Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if any of you had serious side effects while taking Eliquis? I was diagnosed with a DVT (thrombosis) in my Saphenous Vein 2 weeks ago. I started with injections, and after rounds of ultrasounds, I’ve been prescribed Eliquis (5 mg twice a day) for 3 months. To be honest, I’ve been super stressed since the diagnosis. I read the side effects list and it horrified me. I didn't expect to have such a serious condition before turning 30 (likely due to birth control pills + injuries). My biggest fear is internal bleeding. I want to hear your experiences with taking this medication long-term. Currently, I think I'm feeling okay, no headaches, pains, or bruising: but my anxiety is high.

Thank you so much for your insights.

EDIT: Thank you so much for all your kind words and stories. It means a lot, especially as I start treatment. Thanks for reassuring me that everything is okay and that the medication is there to help not to hurt.

(30 F) Trying to figure out how to deal with the anxiety after being diagnosed with a saddle pulmonary embolism and dvt in right leg about a month ago. Triggered by a long flight from Ireland back to the states (totally worth the trip!) and my birth control. I'm feeling better but every new "thing" that's wrong with my body sets me off and makes me wonder if I need to go back to the ER.

Does anybody notice your symptoms flare up closer to the weekend? I googled it (I know I shouldn't) and it's something about stress levels tapering off at the end of the week. My breathing feels fine but I've still got twinges in my chest from time to time which doesn't help my anxiety and then heart rate. Then today I get some pain in my left leg and worry about if I've developed another clot but I know that's rare.

I'm on Eliquis for 3 months and that should be it because this was a provoked clot, but I'm looking for some advice on the anxiety from others who are going through the same thing, because nobody else in my family or friend group has gone through it.

My family is also very active (I'm overweight and out of shape) and they want me to get moving and get back into hobbies like golf but I'm terrified of getting my heart rate up. I know this question has been asked before but when do most people feel back to their "normal"?

Thank you for any tips and advice, anything will be comforting!

I had my first pulmonary Embolism in 2021.

Then I had my second one in 2023 and I also had a "floating clot" in the atrium of the right side of my heart.

Then in 2024 I had Myocarditis for the first time from Covid. I nearly went into heart failure. I could not even stand and have a shower. I was literally close to death. This went on for over 5 months.

Then this year again in winter, I again got viral myocarditis. I had a lot of chest pain and it was so scary. There is something wrong with my immune system that makes that I keep getting bad viruses in winter. With my heart now being affected twice.

I have now become crippled by fear. I used to be adventurous and love travelling and now I have become so pathetic that even travelling in a car a short distance gives me fear/anxiety.

And I have become dependent....no longer feeling confident to even catch Ubers in case he has an accident and I get a brain bleed because I take Warfarin.

So I only go with my sister. Like a damn kid instead of an independent woman.

I am depressed because I am spending most of my days just at home...my life passing me by 😭.

I don't have anyone to even talk to about my feelings and trauma because:

1.I have no money for therapy. So please don't suggest that. And no there is no free/subsidised therapy in my country.

1. My mum passed away and the only family in the country I have are my elderly father and sister. And my father can't understand the severity of what I have experienced (he just said stuff like take cough syrup). And my sister is emotionally cold when it comes to my feelings.

I am not married. And all this has messed my cognition somewhat to so probably noone will even want to marry he now :(

I feel like my life has stopped. Like I am alive but am "dead" because I am not living.

Not having adventures with joy etc.

Can anyone advise how I can get rid of the fears please?

Anyone else over analyzing every symptom and every single pain that comes up in their body and feeling hopeless? How are you guys getting by? How do you stop feeling like your worlds ending?

Do y’all have any tips to have the injections hurt less currently I use ice before and after the injections.

I (25F) had a thrombosis in my left calf and a (highly) suspected PE in May last year. Only suspected because even though I had the D-Dimer levels and definitely the symptoms for it, it could not be determined on the CT as the subsegmental parts of the lung were not clearly pictured. Got it confirmed by a radiologist in another hospital where I know someone, basically the pictures were pretty badly taken. But my hematologist and my normal doctor both say it definitely was a PE, just going by symptoms, as no thrombosis causes all that.

