Dabigatran
About
Dabigatran belongs to a class of drugs known as anticoagulants or blood thinners used to prevent and treat the risk of stroke, and heart attack in patients with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), reducing blood clot formation. Besides this, it is also used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in leg veins) and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lung) and reduces the risk of getting clots in people who have undergone knee or hip replacement surgeries.
Dabigatran contains ‘Dabigatran’, which works by inhibiting the production of clotting factors Xa called thrombin. This prevents the conversion of fibrinogen (soluble protein) to fibrin (insoluble protein), thereby preventing blood clot formation. It makes your blood flow easy through your veins, making it less likely to form a serious blood clot. So, an intake of Dabigatran helps prevent blood clots if you have an increased risk of having a heart attack, or stroke.
Take Dabigatran as prescribed by your doctor. You are advised to take Dabigatran for as long as your doctor has prescribed it for you, depending on your medical conditions. You may experience bleeding, anaemia (low number of red blood cells), and nausea, stomach pain, indigestion. Most of these side effects of Dabigatran do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects are persistent, reach out to your doctor.
If you are known to be allergic to Dabigatran or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is advised to consult a doctor before using Dabigatran. If you have a stomach ulcer, kidney or liver problems, high blood pressure, or bleeding problems, inform your doctor before taking Dabigatran. Try not to stop taking this medicine of your own. Stopping a sudden intake of Dabigatran may worsen your condition and increase your risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke.
Uses of Dabigatran
Medicinal Benefits
Dabigatran belongs to a class of drugs known as anticoagulants or blood thinner. It prevents clot formation in the deep vein thrombosis (veins of the legs), pulmonary embolism (lungs), stroke (brain), and heart in patients with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm). Dabigatran is primarily used to prevent and treat the risk of stroke and heart attack by reducing blood clot formation. Besides this, it also reduces the risk of getting clots in people who have undergone knee or hip replacement surgeries. Dabigatran works by stopping the action of clotting factor (thrombin). This prevents the conversion of fibrinogen (soluble protein) to fibrin (insoluble protein), thereby preventing blood clots formation.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Dabigatran
- Stomach pain
- Indigestion
- Bleeding
- Anemia (low number of red blood cells)
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
In-Depth Precautions and Warning
Drug Warnings
If you are known to be allergic to Dabigatran or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is advised to consult a doctor before using Dabigatran. Safety and effectiveness of Dabigatran have not been established, so its use should be avoided in pediatric patients or children less than 18 years of age. If you have a stomach ulcer, kidney or liver problems, high blood pressure, or bleeding problems, inform your doctor before taking Dabigatran. Try not to stop taking Dabigatran of your own. Stopping a sudden intake of Dabigatran may worsen your condition and increase your risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke. Hence, you should consult a doctor before stopping the dose of Dabigatran. You should inform the doctor that you are taking Dabigatran before any surgery is scheduled. Dabigatran can cause a serious blood clot around your spinal cord if you undergo a spinal tap or receive spinal anesthesia (epidural). Avoid consumption of alcohol while taking Dabigatran as it may increase the risk of stomach bleeding.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Dabigatran may interact with medicines to reduce blood clotting (warfarin, phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol, heparin, clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor, rivaroxaban), medicines to treat abnormal heartbeats (amiodarone, dronedarone, quinidine, verapamil), medicines to treat fungal infections (ketoconazole, itraconazole), medicines to prevent organ rejection after transplantation (tacrolimus, cyclosporine) antiviral or HIV medicines (lopinavir, ritonavir, glecaprevir, pibrentasvir), antibiotics (rifampicin or clarithromycin), pain reliever (aspirin, ibuprofen, diclofenac), antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine, phenytoin).
Drug-Food Interactions: Dabigatran may interact with St. John’s wort, herbal medicine for depression.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Use with caution in patients with kidney, liver, or bleeding problems, heart problems, and unstable blood pressure.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeYou are recommended to avoid consumption of alcohol with Dabigatran as it may increase the risk of bleeding.
Pregnancy
cautionDabigatran is unsafe to use during pregnancy since it affects the foetus. Please consult your doctor if you are planning to become pregnant or already pregnant before starting Dabigatran.
Breast Feeding
cautionThere is limited data on how Dabigatran affects breastfeeding. However, it is unsafe to use Dabigatran if you are lactating, since it passes through the breast milk and harm the baby. Please consult your doctor before starting Dabigatran.
Driving
cautionDabigatran usually does not affect your ability to drive or operate machinery.
Liver
cautionLet your doctor know if you have any history of liver diseases or hepatic impairment. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Dabigatran. However, it is not recommended in patients with severe liver diseases.
Kidney
cautionLet your doctor know if you have any history of kidney diseases. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Dabigatran. However, it is not recommended in patients with severe kidney diseases.
Children
cautionDabigatran is not recommended for children below the age of 18 years. The safety and efficacy of Dabigatran have not been established in children.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Take the medication as directed by the doctor and at regular intervals. Do not use other over the counter medications, herbal or vitamin supplements without informing your pharmacist or doctor when you take Dabigatran.
- Keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control.
- Eat at regular intervals, and maintain a healthy diet that includes fresh fruits, vegetables.
- Limit alcohol intake since it raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart diseases.
- Keep a check on your weight and exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy.
- Your doctor also guides you on how to notice and manage the early symptoms of detecting heart diseases.
Special Advise
You should have regular platelet count, factor V assay, fibrinogen level test, prothrombin time test (PT or PT-INR), and the INR, or international normalized ratio to analyze your blood clotting time.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
A blood clot can occur in any part of the body that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, and damage to organs (even coma or death). Blood clots can reach your arteries or veins in the organs like the brain, kidney, heart, lungs, and limbs. Conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart failure, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and obesity/overweight can trigger excessive blood clotting in the brain and heart. On the other hand, deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in veins), peripheral artery disease (narrowed arteries due to fat deposit or blood clot), and atherosclerosis (fat build upon the walls of the arteries) can cause a blood clot in your limbs.
FAQs
No, you are not recommended to stop taking Dabigatran without consulting your doctor to worsen the condition. Therefore, take Dabigatran for as long as your doctor has prescribed it.
Please consult your doctor if Dabigatran needs to be discontinued before undergoing surgery. The doctor might ask you to stop taking Dabigatran a few days before surgery since it can cause an increased risk of bleeding during surgery. It also causes a serious blood clot around your spinal cord if you undergo a spinal tap or receive spinal anaesthesia (epidural). This type of blood clot could cause long-term paralysis.
Dabigatran is generally safe to take for a long time. It works best if you take it for many months or even years. It is advisable, please consult your doctor and take Dabigatran for as long as your doctor has prescribed it.
Taking Dabigatran during pregnancy may cause bleeding in the mother or the newborn baby. However, please consult your doctor if you are planning to become pregnant or already pregnant before starting Dabigatran.
Dabigatran consists of Dabigatran is a blood-thinning agent and can increase the risk of bleeding. It is advised to be cautious during your daily activities like shaving, cutting fingernails, or using sharp objects. Also, please consult your doctor beforehand if you undergo any surgery.
