[Closed] Anyone/ riders using anti coagulant tablets?

Not done so personally but a medic alert bracelet might be a good idea, good first aid kit including stuff to encourage clotting.  IIRC alginate / seaweed dressings do this but not certain.

Ride well within your limits

i was on warfarin for 5 years.  was always very open with the heart consultant that i was riding my bike as much as i was possible.

he told me to just be careful and use common sense.

so carry on carefully

I have been on eliquis for about 12 months, I spoke to my doctor about the specific risks of mountain biking. Basically the risk of excessive blood loss due to an injury is so small it can be ignored, the real danger is a head impact that causes internal bleeding.

So ride well within limits, and preferably with someone else who can contact help just in case (although also a tiny realistic risk)

Also the MTBers friend "ibuprofen" is a no no, as is any other painkiller and nsaid that can cause stomach damage.

Cheers, trip to the bike shop so she can get some different knee pads and some  shin pads for strikes from flat pedals.

I've been on blood thinners since 2006.

I try to avoid situations where the consequences of a mistake could lead to a heavy impact, so I don't do jumps or ride stuff where there's a high chance of a fall onto hard stuff. I'll generally do a cx dismount and run through.

It doesn't stop me doing stuff like 24 hour races.

Side effects can include being more prone to exhaustion and to feeling the cold according to the box, so it makes the 'Puffer a bit tougher. 🙂

I was after an atypical pulmonary embolism (3rd order whatever that is) February, ended up on one (not warfarin) for 4 months.

I have been advised to keep taking them for life (because there were no reasons why it happened in the first place) but have come off them so I can ride off road.

Whilst on them I only did roadie stuff as the consultant wasn't happy at me mtbing on medication, he reckoned that on the road an ambulance would reach me in time before I bled out/splattered my brain.

Found out 2 others in the club also had a PE, both on medication, one still racing enduro but was fully storm troopered up. The other just takes it handier.

I'm on warfarin for life, with an INR of 2.5 (higher the INR, the less clotting there is). I always wear a helmet as the biggest risk is bleeding on the brain, but otherwise I carry on as I did before.  Couple of years ago I fell off and broke my collar bone, there was a big old bruise but otherwise the warfarin made it no worse.

In some people exercise can affect their INR reading so if you do a big ride the day before a blood test it would be worth mentioning it to the nurse/doctor who is assessing the blood test results.

natrix

...In some people exercise can affect their INR reading so if you do a big ride the day before a blood test it would be worth mentioning it to the nurse/doctor who is assessing the blood test results.

Ah, that probably explains why mine was all over the place. I got the impression they thought I was forgetting to take my pills.

Result was that I'm now on Xarelto, and if it goes pear shaped, a Vit A injection doesn't help, so more care is needed.

Alcohol can also have a big effect with a lot of people. If your target INR is 2.0 and your actual INR is 2.0, if you fall off, any bruise will be twice as large, which is not such a big deal.  But if your target INR is 2.0 and you've been drinking the night before your actual INR could be way higher, 5.0 for example.  Fall off and any bruising/bleeding is 5 times as worse, which could be a big deal....................

I came of Apixaban last week after being on them for a year due to AF then having catheter ablation. My cardiologist said I could choose whether to stay on as post-ablation the risk of stroke and bleed out are about equal. I'm not keen on being on lots of meds so I choose to stop despite having had no issue with Apixaban.

In my second week of taking it I hit a tree stump hidden in the undergrown and came off, no bleeding but the bruise was impressive. I had a big off on the gravel bike this summer, again no bleeding issues but some impressive bruises. I had a few cuts whilst on it, again I had no issues with the bleeding not stopping.

Keeping an eye on this thread, mid-August I was diagnosed with torn calf muscle but following a blood test and ultrasound scan last week, it turned out to be a DVT (which was a bit of a shock..) so I've just started a 3 month course of Apixaban. Hoping to get back on the bike as soon as possible so I'm also interested in people's experiences and advice on this.