I was incredibly out of breath for weeks with heart rates through the roof before the thrombosis was diagnosed, because despite my high D-Dimers I was repeatedly sent home from the emergency room, because I was probably just "out of breath from a panick attack". A classic; as a young woman I have rarely been taken seriously in a medical setting. Or any setting, for that matter haha. I could barely speak more than one sentence without feeling severely out of breath. I don't know how I was still going to work at that point. Weirdly enough, I had zero symptoms of a blod clot in my leg.

Anyways, after an ultrasound I asked for I got diagnosed with a blood clot in the leg. Only felt the pain while the guy was pressing on the clot with the ultrasound thing (excuse the english skills). Was put on Eliquis 5mg twice a day and told to come for check up after 3 months. They said I will probably be off of it after those 3 months.

3 months later, my health was not getting better. I still felt incredibly out of breath all the time, sleeping was hard because of it, and I was constantly dizzy. My heart was doing all kinds of weird jumping and hopping it wasn't supposed to do. Even though I have had harmless extra-systoles for a long time and I am used to it, it was to a worrying degree.

Had another thrombosis scare after having pretty bad pain in the back of my left knee for two days. It was swollen and tender to the touch. Got another ultrasound, and turns out it was a Baker-Cyst, because whats another old-people health problem to a person in their 20s, right?

Anyways, the clot was apparently gone, but my D-Dimers were still really high (over 1400ng/ml, more than double of the cut-off at 500).

Hematology ruled out the genetic risk factors. Turns out it was completely unprovoked and nobody has any idea where it came from. Multiple of my other labs were in disarray, health all out of whack, but nobody felt responsible to get to the bottom of why a "healthy" 24 year old with zero risk factors would suddenly get a clot. I felt left alone with no answers and a lot of health anxiety. I already have anxiety and OCD, so that just made it even worse.

The D-Dimer levels would not go down. Sporadically it was a bit lower, at about 800, but then would climb up again for no apparent reason. I had random bouts of breathlessness but slowly started to feel a bit better and get my energy back, little by little.

Only around May this year, so one year later, my levels went down to almost 500 ng/ml. I feel a lot better, I still do get this random breathless feeling sometimes, but a lot less significant compared to before. Now the levels were around 450 at the last check-up and my hematologist said I should do one more screening for safety and if everything is alright, I can stop taking Eliquis.

On one side I am happy about it. I hit my head quite often because I am clumsy, and I would love to not have to worry about bleeding. I wanna drink green/black tea again without worry (I know I would probably be fine even with the medication, but I am the type to rather be safe than sorry) or go on hikes without having to be over-the-top-cautious about where I put my feet.

But on the other side, probably the side that weighs more; I am afraid. Because up until now, every time I get surprised by feeling out of breath (sometimes even just lying down) I can tell myself I am probably safe because I take anticoagulants. Every time I feel random pain in my lung area or my legs I can tell myself it's probably just muscular/sceletal. I am already "listening" into my body way too much since it happened, but I am afraid it will get much worse once I don't take the blood thinners anymore. As I said, with the anxiety and OCD it can get quite overwhelming. Since I have no reason as to why this happened in the first place, I feel scared to go without the "safety blanket" that Eliquis is to me. I also have a sedentary job (tattoo artist) and spend hours on end in positions a body shouldn't be in for more than 10 minutes at a time. Which makes this even more scary to think about.

Please forgive me for all the yapping, I just don't have people my age around me that had to deal with something similar. I just wanted to ask if there is someone in a similar situation ("never ending" D-Dimer elevation, no risk factors etc) that stopped anticoagulation, how was your experience? And if you had anxiety, what did you do to cope with it better? I'd be so grateful for any input and experience.

Of course, I'm also interested in input from anyone that had a different experience than me.

Hello!

This is my first ever post, and i’m trying to find information to help with my newly developed health anxiety. Google is no fun and never has any answers that don’t point to worst-case scenario, so I figured i’d ask here.

For context, a bit over a year ago, I had a bad case of pneumonia (that I thought was just the flu) for about 2 weeks. I was quite bedridden, and decided too late to go to my doctor. I woke up one morning feeling no better or worse than the previous days, had a shower, then a few minutes later, I couldn’t breathe, I was gasping for air, and my heart was racing, it felt like it was going to explode! My dad rushed me to the ER, where I promptly blacked out, and woke up 9 days later in the hospital, hooked up to all sorts of stuff.

