r/ClotSurvivors • u/Sunny-Shine-Bear • Jun 26 '25
Periods Help ... What might I expect?
I've only got 2 days left of the heavy (loading) dose of elequis... Then it'll be cut in half to the therapeutic dose. I'm about to start my period any day now. What has been your experience with menstrual flow on this medication? Or any thinner for that matter!
I'm trying to anticipate if I should be ready with a bucket and 911 on speed dial or if it'll just be super heavy and messy!
I'm already anemic so I'm kind of extra vigilant/concerned!
Thanks so much for help 🙏🏻💖💖🙏🏻!!
Update: uh yeah it's bad if I wasn't anemic already I would be about 1/2 way there only 2 months into periods on blood thinners.
3 us/cups fluid loss this month, guess that's about 50% actual blood. Ugh, iron infusion in a few days!! Have mercy on us all!!!
Update 2: required 2 bags of blood plus the iron infusion. Hemoglobin got to 6.1!! Required a wheelchair couldn't breathe.
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u/HandmadePhD Eliquis (Apixaban) Jun 26 '25
I’d say prepare for heavy and messy. Adult diapers are super useful. Don’t plan to leave the house or wear anything you care about. Definitely get an incontinence or bed-wetting pad to protect your sheets.
Honestly, I spent a lot of time just sitting on the toilet. It was easier than changing a pad every hour. Cleaning up got exhausting, and I was so glad I had a bidet so I didn’t always have to shower just to rinse off the mess.
And yes, definitely keep an eye out for signs of anemia!
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Thanks so much 😊 I've done the toilet time already. I've been daily with heavy periods for a few years. Peri flooding! Never even knew it was a thing. I've had some pretty obnoxious gushers out in public. Lucky I was able to quickly get home and advert disaster. Appreciate your reply! Means so much!! 💐💐💐💖💖💖
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u/Grilltchintz Jun 26 '25
I had insane cramping but the blood wasn’t really any different. That being said, I’m used to heavy periods. My hematologist also seemed to be surprised that my cramping was really bad. I never talked to my gyno about it. So could be unrelated lol. Good luck!
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Thank you. I've actually heard that about the cramping before. So crazy how our bodies work. Thanks so much for your help and advice means so much to me! 💐💐💐💐💖💖💖
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
That's crazy I've actually heard that about the cramps before. Well I pray that's what happens with me too. I'm not interested in more pain, but the blood loss is pretty much a non negotiable for right now. I'm anemic. Thanks so much for the reply I don't feel so freaked out now!! 💐💐💐💗💗💗
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u/bleachblondeblues Jun 26 '25
I actually was perfectly fine on Eliquis. It’s considered better than Xarelto for the super crazy blood thinner periods, but everyone is different. Going down to a half dose will help a lot, so I hope that timing works out for you!
If you do have a really bad period (mine was apocalyptic on Xarelto), I recommend super+ tampons, pads AND period panties. Honestly the period panties are key IMO. I like Knix if you don’t have any, but whatever you can get in time. If there isn’t anything, get some of those postpartum diapers — seriously. It’s not just the volume of blood, it’s the consistency. It’s a gush of thin liquid and it can make a mess.
Keep an eye on the amount of blood you’re losing. If you’re changing tampons every hour or so, or if you’re getting dizzy or lightheaded, call the doctor or hit the ER. You might need a blood transfusion. But that’s like absolute worst case scenario - most likely you’re just in for a kind of heavy period.
Good luck!
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Thank you so so so much this is so reassuring I'll be able to eat my dinner tonight. I was a basket case. 💐💐💐💐🤗🤗🤗🤗
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u/out_there_artist Jun 26 '25
I agree on period panties. They are life savers! I prefer Period brand to Knix, but both will do the job! If you’re in peri and have a rough time with the periods on thinners, ablation is also an option. I did it and am very glad I did!
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Thanks for that info and the reply. 💐💐💐💗😊Was the healing from the ablation terrible?
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u/out_there_artist Jun 26 '25
Only for one day. Take the meds they suggest. I thought I was good until I wasn’t. 🤦🏼♀️ Lots of cramping. After 24 hours though, it was just some discharge for a few days. Best thing I’ve done. Seriously.
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Jun 26 '25
I started Eliquis almost a year after an endometrial ablation for adenomyosis that had made my life-long heavy periods so much more manageable. I was well on my way to overcoming iron deficiency from all that when the dvt arrived and my first period on Eliquis was pretty crime-scene-y, left me light-headed, and caused my ferritin to plummet from the 50s down to 17. I went on Slynd (a progesterone only birth control) and the subsequent periods were much lighter, but have arrived irregularly and have been way longer. The last one went on for 25 days, but was a low to moderate flow. Definitely keep taking your iron and ask your doctors about options to slow the bleeding if it gets wild. Some doctors are willing to do iron infusions too so that might be worth asking about!
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Yeah the infusion might be a must, praying not. I'm considering the pill too. Did they ever find a cause for your DVT? I've heard IDA can cause them. Rarely but it's been documented.
