Apixaban

You may experience stomach discomfort such as stomach pain, nausea or vomiting.

• Take your medication after food to minimize these symptoms
• Inform your healthcare professional if these symptoms do not go away

You may experience other forms of bleeding such as gum bleed when brushing teeth, unexplained nose bleed, or get bruises more easily. 

• See a doctor if bleeding does not stop within minutes or if you feel unwell.
• Use a soft toothbrush and floss your teeth gently.
• Use an electric shaver instead of a blade.
• For women, it is common to have increased menstrual flow but check with your doctor if you feel unwell.

See a doctor immediately or go to the hospital if you have any of the following symptoms that may indicate internal bleeding, such as:

• Black, sticky, or bloody stools
• Coughing up blood or brown material
• Unexplained bruises or purple areas on skin
• Blood in urine
• Severe headache that does not go away
• Sudden giddiness or confusion
• Sudden stomach pain
• Sudden backache or joint pain
• Shortness of breath

If you experience any one or more of the drug allergy symptoms below, you should stop your medication and see your healthcare professional immediately:

• Swollen face/eyes/lips/tongue
• Difficulty in breathing
• Itchy skin rashes over your whole body

Blood clots may still form while you are taking Apixaban. The signs and symptoms depend on the site where they are found. See a doctor immediately or go to the hospital if you experience:

• Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis such as leg swelling, redness, pain, warmth, numbness
• Symptoms of pulmonary embolism such as chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing up blood
• Symptoms of stroke such as muscle weakness, difficulty talking, blackouts, giddiness, blurred vision

• Inform your healthcare professional if you are allergic to this medication or any of the other ingredients of this medication.
• There is no need to make drastic changes to your lifestyle. However, avoid sports or activities that may cause you to get injured.
• See a doctor if you have any fall or injury to any part of your body.
• Inform all doctors, dentists and pharmacists that you are on Apixaban. There may be a need to stop the medication for a short period of time if you are going for a surgery or medical procedures such as an endoscopy or dental treatment. 
• Inform your doctors, dentists and pharmacists you are on Apixaban if you require an injection into the muscle.
• Inform your healthcare professional if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding.

​Consult your healthcare professional before you take any other medication (either prescription or over-the-counter), nutritional supplements or herbal remedies. Some of these medications or supplements can affect the way Apixaban works.

Examples of medications or supplements that may affect Apixaban:

• Do not stop taking your medication without checking with your healthcare professional.
• This medication should be taken two times a day.
• You may take this medication with or without food.
• If you are unable to swallow the tablets whole, you may crush the tablets and mix with water immediately before taking it.

If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. Then take your next dose at the usual time. Do not take two doses at a time to make up for the missed dose.

​Store the medicine in a cool, dry place away from heat, moisture and direct sunlight. Keep this medication away from children. 

​Pack this medication into a black trash bag and seal it tightly before throwing into the rubbish chute or bin.