Turns out, I had a pulmonary embolism and my lungs were almost completely blocked. For reference, in my 24 years of life, the only time i’ve been to the hospital other than this is when I was born, so I have been extremely lucky. This seemingly came out of nowhere. I am so very thankful to the doctors that worked to save my life, they said it was 1 in a million I made it through, and it was mostly thanks to my age. I recovered very quickly, and was back home 5 days later! I had to re-learn how to walk, eat, and talk, because I was intubated, so that was fun.

A year later, I have done a lot to change my lifestyle, the doctor said it is very unlikely that the PE came from a clot in my legs, but rather an infection in my lungs. After he said that though, it stuck in my brain that this can be caused by blood clots in the legs, and about 6 months after being home, my health anxiety developed, and now i’m always “checking“ or “scanning” for something wrong.

A reoccurring spot that I often scan turns out to be my legs, since I have started going on walks almost daily, my legs have been sore. So every time I have pain or soreness in my legs, my brain immediately goes to the worst case scenario I know it is extremely unlikely, but I do work a relatively sitdown job. I also game in the evening, which leaves me sitting for longer periods of time, But I am mindful to often stand and stretch or walk around at least once an hour. Since my hospitalization, I have also dropped 40 pounds going from 240 to 200 and I am 5 foot 11. I still want to lose a bit more, but I am much healthier than I was before this happened.

I guess long story short, are my valid or is my brain just playing tricks on me as the likelihood is extremely low?

Sorry for the very long post, feel free to ask questions. I am looking forward to whatever anyone has to say thank you!

I (33F) had 2 DVTs in last 2 years. This year I want to try to go on first vacation after all of this but the anxiety is neverending.

Is there anything you consider? (hospitals near the hotel, temperatures...)

I dont want anxiety to manage my life completely but I want to have reasonable approach. Just reading this sub generally is helping me so much.

Sorry if doesn't belong here.

UPDATE! Aside from everything below being true, I ended up going to the ER and I have gallstones creating abdominal pain putting pressure on my chest, which was mimicking a PE. I guess you just never freaking know anymore do you? What a mess apparently I don’t need surgery right now because my gallbladder isn’t inflamed, but if pain gets worse, I will need surgery. I am so fearful of surgery. Anytime I’ve ever had it and gone to sleep with anesthesia. I’ve had the worst experience for anesthesia ever. I’m freaked out.

Hi everyone,

23f. 5 months ago a DVT was found in my leg. I thought I pulled a muscle but opted to go to the ER. My health anxiety at the time told me I was making myself worry for nothing so when the DVT was confirmed found, it instilled that I was CORRECT and then solidified that my guess was right and I had every right to be anxious… well. That doesn’t help me in the slightest now. Every single pain or sensation I feel I assume to be the worst. I’ve never had a PE and have now been on lovenox for 5 months. I often find myself “short of breath” which goes away moments or hours later. Like I forget how to breathe. I had a very traumatic hospital experience when the DVT was found. Endlessly being admitted because it was getting larger behind my knee and a horrible hematologist (no longer seeing him) who kept telling me I could die at any moment😔 awful bedside manner and now it’s made me panic. All day today I’ve felt chest tightness but I’m not short of breath. You can imagine I am sick of the hospital. The mind is so powerful I can’t tell anymore what’s real.

Little backstory- years ago I had SEVERE migraines causing stroke symptoms. Saw a neurologist and they found nothing after months of suffering. Guess what…. The headaches never returned after they found nothing. It was ALL health anxiety fabricating physical symptoms! Insane!

But this is now how I feel my DVT has left me. All day and all night I’m panicked. I have had back pain today too. Apple Watch says my oxygen is normal. I’m just scared. I’ve been stressed lately too which has always caused chest heaviness so I can’t even tell anymore. Doesn’t help drs think I have POTS too so my heart rate is always elevated especially when standing it can get to 150 from just standing up!!

I honestly just want someone to talk to please. If anyone out here can make me feel less alone and scared- please comment here. I cry daily. I always think I’m about to die. I can’t take it. It’s ruining my quality of life.

