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Baltimore, MD
Don’t Want to Take Anticoagulants? Three Alternatives for A-Fib Patients
With Atrial Fibrillation, you are 4–5 times more likely to have an A-Fib (ischemic) stroke. Taking an anticoagulant helps prevent an A-Fib stroke and may give you peace of mind.
The negative side is that all anticoagulants are high-risk medications and inherently dangerous. You bruise easily, cuts take a long time to stop bleeding. You can’t participate in any contact sports. Bleeding events are common complications. There is an increased risk of developing a hemorrhagic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding. See Risks of Life-Long Anticoagulation.
(Most EPs are well aware of the risks of life-long anticoagulation.)
Don’t want to take anticoagulants? What’s the alternative? Remove the reason you need an anticoagulant!
Three Alternatives to Taking Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants are used with high-risk Atrial Fibrillation patients for the prevention of clots and stroke.
The best way to deal with the increased risk of stroke and side effects of anticoagulants is to no longer need them. Here are three options:
RF Catheter ablation
#1 Alternative: Get rid of your A-Fib.
As electrophysiologist (EP) and prolific blogger Dr. John Mandrola wrote: “…if there is no A-Fib, there is no benefit from anticoagulation.”
Action: Request a catheter ablation procedure. Today, you can have an ablation immediately (called ‘first-line therapy’). You don’t have to waste a year on failed drug therapies. See Catheter Ablation Reduces Stroke Risk Even for Higher Risk Patients
Placing Watchman in LAA
#2 Alternative: Close off your Left Atrial Appendage (LAA).
The Left Atrial Appendage is where 90%-95% of A-Fib clots originate. Closing off the LAA provides similar protection against having an A-Fib (ischemic) stroke as being on an anticoagulant.
Action: Request a Watchman device. The Watchman device is inserted to close off your LAA and keep clots from entering your blood stream. See Watchman Better Than Lifetime on Warfarin
Natural blood thinners
#3 Alternative: Consider non-prescription blood thinners
Perhaps you can benefit from an increase in natural blood thinners such as turmeric, ginger and vitamin E or, especially, the supplement Nattokinase.
Action: Ask your doctor about your CHA2DS2-VASc score (a stroke risk assessor). If your score is a 1 or 2 (out of 10), ask if you could take a non-prescription approach to a blood thinner. See FAQ: “Are natural blood thinners as good as prescription blood thinners?”
Bottom Line
Whether or not to take anticoagulants (and which one) is one of the most difficult decisions you and your doctor must make. To stop taking an anticoagulant, talk to your doctor about alternatives:
• Catheter ablation
• LAA closure (Watchman device)
• Non-prescription blood thinners
These options may help you to no longer need an anticoagulant. As Dr. John Mandrola wrote: “…if there is no A-Fib, there is no benefit from anticoagulation.”
As an A-Fib patient, don’t settle for a lifetime on anticoagulants or blood thinners. Remember: You must be your own best patient advocate.
