2013-02-17 05:02:02

Hi!

I agree with Don that the alternative, Pradaxa, has its side effects/disadvantages, too. My EP has actually said that if I ever wish to switch the blood thinner, he'd suggest Apixaban (Eliquis) or Rivaroxaban (Xarelto), but not Pradaxa. And he said he wouldn't do it, before there is an antidot for those two.

I have been on Coumadin for seven years now, and never had any problems. I'm on home-monitoring, so I check my INR at home once a week or more often if needed. In Germany, everyone who has to take Coumadin for more than a year or two, can get a home-monitoring device, insurance has to pay for it. I understand that this is different in the U.S., that many insurances don't cover these machines. Before I started home-monitoring, I had to take a class to learn more about Coumadin, coagulation, and of course how to do the test and how to adjust dosages. I learned a lot there that really calmed my nerves. There are lots of bad stories out there about Coumadin; some people even claim that because of this drug they become hemophiliac, but this is just not true, if you study the mechanism behind coagulation.

Do you think rats would survive high dosages of other blood thinning drugs or drugs in general? I would bet they don't. I mean, they didn't die because they ate 3mg of Coumadin at once; they died because they were poisoned with much higher dosages. I think most of our drugs, if administered in high dosages, would act as a rat poison.

Best

Inga

Hi Betti

by IAN MC - 2013-02-17 06:02:23

I shared your loathing of warfarin but meeting a few people who have had strokes made it something of a no-brainer.

Having a stroke with really bad permanent after-effects can be one of the worst things to happen to a human being in my view.

I think the major problem you need address is the reason that you are taking warfarin i.e. your a-fib. Have you explored EVERY avenue to treat your a-fib. I did and ended up having a successful ablation .... normal sinus rhythm restored and no longer on warfarin ! My major reason for having it done was because I hated taking blood-thinners as much as you do.

I do of course realise that this may not work for everyone.

Best of luck

Ian

Alternatives

by ebfox - 2013-02-17 10:02:01

Hi Betti,

Ian makes a good point, if you are taking coumadin for afib, there are procedures that can take care of the problem (mini-maze surgery did it for me).

In the past I have taken both coumadin and Xarelto; I agree with you, I felt lousy while taking coumadin and felt fine while taking Xarelto; different people have different side effects. Regarding the antidote question, there is an antidote for Xarelto but it has not passed FDA approval in the US; that process takes a couple of years usually.

Best to you,

EB

As for myself

by Dwight - 2013-02-17 10:02:41

Coumadin was absolutely horrible for me, and yes I have tried it several times. Pradaxa turned out to be just as bad. I was changed to Xarelto about 3 months ago and I began to feel better right away. So far it has been great and the best part is that it does not require the regular testing like those others did!

Good Luck!
Dwight

Tried Several ~ ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2013-02-18 03:02:17

My heart Dr. started me out on Coumadin, then my insurance/Dr. changed me to the generic Warfarin ~ both of which I had to go in from periods of weekly to bi-weekly and/or monthly, depending on my INR #. Since I live almost 45 miles away from the INR tech, when my heart Dr. mentioned a couple of years or more ago a new drug was coming out which did not require finger pricks to keep my blood thin, I jumped at that. I had no problems with either pill. I have had my PM (Energizer Bunny) since 11/2009.

When Pradaxa came out, I switched to that around CHRISTmas two years ago. Have not had any problems w/Pradaxa, but my heart Dr. did tell me to take it w/food in my stomach (bleeding purposes). I think the warning on the pkg. was if 70 or older, a chance of bleeding. I was about 66 when I started Pradaxa.

When I went to the hospital last May, 2012 to have a complete knee replacement, Medicare would only pay for me use Xarelto while hospitalized and in the Re-Hab facility for another week. My heart Dr., the hospital med team, etc. all told me it did not matter which of the two I took when I went back home. I am still on Pradaxa twice/day. I did not have any problems w/feeling bad when on Coumadin/Warfarin and/or Pradaxa/Xarelto.

I do still have my AFib of course, some days worse than others, but I am faithful in taking blood thinners. My heart Dr. said some doctors are 'scared' of accidents which cause bleeding b/c of the Praxada/Xarelto, but my Dr. said they are reversible, not just as fast ~ To keep from traveling 45 miles several times a month, finger pricks and having to watch what I eat, for right now, I will continue on Praxada ~ Dr. said it did not matter which one, just so it was a blood thinner.

Good Luck,
Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ ~ ~

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