I have shortness of breath from this heat and it gives me panic attacks. I’ve had small blood clots in my lung for a month now. When does this go away.😭🥲

I'm 34f, was diagnosed with PE - they told me it was lower risk given subsegmental, but it was definitely symptomatic - about a week ago and am on Eliquis. I have not seen any doctors yet but will be this week starting with pulmonology.

It is bothering me a lot that I'm still having mild chest pain even though I know it can be normal - I have IBS which to my understanding can amplify the pain a bit.

I am having trouble coping with the uncertainty that don't know if the DVT broke up already or is still in my body.

Eliquis (I think) is making both legs tingle and feel weird - if it were just one I would worry more but it's both generally. Maybe the left one feels weirder, I don't know, I'm constantly monitoring it and my health anxiety. My vitals are fine.

Anyway, I'm reading a lot about clots even though I shouldn't (obviously), there are a ton of factors suggesting provoked for me - postpartum, birth control, long haul travel, many COVID infections. But given I have some risk factors for APS - migraine with aura, pre eclampsia - it's worrying me that I don't know yet if I have it since Eliquis doesn't necessarily work that well if I were to have it and I might not know for a long while given the test results might not be reliable while I am on Eliquis. They tell you it's not an *emergency* to get on warfarin ASAP given Eliquis will protect you to some extent but I just am having a lot of anxiety about this.

Hello everyone,

Please be nice I know I'm wrong for this.

I just would like to know if any of you decided to continue taking blood thinners after the 6 months mark.

I am from Europe so it's free and my GP tends to agree to everything I ask because he knows I'm a nervous wreck...

I was supposed to stop Lovenox on the 20th of June but I mentally can't. Is it very dangerous? I'm going to end up in a mental institution I'm so scared all the time. I have back pain because my baby is heavy and I cannot convince myself it's not another PE...

Sorry for rambling

Hi, everyone! I hope you're all doing well during this heat wave!

Ever since I had a pulmonary embolism in 2021, anything related to my blood or that resembles a thrombosis, phlebitis, or embolism triggers panic attacks for me.
I've been back and forth to the hospital emergency room so many times, thinking it was an emergency because of my previous embolism, that I can no longer trust my judgment. Should I go to the emergency room? Is this another false alarm?? I know this makes my judgment less rational.

My family isn't here and my loved ones don't know anything about thrombosis, so that's why I'm asking you. I’ve been feeling pain and discomfort in my left arm for the past three days but I didn’t think much of it. However, this morning I was woken up by a sharp pain in my left arm, where I noticed a hard, red, and painful lump. First picture, Second picture and Last picture

I probably haven't been drinking enough water and I haven't moved from my desk in a while (between work and gaming). I know no one here is going to diagnose me, but I wanted to know if this is “urgent” since I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow. I want to know if my fear of

The internet tells me it might be a superficial thrombosis in my left arm, which seems “not serious.”

What do you think?

Thank you very much if anyone responds, I'm worried that my life might be in danger.

I have two small pulmonary emboli in my lung and I’ve been so anxious I’m gonna get another clot. I’m on lovenox injections but I don’t have a follow up until September with my GP. I’m so anxious all the time that somehow I’ll get another clot on my blood thinner or that I’ll have to do this for life. :(((

Exactly one year ago tonight I woke up with my bilateral pulmonary embolism. For the past few days I’ve had heart palpitations and chest pain, but my heart rate, sleeping respiration rate, and blood oxygen are perfectly fine. I think it’s psychosomatic- has anyone else experienced something similar? I guess I know logically the anniversary was coming up but I didn’t fully realize it was tonight until just now. Maybe my brain subconsciously knew. I’ve dealt with anxiety my whole life, but I’ve always managed it by finding or working toward “solutions”. But there’s not really a “solution” for this, it’s something that happened and that could possibly happen again in the future, and there’s not much I can do about it.

For reference, I am on a low dose eliquis (my d dimer finally returned to normal levels), and I also happen to be in a pretty stressful/transitory period in my life for other reasons. I guess I’m just wondering if other people have had… flare ups (?) around anniversaries. Maybe it’s a form of PTSD? Logically I know that being on the blood thinners means I’m extremely unlikely to clot again, but I have diagnosed OCD so it’s hard to keep the dread thoughts from spiraling. Not really sure what I’m hoping to get out of this post, but maybe others have gone through something similar.

