(STL.News) In late August, National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a news release confirming the commencement of their phase 3 clinical trials to investigate suitable blood thinners as treatment for the Covid pandemic. Earlier studies have demonstrated that Covid 19 provokes anomalism in blooding clotting meaning that drugs associated with blood thinning properties can partake in treating the virus.
When the pandemic first broke out, medical experts thought of it as a common respiratory illness exclusively affecting the lungs hence causing symptoms such as complications in breathing, fever, sore throat, and dry cough. However, victims in critical conditions showed signs of abnormal blood clotting.
These patients displayed blood clots in their blood system. These blood clots appeared to be excessive compared to what is normal among patients who suffer from this condition. Here are some of the blood thinning drugs proven to be safe with Covid 19 patients.
This drug is categorized as an anticoagulant. Its aim is to make the circulation of blood easy and prevent formation of deadly blood clots.
The medication can also be used to treat problematic conditions caused by blood clots. These ailments include cardiovascular disease, apoplexy, thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
How to take the drug
Apixban comes in the form of tablets. The drug is normally taken twice a day with or without food depending on the instructions issued by your caregiver. It is vital that you take eliquis as your doctor has advised you so as to avoid preventable side effects. Make an effort to take the med at the same time everyday so that it becomes a routine. This will help you to always remember and stay on track. The drug should be ingested using water.
However, if swallowing the drug whole proves to be a problem, you can crush the tabs and mix them with water or apple juice. Nonetheless, it is a good idea to talk about it with your caregiver first.
Dosage of the drug
The dosage highly depends on which condition you aim to treat. There are different dosage categories for different ailments. For people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, the usual dosage prescribed is 5 mg to be taken twice a day. Those with blood clots are required to take 2 5 mg tabs twice a day for a period of one week before settling for a single 5 mg tab twice a day. For patients whose aim is to reduce the chances of blood clotting in the future, the required dosage is 2.5 mg tabs taken two times a day. The above mentioned doses may be slightly altered by your caregiver depending on your age, weight, medical history and if you are at a greater risk of over bleeding.
Side effects of Apixaban
Like any other medication, apixaban is also prone to cause after effects to a user. Common aftermath effects associated with the drug include fatigue, sickness in the stomach, dizziness, and frequent bleeding than normal. This may be nose bleeding, hefty monthlies or bleeding in between gums.
This is another blood thinning drug proven to play a role in treating covid 19. The medication helps to prevent blood clots in the blood system.
The drug makes blood flow inside your vessels more swiftly hence eliminating changes of your blood forming troubling blood clots.
How to take Warfarin
It is prudent that you follow your caregiver’s instructions when taking the tabs so as to avoid unwanted problems. The tabs do not affect your stomach and can therefore be taken before or after a meal.
The treatment period varies from person to person. It may also depend on your caregiver’s judgment in regard to your condition.
For people who have blood clots in their systems, the treatment may take 6 months. For those with frequent occurring cases of blood clots and aim to reduce this in the future, their treatment
may take longer than 6 months.
A common warfarin dose given to many individuals is the 10mg tablet to be taken each day for a period of 2 days. After that is complete, a patient is prescribed a dosage of between 3 mg to 9 mg
to be taken daily.
Warfarin meds come in four different strengths, each strength with a different color. This is as follows:
- 0.5 mg white tab
- 1 mg brown tab
- 3 mg in color blue
- 5 mg in color pink
The drug also comes in liquid form, for instance, 1 ml of liquid warfarin equals 1 mg tablet. Note that your dosage may be made up of different colored tablets having different strengths.
Despite the many benefits of Warfarin, it also has a downside to it. The drug may cause excess bleeding than normal to its users. This is because when cut or injured, your blood may not clot
so easily and this may cause over bleeding.
If this happens, make sure you consult your physician immediately. Other uncommon side effects of the tabs include hair loss, skin rash, and seizures.
The World Health Organization recommended aspirin medication to relieve pain and fever from patients suffering from Covid 19. Daily low doses of this medication can be used as a blood thinning treatment.
Reduced doses of the drug also prevents cardiovascular disease and apoplexy conditions. Your physician may advise you to take Aspirin if you are at a high risk of experiencing the above ailments.
How and when to take the drug
The low aspirin dose should be taken once a day. It is vital that you ingest the drug as the doctor advises. The medication may become upsetting if taken on an empty stomach. Therefore, it is advised that you take the medication with food or immediately after your meal. Note that only certain people can take the drug. Individuals aged below 16 are not recommended to take the drug unless approved by a physician.
Regarding the dosage of the drug, the doctor will recommend the right portions for you depending on your condition. For people prone to heart failure disorder or stroke, the approved dosage is 75 mg to be taken only once every day.
For patients seeking to relieve pain, the doctor may prescribe 300 mg tablets. This dosage is relatively strong and it is commonly prescribed to patients who have just had heart surgery, heart failure or strokes.
Aspirin causes negative after effects especially if taken in excess. It is therefore very important to follow your doctor’s advice and prescription keenly when ingesting the medication.
Below are some of the side effects a user may suffer from taking aspirin:
- Bleeding overly easily than usual
- Mild stomach upset
- Nose bleeding
- Skin patches
Note these symptoms do not appear to everyone using the drug. However, if you notice any of the above issues or more, contact your doctor immediately.