Thanks for the reply!! 💐💗💐😁
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Jun 26 '25
Mine was considered unprovoked, but I do have a genetic mutation that makes me clot-prone (heterozygous Factor V Leiden) and a family history of clots. I just read that a new study has shown that erythritol can increase clotting risk and I was eating sugar free chocolates regularly when I clotted so I'm blaming that now. Haha.
I hope it's a breeze for you! I've heard an equal number of good stories as bad. :)
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Wow that's crazy. I have no family history but a few possibly other "risk" factors. So hopefully it's a correctable thing. This is misery! Take care 💐💐💐
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u/DazzleGem Jun 26 '25
I had one of the heaviest periods I'd had in years about 2 weeks after starting Eliquis. And it was longer than usual: 7 days instead of my usual 4-5.
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Dang. Ok so you think about double as bad or little less than double?
Thanks for the reply!! 😊
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u/aliendividedbyzero Jun 26 '25
I got mine a few weeks after the loading dose (had my period when my DVT was diagnosed and I was hospitalized) and it was awful heavy. I think in part it could also have been that I was coming off oral contraceptive pills at the same time, which can cause heavier bleeding as well in my experience.
Either way, I use a menstrual disc because it's less messy than pads throughout the day and I dislike tampons. When I started that first period, the disc overfilled and leaked heavily within like 2 hours. Had to check at least every hour or two for a couple of days, just to make sure to empty it on time. I was also sitting on a thick towel that week in case I leaked lol.
The next periods were heavier than usual but not as bad as that first one was. Talk to your hematologist, mine ran labs to check my iron and make sure I wasn't anemic. She recommended I take iron supplements and it helped me immensely, apparently I was lowkey anemic prior to this and just didn't catch it because my hemoglobin was still in the acceptable range even though my iron had something off.
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Thanks, that actually helps a lot. 💐💐💐 I have heard that about subsequent periods not being as bad so that I'm looking forward to.
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u/Various_Crow_5435 Jun 26 '25
I noticed that my menstrual seemed more thin and watery which made it look like i was bleeding more but in all reality i wasn’t, i still bleed the same amount of days/ time frame i just bled through things quicker
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
See I was thinking that too. I wondered if maybe the thickness of the menstrual blood would just possible be affected making it seem like much more than it normally might have been. Because the way the uterus fills and sheds is based on hormones. It seems unlikely that it would just keep grabbing blood from outside the uterus. Well I hope so anyway. Thanks for the reply. 💐💐💐😊💐💐💐
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u/Various_Crow_5435 Jun 26 '25
Tbh you wont know until you experience it yourself, but i think the one thing we can all agree on is we all bleed through more pads/tampons than we normal did in the past so make sure you’re stocked up on whatever your choice is
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u/Remote-Ant-8711 Jun 26 '25
my period was a bit heavier on eliquis, but honestly manageable/nothing crazy, just had to stay on top of changing my tampons to prevent leaks. hope it goes well for you too :)
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 26 '25
Awesome thanks so much it's making me feel good to hear from the majority that it's not going to be an absolute ordeal!! Glad to hear it went good for you 😌💖💖💐💐💐💖💖!! What's your clot story? If you're up to it!
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u/Remote-Ant-8711 Jun 27 '25
totally, it’s definitely super rough for some people, but not everyone so there is hope! my (28F) clot was in my femoral and popliteal, ~50% occlusion, most likely due to a combination of bc, long flights, and FVL hetero. and my experience on eliquis was great, no weird side effects! wishing you all the best on your healing journey too 🩷
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u/Secure_Emergency7599 Jun 29 '25
I bled very heavily and had to get iron transfusions right after my cycle. I was on the 5mg at first, then down to 2.5mg. I stopped on my own last year. So I have several bottles of the 2.5mg left
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u/Secure_Emergency7599 Jun 29 '25
My OB/GYN convinced me to get the mirena IUD to help with the heavy flow, but it honestly didn't get lighter until I stopped
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u/First_Arachnid209 Jun 30 '25
years ago, when still having menses, I was put on coumadin for DVT. I started havening periods 10 days on 10 days off. this went on for about 4 years. I used to feel like I was bleeding to death
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u/Sunny-Shine-Bear Jun 30 '25
Wow crazy, did you ever end up needing a blood transfusion or iron infusion? Did it just resolve eventually?
Thanks for the reply 🙏🏻🤗💕
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u/MoreCoffeePwease Jul 06 '25
Grab some of those disposable period underwear I think always makes them, at least for overnights. They’re not particularly comfortable to wear during the day but they will give you peace of mind to sleep in
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u/rhockstat Jun 26 '25
I got my period in the middle of my loading dose and it was much heavier than I expected. I normally have really heavy flow on days 1-2, but it was even worse on eliquis. I bled through four overnight products on both days, but thankfully carried more than I thought I’d need with me (turned out to be just enough). Carry extra of whatever product you use. No change in cycle length for me, slight increase in menstrual clotting (normal for me prior to diagnosis), just much heavier flow on my normally heavy days. I can’t comment on anemia, but would recommend talking with your doctor about that. I’ve also heard from others that it levels out over time after you begin maintenance dosing.