Also the MTBers friend “ibuprofen” is a no no, as is any other painkiller and nsaid that can cause stomach damage.

You can take paracetamol while you're taking Apixaban, ibuprofen and aspirin are the common ones to avoid. If in doubt check first.

I have a mediband with my dosage on just in case I knock myself out. The main risk is clattering your head badly. You don't really bleed any faster just for longer, so some descent dressings in your pack are a good idea, just in case.

It has made very little difference to what I ride. I have crashed a few times, had rock strikes to the shins, plus a few scuffs and scratches. Nothing was a big drama.

I've been on warfarin for over 30 years (since 1982).Target INR is 3.0 to 4.0.

Biggest warfarin problems I've had are thigh haematomas - a bleed into the thigh muscle after a crash. Done this biking twice now - these hurt like nothing else and have resulted in a week in hospital, being monitored for compartment syndrome, and several weeks of excrutiatingly painful bedrest. I now wear crash pants / thigh protectors on big rides in addition to kneepads.

Secret after a big crash is to RICE it straight away - not continue up the hill, down the hill, to the pub and then to the footie....

Have ripped open knee caps, broken collar bones and all the usual stuff without any major issues. Orthapedics are used to dealing with old people on warfarin. A hernia repair was interesting as I had to self-inject with heparin after while my warfarin came back up.

Everything affects your INR level - the INR nurse becomes your best friend. I'm a boring bugger so tend to eat the same stuff all the time which helps.

Not convinced that warfarin results in you feeling the cold but happy to believe it - I always wrap up warm.

Oh the joy 🙂

stirlingcrispin, i had a DVT when i had my ankle fusion, it came from being inactive.

i was self injecting heparin for 3 months, twice a day. good job my belly is a bit flabby.

it was like a black and blue dart board.  ;o)

Been on wharfarin for the last 6 years. Had a dvt in my very early 20's that went undiagnosed for years. Only due to my persistence at the doctors did it ever get diagnosed at all. Then had another about 6 years ago so I'm on it for the rest of my days now. Doesn't really stop me riding wise at all but I suppose I am slightly conscious in the back of my mind about having a big off, although that may just be old age and common sense kicking in.

I now wear crash pants

Would I be right in thinking that you do jumps and gnarly stuff??  I just ride xc stuff and trail centres like Swinley (I know, boring , boring Swinley) and have never felt the need to wear protection (didn't even know that crash pants existed!!).

Natrix - I do not do jumps or gnarly stuff (not by definition anyway).

I am jeycore. Have tried Golfie etc but it's not my cup of tea.

Thigh haematomas have been the result of just iding along - such is the joy of warfarin.

1) Fell like a sack of potatoes onto a pointy rock when my wheel span while climbing

2) Clipped a pedal while riding in the dark, flipped over the bars into a branch from a fallen tree

Home life can have its hazards too

3) Caught my thigh/knee on a door while dodging children.

4) Cycled into a street sign which was obscurred by a bush - took all the skin off my shin and my lower leg went the colour of a rainbow.

These are the crash pants. POC do something similar;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evoc-12804-Crash-Pants/dp/B00KC3X51G

Whilst on them I only did roadie stuff as the consultant wasn’t happy at me mtbing on medication, he reckoned that on the road an ambulance would reach me in time before I bled out/splattered my brain.

Hmmm. I wonder what other people think about that? IMO although MTB injuries are possibly more common, they are less likely to be extremely high impact. The anticoagulants might therefore turn a small injury into a medium-sized one.

Whereas with road biking the potential for a big smash is there (eg bike meets car at 40mph). If you have a big smash with anticoagulants it could turn a significant injury into a life-threatening one.

Overall, these risks are small, and I would estimate that fit most people keeping active outweighs those small risks. I just find the road vs MTB injury perception to be a bit skewed.