Ask a doctor on the topic of Internal medicine

Should Xarelto be discontinued despite a second thrombosis?

June 23, 2015 | 25,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf

Hello Dr. Schaf,

In August 2004, I had my first thrombosis in my right lower leg. After six months of taking Marcumar, everything was fine. The cause was an 11-hour flight with crossed legs combined with a lot of alcohol. There were never any problems. In February 2015, I had my second thrombosis - this time in the left lower leg - triggered by a fall with a fibular head fracture.

Now my questions:
1. According to the University Hospital Tübingen, after three months of Xarelto, only remnants of the thrombosis were visible. I was advised to stop taking the medication. My general practitioner is against it. What do you think? (First thrombosis was at the age of 20 and the second one now at 31) Just for your information: my leg does not hurt, everything is okay... But I feel that there is still "something" there.
2. Do you believe that it is possible to never have another thrombosis with appropriate behavior (walking, drinking a lot...)? I have a heterozygous Factor 5 Leiden mutation.
3. Since I have two young children, this topic burdens me a lot and I don't want to make any mistakes. Would you rather take Xarelto for life? What do you think of Aspirin 100 as a support if I stop taking Xarelto?

Thank you in advance!!!

Dr. med. Ive Dr. Schaaf

Hello,

this question is not uniformly answered in expert circles, making it difficult to give you a "general answer". It would be much easier if we were sitting face to face.

You have had two thromboses, each with a trigger, and you have a heterozygous factor V deficiency. This suggests a lifelong anticoagulation (according to the guidelines).
On the other hand, there were triggers and you now know about them, meaning that if you are sensible, you can recognize risky situations, avoid them, or take preventive measures in time. Therefore, I would suggest stopping the medication after I have "clearly spoken to your conscience".

My advice:
Please educate yourself on www.thrombose-hilfe.de to learn how to put on stockings in time or inject Heparin into your abdomen if necessary, then you can stop taking Xarelto.

Please ask more questions once you have educated yourself, so that you can take good care of your body. Everything should go well then.

Best regards