For 57 years, doctors and patients have eagerly awaited an adequate substitute for the maligned blood thinner, warfarin.
Now they are here. Boy are they ever. There has been oodles written about the new blood thinners, dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto) and apixaban (soon to be Eliquis).
As you might expect, thinning the blood with a potent drug is controversial. Like most things medical, how one sees a particular therapy depends a lot on the vantage point of the observer. That’s called parallax.
ER doctors, neurosurgeons and safety advocates see these new and novel drugs one way–mostly as risky. Heart docs charged with preventing strokes in patients with AF view the new blood thinners as less risky and more effective than warfarin–a rodenticide. Patients are drawn to the new drugs’ convenience and lack of major dietary or drug-drug interactions.
I hope that you might peek at my most recent take, published today on the Trials and Fibrillations blog over at theHeart.org
JMM
4 replies on “New post up on Trials and Fibrillation blog: Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban and Apixaban”
I just finished the read at Heart.org. I am still looking for the bottom line. I am soon to be 73 and was given the opportunity to switch to Padaxa but decided to remain on Coumadin. I do have a Roch home test and check my INR bi-weekly for stability.
I guess what I am saying is… are you a fan of the new blood thinners or not? Or do you treat each patient depending on their individual condition?
Dr. John… my comment was in the form of a question?
hi dennis, ” my twin in age but not in current choice of thinner.” i’m glad to have changed from coumadin to pradaxa, but still very concerned about the no reversal with pradaxa. looks like a couple more antis. on the way. i hope they are of a type that reverse. if one or the other can be reversed they’ve got me as at least a trial customer. not trying to speak for dr. just my take for my own choice until a better one comes along..
Thanks for the comment Frank… I take a small amount of coumadin (4mg) and my INR in quite steady (2.5)… that said, the lack of a anecdote keeps me where I am at.