@Ren Tanner Xarelto is a fairly new drug, replacing Warfarin. Just wondering, why was it prescribed? You have not had a stroke, I gather. According to the ads seen, some of the newer "blood thinners" are safer than Warfarin, and do not require blood monitoring as with that. I am frightened by all of them. OP: My only prescription drug taken daily is Generic Ziac, for B.P. It's pretty cheap. Frank
I was also taking Xarelto as a blood thinner, and had been for several years, until recently. My doctor changed me over to Savaysa, which is not as damaging to the kidneys as Xaralto is. I believe that any of the new blood thinners are much better (and probably safer) than taking warfarin. It can be affected by foods that you eat that naturally thin or thicken your blood; and you have to have tests very often to see if the blood is within the correct range. The newer ones simply make the blood slippery, so it does not clump up together and form clots. I was taking it because of atrial fibrillation, which gives you a much higher chance of blood clots. Once I had the operation to stop the a-fib; I was taken off of blood thinners once my heart had been stabilized for over a year. However, a few months later, I had a blood clot in my leg, which then traveled and settled in my lungs; so now I am on blood thinners again, just as a preventative.
I take Tekturna for my blood pressure. It costs $161.62 per month. I pay $47. I also take furosemide. It costs $5 for ninety day supply.
I have a history of Atrial Fib Frank and although it was taken care of by a pulmonary vein ablation I had a minor stroke before the scars in the heart chamber were healed. My cardiologist looks at Xarelto as insurance. Although Xarelto is expensive it sure beats the routine required with Warfarin.
@Yvonne Smith You had a clot lodge in a lung?? Pulmonary Embolism. Exceedingly dangerous. You likely know that. I am shocked to hear of this. My wife's brother died at 25 from a P. E. He was in the hospital, in bed, nurse looked in, he waved and smiled, ten minutes later he was dead when she returned. Frank
That must have been a terrible thing for your wife to have happen to her brother, especially at such a young age . They didn't have as good of blood thinners to treat this kind of thing back then; so it might have been more serious than it is now. It was NO fun, I can tell you that for sure, @Frank Sanoica ! ! I had no unusual pain in my leg, and didn't know that I had a clot, either there or in my lungs, but my right side hurt so bad that I could barely breathe. I kept thinking that it would get better; but it just kept hurting worse, and finally, I was in so much pain that I could not even gasp for air, and knew I needed to get to a doctor before I died from not being able to breathe. Bobby took me to the emergency room, and they started trying to find out what was causing all of the pain. At first they tried to say that I had pneumonia; but I had no congestion and was not sick, so then they checked for blood clots in my lungs and legs. Once they realized what it was, they gave me blood thinners at the hospital, and it started to ease up to where i could breathe again. So, now I probably have to just keep on taking them, but my doctor was concerned about the kidney damage, and said that Xaralto was not as safe as either apixaban (Eloquis) or the Savaysa, and my insurance covered the Savaysa, so that is what I now take.