WARFARIN-VERSUS-ELIQUIS in a webp image

Blood thinning drugs are also as anticoagulants. These meds help prevent your blood from coagulating. Active chemicals present in such meds prolong the clotting period of blood. Clotting of blood can hinder free flow of bloodstream, causing a thrombotic condition. People with clots are at risk of experiencing strokes. Timely treatment is needed to prevent these problems. Warfarin and eliquis are widely used meds. Warfarin versus Eliquis: it is important to know about these two drugs.

Clots in your blood can cause disturbances to flow of blood. Clots can prevent blood from reaching essential organs like brain, lungs or heart. Chemicals present in blood thinning meds prevent cells of blood from adhering to each other. A few of these thinners delay the formation of clots. Such drugs are also labelled as antiplatelet meds.

Commonly used blood thinners are warfarin, heparin and enoxaparin, etc. A few new meds are launched which have lesser complications associated with bleeding. These newer drugs include apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran, rivaroxaban, to name a few.

So, what is warfarin?

This med is administered to reduce the odds of blood clots as well as to treat already formed clots. You need to know that a clot in your blood can lead to heart arrest, stoke or other acute medical conditions. Key chemicals used in the med inhibits clot formation. It is available as an oral pill. This is a prescription med and hence cannot be taken through OTC route.

What is Eliquis?

This is based on a generic drug called apixaban. It is taken for preventing clots in blood owing to knee or hip replacement surgeries and erratic heartbeats. Apixaban is approved for conditions like deep vein thrombosis and for prevention of clots. Dosage plan depends on your clinical condition, body weight, how your body responds to first few dosages, presence of other ailments, if any.

Eliquis versus warfarin

Warfarin pills are essentially blood thinning meds. Eliquis decreases the clotting properties of blood. Eliquis does not need closer control; it has antidotes in case of an internal bleed. But warfarin needs to be administered with proper monitoring. An overdose can make you to bleed profusely.

Half-life period of Eliquis is ~11.5 hours while warfarin halves in 3 days’ time. Warfarin is grouped under Category D as it poses positive evidence of potential risks. Eliquis is bucketed under Category B which denotes no proven risks for human beings. In this milieu, it becomes important to know of other anticoagulant options and how they fare against each other.

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Heparin versus warfarin

Heparin reduces the clotting property of blood. Warfarin is a blood-thinning drug. The key difference rests in dosage forms: heparin is sold as an intravenous offering and an injectable version. Warfarin is available as an oral pill. Half-life of heparin is ~3.5 hours; for warfarin, this period fares ~71 hours. Pregnancy rating: heparin is rated as category C (risks cannot be fully ruled out). Warfarin is a Category D drug due to positive evidence of risks.

Warfarin versus Xarelto

Xarelto works at limiting the capability of blood to turn into a clot. On the other hand, warfarin is a blood thinner. Xarelto belongs to a family called Factor Xa inhibiting meds; warfarin belongs to coumarins / indandiones. Xarelto is sold as an oral pill, oral granules and as orally administered kits. Warfarin is sold only as an oral tablet.

Cinnamon and warfarin

Excessive intake of cinnamon is harmful if you taking warfarin. This is because cinnamon is a natural form of coumarin. Ceylon cinnamon has milder levels of coumarin but cassia-based cinnamon has 60x share of blood thinning chemicals.

In order to know more about warfarin versus Eliquis, consult with your doctor before commencing dosage plans.

 

Disclaimer


Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.