Oral blood thinners are medications taken by mouth that thin the blood which decreases the chance of developing a blood clot or stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. The chart below compares the two main types of oral blood thinners.
Compare Oral Blood Thinner Medications
| Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants | Direct Oral Anticoagulants | ||
| Considerations & Side Effects | (e.g. Coumadin or Warfarin) | (e.g. Pradaxa or Dabigatran, Xarelto or Rivaroxaban, Eliquis or Apixaban, Savaysa or Edoxaban) | |
| Increased chance of minor bleeding (bruising, nose and/or gum bleeding) | |||
| Consideration of activities that could cause bruising or bleeding | |||
| Requires life-long medication use | |||
| Increased chance of major bleeding including bleeding into the brain | Less chance of major bleeding | ||
| Many interactions with medications | Fewer interactions | ||
| Requires frequent blood monitoring | |||
| Requires dietary changes | |||
| Multiple doses per day | |||
| Significantly higher cost (final cost depends on insurance coverage) |