Nursing Teaching on Side Effects of Apixaban Use

 Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on the side effects of using Apixaban as follows:
  1. Nausea and vomiting: These are some of the most common side effects of Apixaban. Taking Apixaban with some food can minimize the effects of nausea and vomiting.
  2. Anaphylaxis: A rare, but serious anaphylactic response can occur for Apixaban. Patients can present with extreme itching and rash, swelling of the face and throat, dizziness, bronchoconstriction, and difficulty breathing. This is an emergency and medical attention should be sought immediately, without any delay.
  3. Nose bleeds, vision changes, and easy bruising: Patients taking Apixaban can present with nose bleeds and bleeding into the eye from retinal blood vessels with consequent vision changes. Apixaban intake can also lead to easy bruising, which can occur as red brown ecchymotic patches in the skin, secondary to bleeding into the skin.
  4. Bleeding gums: Patients taking Apixaban can present with easy gingival bleeding. Sometimes, the bleeding can be easily precipitated, even during brushing of the teeth.
  5. Internal bleeds: Patients taking Apixaban can occasionally present with episodes of internal bleeding, resulting in coughing up of blood, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, red colored urine, bleeding per rectum that is either bright red or brown black in color.
  6. Hemorrhagic stroke: Patients taking Apixaban can occasionally present with episodes of internal bleeding from cerebral blood vessels, resulting in episodes of headache, dizziness, and evolution of hemorrhagic stroke.
  7. Hypotension and dizziness: Episodes of internal bleeding secondary to Apixaban intake, over a period, can result in low blood volume and episodes of hypotension with consequent dizziness.
  8. Anemia and shortness of breath: Prolonged loss of blood, secondary to hemorrhage and internal bleed, can result in anemia, pale skin, exacerbation of shortness of breath, poor endurance, and fatigue.