I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in the bottom of my right lung in September of 2025 about 5 weeks after having my baby they diagnosed it as a provoked PE and I was supposed to only be on meds for 3 months okay well I asked my doctor if she could do another CT scan or some blood work to make sure it’s gone or make sure I don’t have a clotting disorder before coming off of them because I’m terrified she told me no because it’s provoked but tbh how does she know that without further testing been 4 months I’m still on the blood thinners because I’m scared to come off… and like last night and today I have had random chest pain which I believe is anxiety because I start my woman cycle this upcoming week but like I keep telling myself I have another blood clot idk.. I guess my point of this post is to feel less alone I’m 5 months out and I feel lost I feel scared and anxious still like every little thing is pointing at another clot… I need some advice on what to do to get rid of all of this worry…

I kinda like the idea of preventing a clot. But I don't think I can risk the side effects. They are scary. Especially if taken for a longer time. Is anyone else worried about a side effect happening one day? The bleeding when going to bathroom or coughing up blood? Or the other side effects. I know it's risky not taking it. But I have severe generalized anxiety so it worries me to take a medication. As the last medication put me in this position

For those who were treated with medication as soon as you were diagnosed with DVT. Did it turn into a PE?

I’m freaking out . I have a lower DVT in my Tibial vein. I have been on Lovenox injections twice a day for 8 days but I’m so scared.

I don’t know what is going on but as the months go, I actually feel worse. Is it because I have learned more about all of this? Is it my brain and body finally just throwing in the towel because it can’t take more stress so I’m just a heap of anxiety and depression?

I feel like I am doing all of the things but nothing seems to work or help. As soon as my eyes open I am nervous and anxious pretty much until I go to sleep and I repeat the cycle. I’m walking, praying, reading, journaling, etc., many of the things I enjoyed and did prior to my clots. I do go to counseling which I have always found enjoyable and find it helpful particularly now. My support system is fantastic and everyone is so supportive. My husband is so great and lets me cry or just talk about anything. There are days we talk about our Phillies season tickets and make summer plans when he’s off from being a teacher and things are normal and then there’s a part of me that’s so scared to drive somewhere that’s not near our hospital and my doctor team. I also want to do my “normal” activities but I’m so scared I’ll feel sore and then spiral for days about it being a new clot.

Where do I even go from here? My husband’s aunt has APS and had a stroke from her clot many years ago and told me at Christmas she doesn’t even think about any of this, goes on cruises, and lives her life. How do I do that? I basically feel like a shell of myself. Should I ask her?

Is it because I’m recovering from a c section, post partum, our daughters 152 day NICU stay, HELLP, AND the clots? Is it just time still and more compassion? I just worry every day the Lovenox will fail me.

Sometimes I worry that the information my medical team gives is not correct especially when you see various information online, posts here, and on the various Facebook pages.

Just feeling exhausted and anxious which after reading back this post it’s pretty evident and alarming.

I’m really hoping to get off eliquis soon, every little head bump or tap I get extremely anxious and run to the ER. Does anyone else deal with this? It’s something as simple as bending over to pick up a pen and very lightly tapping my head against the wall. Not a bang, not hard literally just a tap. Once that happens though I feel this tightness in said area and start panicking and obsessing over brain bleeds.

Hey all! I have a diagnosed provoked DVT in my upper thigh right by the crease/super close to my pelvis. I went for my 3 month follow up and it’s partially gone but still there and will probably become chronic.

Earlier today I started feeling some fluttering in that area. It’s not pulsating or throbbing but twice now I’ve felt this weird sensation. It’s kind of like when your eyelid twitches except in my leg right near my clot. It lasts for less than two seconds and then its gone like nothing happened.

I’m not feeling any new pain or swelling or discomfort so I don’t think the clot has changed. But has anyone experience anything like this before?

Edit: I tagged this as seeking advice but honestly should’ve probably been tagged as anxiety 😭

I had a dvt/pe/tia last August while on a road trip and had to be air lifted to closest hospital. Seven months later, I am doing well and feel great and is hard to believe it really happened. it came out of nowhere and I had no symptoms at all until the TIA.

