Anticoagulant Drugs

Anticoagulant Drugs. Anticoagulant prevents blood clots for patients with higher blood thickening risks. These medications reduce the chances of developing more severe health problems like heart attack and stroke.

While a blood clot is formed to prevent bleeding from a cut or wound, it can sometimes block blood vessels and prevent blood circulation to vital organs such as the brain, lungs, and heart. Also referred to as blood-thinning medicines, anticoagulants interrupt the process of blood clot formation, which can cause such blockage.

Depending on where the clot has developed, it can lead to more complications, such as transient ischaemic attacks, heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Individuals who have a history of blood clots are prone to these conditions. Hence, anticoagulant medication is frequently prescribed to these individuals by a health professional.

Warfarin is the most common type of anticoagulant. But, newer types of coagulants are becoming available on the pharmaceutical market. These include apixaban (Eliquis), sabigatran (Pradaxa), edoxaban (Lixiana), and rivaroxaban (Xarelto). These anticoagulants can be taken as tablets, capsules, or injections.

Like all medicines, anticoagulants pose some side effects. Because it prevents the formation of blood clots, an individual can bleed easily. This can cause bleeding gums, prolonged nosebleeds, bruising, passing blood through urine, vomiting or coughing blood and heavy menstruation in women. There is no need to fret about these side effects. For some individuals, the benefits of anticoagulants outweigh its effects.