Patient/caregiver was educated on the precautions to be observed while taking xarelto as follows:
- If you are being scheduled for any surgical procedure, xarelto must be discontinued, a few days before the scheduled date for surgery. Xarelto can be started back again after the surgical procedure, upon your doctor’s recommendation. Discuss with your doctors and other health care team members regarding your schedule on discontinuing xarelto and starting back on it.
- Watch out closely for any signs of clot formation and DVT, such as pain in the calf muscle, episode of sudden cough and shortness of breath, and any chest pain. Report to your doctor immediately, so that, a change in plan could be considered.
- Patients taking xarelto 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, and increased formation of ecchymosis and bleeding into the skin. Watch out closely for any such signs of bleeding and report to your doctor immediately, so that, a change in plan could be considered. Be aware of any symptoms of sudden weakness, faintness, or dizziness that can signify internal bleeds.
- Patients taking xarelto can occasionally present with hemorrhagic stroke, secondary to episodes of internal bleeding from cerebral blood vessels. Be aware of signs and symptoms of hemorrhagic stroke, such as, episodes of headache, dizziness, and sudden development of muscle weakness, to be reported to the physician.