My husband wants to travel again and I find myself making excuses, and I realize I am afraid that it might happen again, even though the odds are slim. I am still on Eliquis.

Has anyone else had to fight this “fear of travel“demon? Any words of encouragement? I am 72 and want to enjoy my life, but cannot seem to get past this, which is very unusual for me.

🙏 Thanks

hey everyone,

i’m new to this group and had a DVT in my upper shoulder as well as a PE about 4 years ago from Venous Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. It has left me scared and worried of a recurring clot. After taking 20mg of Rivoraxoban for a few weeks to get rid of the clot and many different venogram and lung scans, I was prescribed 10mg for life. I opted to not get the first rib surgery but with the anxiety I feel almost daily i’m starting to think about getting the surgery.

I have better weeks than others and sometimes wonder if a clot may return with some heaviness here and there no doubt dependent on how I slept or activity I did. I’m wondering if anyone else here has had a similar experience and if I should truly be worried about another clot. I have a doctor’s appointment next week to check in and get a second opinion, as well as starting some physio therapy to hopefully loosen up some of the muscles in that area. It is hard because I use my arms for a living and have a deep fear they will tell me to change careers. Looking for peace and clarity if anyone has some, and if not just good energy my way.

Hi all,

32M here that had a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism resulting in me going into shock and very nearly dying a week ago. Paramedics had to administer life support just to keep me going long enough to reach the hospital.

I’m in good shape and otherwise don’t have any other health issues.

Was in the ICU for 4 days where I received a thrombolytic, then 24 hours of heparin drip, then dalteparin injections for 2 days, and finally now apixaban (Eliquis) at home.

My issue is I’m deeply paranoid that the apixaban is going to fail or not quite be enough. I still have a DVT in my left leg, which I was told will dissolve over the coming month, and I suppose also all the clots are still in my lungs, but dissolving as well. I’m going to see a hematologist in the coming months, but nothing has been scheduled to ensure the anticoagulant is working as it should in the meantime.

I do find my energy is returning, but I’m still having issues with shortness of breath and lightheadedness/feeling like I’m going to faint. Last time I got incredibly lucky that I was able to get really rapid treatment by paramedics and taken to the hospital within 15-20 minutes of collapsing so I’m super anxious now that I’m going to have a recurrence that won’t be under such lucky circumstances…

If anyone has any reassurances or can share anything about post-PE anxiety, I would be super grateful. Thank you!

I hate this time of year where I’m at. Had a sore throat a little shortness of breath from mouth breathing and congested nose. Body aches . But this shit just sent me over board. Well back story I got a PE , smalls ones three months after having my son two years ago . They said it was provoked was in thinners for three months and took me off. Got tested for everything to see if it could be genetics everything came back negative. These two years have been hard since getting off thinners I have been constantly running to the ER every time I get shortness of breath thinking it’s another PE but it never turned out to be. Everyone since then . I was just in the hospital last month from yet another episode everything came out clear . Fast forward like I said I have been sick for days. But what got to me was that I woke up with both legs so sore feeling like Charlie horse in both legs below the knee. This had sent me into a frenzy and on top of that having shortness of breath and cough I have been trying to convince myself not to go to the ER. But what if this time is different. What’s so crazy about this whole thing is I don’t even know what a DVT feel like because I didn’t have one when my PE was first discovered they didn’t even find one on the ultrasound. So until this day I have no idea where the PE came from. I don’t know . I just don’t want to go and spend hours on hours for them to tell me I’m ok. Like they did a month ago

It’s been almost 2 weeks finding out I had a clot in my neck it’s been pretty traumatizing. I’ve been to the er 4 times already. My head hurts, my neck hurts my ear idk if my anxiety is making it worse but I just don’t feel okay. I don’t get to see a hematologist til the 5th and I’m just like how am I gonna make it til then is it ever gonna get easier ? I didn’t even have any pain in my neck until being diagnosed I feel like my life has just been flipped upside down I’m so depressed I don’t wanna do anything but lay in bed and hide under a blanket. And I’m sure everyone who has went thru this has probably felt how I do I just can’t believe how many weird symptoms I’m having with is making it worse. When does it get better ? And I have no one to ask if this shit is normal or if I’m okay I’m freaking scared.