Information about the new oral anticoagulant Xarelto®

Posted by Pharmacist Hoang Nguyen Kim Thoa - Clinical Pharmacist - Faculty of Pharmacy - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Xarelto® is an oral anticoagulant that treats and prevents blood clot formation through direct inhibition of clotting factor Xa. To ensure the effectiveness of treatment, patients need to take medicine according to prescription or as directed by a doctor or pharmacist.

Xarelto ® has the active ingredient rivaroxaban, which is an oral anticoagulant that treats and prevents blood clot formation through direct inhibition of clotting factor Xa. The drug has been developed and used since the late 2000s. Due to its convenience and no need for frequent coagulation function tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug, Xarelto ® is tending to be more indicated in practice. clinical.

You may be prescribed Xarelto ® by your doctor in some cases to treat or prevent blood clots such as stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolism prevention deep and pulmonary embolism after knee or hip replacement surgery. Oral anticoagulants do not act directly on the blood clot, dissolving the clot, but creating favorable conditions for the clot to dissolve gradually or not to grow, reducing the risk of chronic thrombosis and other complications. other serious acute complications.

Dosage of Xarelto ® depends on the indication for use. The patient should take the correct dose prescribed by the doctor. The dose may be adjusted according to renal function and should be used with more caution in elderly patients. The usual dose can be from 10 to 20 mg x 1 time / day or 15 mg x 2 times / day for 21 days, then 20 mg x 1 time / day taken with meals.
The duration of taking the drug depends on the indication to take the drug, according to which the patient should not arbitrarily stop taking the drug without consulting the doctor. In the case of use to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation, you need to take the drug for life.

The most important thing when using oral anticoagulants is to take the correct dose as directed by your doctor or pharmacist, do not stop taking it on your own, and do not increase or decrease your dose without consulting your doctor. In addition, patients should also note that, from a dose of 15mg or more, Xarelto ® needs to be taken with meals for the drug to be completely absorbed.
Anticoagulants in general increase the risk of bleeding. However, not all patients experience these side effects. Patients should note the symptoms of light bleeding such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, bruises on the skin so that they can be discussed with the doctor during the visits.
In case of heavy bleeding, difficult to stop bleeding, you need to notify the doctor immediately. In addition, you can tell your doctor right away if your urine is pink or red, your stools are black (like coffee grounds, have a strong or unusual smell) or have blood in your stools, or if you vomit or cough up blood. Users should also talk to or tell their healthcare provider that they are taking Xarelto ® when they are going to need surgery or procedures with a risk of bleeding, including when a tooth is extracted or when you start a treatment. sports with a high risk of bleeding.
You need to tell your doctor when you need to take other medicines for any reason. Avoid prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, ketorolac, aspirin, etc. Safer choice for acute pain relief is paracetamol at a dose not exceeding 3000mg/day (when there is no monitoring of the patient). medical staff).
Although there is no need to do blood tests to measure drug levels or evaluate drug effectiveness, you still need to have regular health check-ups or follow up with your doctor to monitor effectiveness, safety as well as adjust the dose. appropriate medication.
Understanding drug information as well as adherence to treatment is the key to ensuring drug effectiveness and healthier living with chronic diseases.