All You Need to Know About Anticoagulant Medications

1. All You Need to Know About Anticoagulant Medications Even though blood clots are useful when it comes to stopping bleeding from wounds, they can block blood vessels and may obstruct the flow of blood to organs like the brain, lungs, or heart on being formed in the wrong spot. It can lead to severe medical conditions that can be life-threatening as well. Anticoagulants help in preventing blood clots by hindering the process of the formation of blood clots. Here is all you need to know about anticoagulants. Overview What are anticoagulants? When to take anticoagulants? Types of anticoagulants Side-effects of anticoagulants Who should not take anticoagulants? What are anticoagulants? As discussed above, anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners, are medicines that help to prevent blood clots. These drugs treat, prevent, and reduce the risk of formation of blood clots in vital organs of the body. They are used for both preventing the development of new blood clots and treating the existing ones. So, now you know what anticoagulants are, let's move on to when they are recommended by your doctor.

2. When to take anticoagulants? A blood clot may block the flow of blood through a blood vessel. As a consequence, the affected part of the body will not receive the oxygen and become starved of it, and hence, will not function properly. You may need treatment with anticoagulants to reduce the risk of blood clot formation or to prevent problems that may occur due to blood clots, such as: Heart attacks Strokes or transient ischaemic attacks Pulmonary embolism Stent thrombosis Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) Blood clots during atrial fibrillation (afib) treatment Blood clots within venous and arterial catheters So, your doctor recommends treatment with anticoagulants when you are at an increased risk of having any of the above-discussed health problems. Types of anticoagulants There are various classes of anticoagulants, and each of them comprises different medications. Here are different classes of anticoagulants and the generic names of medications they include: Vitamin K antagonists (coumarin anticoagulants) They work by decreasing the production of factors that are involved in the body's natural process of clottings, such as factor II, VII, IX, and X, and the anticoagulant proteins C and S by the liver.

3. This class of anticoagulants includes warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), which are oral tablets. As the production of these factors depends on an adequate amount of vitamin K, warfarin antagonizes vitamin K. Thrombin inhibitors They block the action of thrombin, which is a protein vital for the coagulation of blood and the formation of a blood clot. They include bivalirudin (Angiomax), which is a powder for injection; argatroban (Acova), which is an injection; dabigatran (Pradaxa), which is an oral capsule; and antithrombin III (Thrombate III), which is again powder for injection. Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) and heparin (vials and syringes) Low molecular weight heparins and heparin block the action of two of the 12 clots -promoting proteins in the blood (factors X and II). They include enoxaparin (Lovenox), dalteparin (Fragmin), and heparin. Factor Xa Inhibitors These novel anticoagulants work by blocking the action of factor Xa, which is a necessary protein in the coagulation that causes a blood clot. These are new types of anticoagulants that are becoming common and popular, and they include apixaban (Eliquis), which are oral tablets; fondaparinux (Arixtra), which is an injection; rivaroxaban (Xarelto), which are oral tablets; and edoxaban (Savaysa), which are oral coated tablets. Side-effects of anticoagulants So, let's come to the most indispensable part of anticoagulants, that is, their side-effects. Here is a list of side-effects that this medication can cause. Bleeding Abdominal pain Passing blood in your urine Respiratory tract bleeding Elevation of serum aminotransferases Heavy periods in women Lethargy "Purple toe" syndrome Flatulence (intestinal gas) Headache Nausea Bruises caused by trauma (ecchymosis) Thrombocytopenia Cholesterol embolus syndrome Low blood pressure (hypotension) Groin hemorrhage Tissue necrosis Itching (pruritus) Chest pain

4. Who should not take anticoagulants? Here comes the part where we will discuss who should not take anticoagulants. Treatment with anticoagulation is not recommended for every patient. Patients with several health conditions or problems are not advised to use anticoagulation as it may increase the risk of bleeding. These health conditions or problems include hemophilia, cerebral aneurysm, pregnancy, pericarditis, pericardial effusion, active ulceration, dissecting aorta, an active bleed, and bacterial endocarditis. Moreover, people who are undergoing surgery are also not given anticoagulants. Conclusion So, this is all you need to know about anticoagulants before using them. Hopefully, this piece of content would be sufficient to provide you with extensive knowledge of anticoagulants.