January 13, 2011

The New Coumadin Alternative…What Do Patients Think About It?

Posted in Heart disease tips, Helpful Heart Links, Uncategorized tagged , , , , , , , , , , at 11:47 am by keepyourhearthealthy

image by Idea go

Pradaxa is certainly ideal when you look at how it compares to Coumadin on paper.

Pradaxa is a breakthrough Coumadin alternative that prevents more strokes than Coumadin, does not require fingerstick monitoring and has almost no major interactions with food or other drugs. It sounds like a dream come true for atrial fibrillation patients everywhere who despise Coumadin!

Now that Pradaxa is readily available to patients, what do they think? Is it the amazing new drug that many have expected it to be?  Some say “yes” and some say “no.”  One Pradaxa user posted their experience with the drug on a Pacemaker Club website online and stated they “love the convenience.” Others on the same website complained that it did not work out for them.

The biggest obstacles for many are just what Pradaxa’s manufacturer expected: price and heartburn.  First, many people have to get over the sticker-shock of paying $40 to $250 per month.  Then there’s the common side effect of heartburn.  20% of patients discontinue Pradaxa because it upsets their stomach.

One patient I spoke to stopped it because the heartburn and nausea were intolerable after a few days of switching to Pradaxa.  She eventually switched back to Coumadin and resumed her routine INR checks.  In my opinion she was more likely to get heartburn on the Pradaxa because she also suffers from a large hiatal hernia (a condition where part of the stomach is squeezed up through the diaphragm) which causes problems with acid reflux.  Pradaxa’s manufacturer has already launched a defensive campaign in order to help patients work through problems related to the drug.  Their website www.pradaxa.com offers a support program which includes a hotline and a savings card.  I personally registered for the support program over 2 weeks ago and have yet to receive a response.  Maybe they have a few kinks to work out?

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1 Comment

  1. The Latest on Medicare Part D and Pradaxa « What To Do When You Have Heart Disease Blog said,

    January 24, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    […] The New Coumadin Alternative…What Do Patients Think About It? (keepyourhearthealthy.wordpress.com) […]


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