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Riding on blood thinners


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Hey all. Recently found out I will be on blood thinners (xarelto) the rest of my life. Right after buying myself a new bike for my 50th. I really want to ride again, but cant get my mind off how an even minor fall could be serious or deadly now. Anyone else on them and take a spill?

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1 hour ago, brokenrazor said:

Hey all. Recently found out I will be on blood thinners (xarelto) the rest of my life. Right after buying myself a new bike for my 50th. I really want to ride again, but cant get my mind off how an even minor fall could be serious or deadly now. Anyone else on them and take a spill?

I'm on Eliquis and probably will be for life. Initially I was kind of freaked out about aggressive mountain biking, but over time have settled into my normal routine. In fact I've gotten much more aggressive with my riding. Not sure what you've been told, but I don't agree with the "minor fall" scenario. I think it would take some really serious trauma to put you at greater risk, especially internal bleeding and head trauma. I've been to the ER for stitches while on blood thinners, due to a minor laceration, and it was no different than similar situations when I wasn't on blood thinners. I've also hit my head on a low-hanging branch hard enough to cause a severe concussion with no life-threatening effects, although I did get a CT Scan as a precautionary measure knowing that I was taking the anti-coagulant.       

The key I think is to just be super confident in knowing what you can and can't do, and always erring on the side of caution. Freak accidents can happen, but if you're calculated in assessing risks, then you're probably more likely to suffer trauma in an auto accident than on your bike. This is just my view of course. 

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@throet thanks. that helps. My doc told me I can ride, but the big bad interwebs only has horror stories that freak me out. That’s why I wanted to here from someone in a similar situation. I am a cautious rider already, so hopefully I can shake the fear and enjoy riding as much as I used to. thanks again.

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2 minutes ago, brokenrazor said:

@throet thanks. that helps. My doc told me I can ride, but the big bad interwebs only has horror stories that freak me out. That’s why I wanted to here from someone in a similar situation. I am a cautious rider already, so hopefully I can shake the fear and enjoy riding as much as I used to. thanks again.

No problem man - get out and enjoy that new bike! If you're ever up north and want to share stories, I'm out riding on Brushy 4 times per week. My biggest fear with these modern anti-coagulant meds is my co-pay coupon expiring!!!!! 

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I'll second what throet said. I've been on Eliquis for a couple of years now and went through a similar thought process when I first started taking it. I've had a few minor crashes and one pretty bad one (no broken bones, except for maybe my pinky which I never saw a doctor about). I can remember the first time my pedal scraped my calf. I was convinced that I was going to bleed out on the trail. Turns out, it pretty much behaved like the dozens of scrapes and scratches I had in the past. Clearly it's something to be aware of - especially if there's major trauma involved - but it's not something I really think about any more.

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