XARELTO review, xarelto 5 mg, xarelto 10 mg, xarelto 15 mg, xarelto 20 mg

What is Xarelto used for?


Xarelto is an anticoagulant medicine (a medicine that prevents blood clotting) used:

to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT, a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg) and pulmonary embolism (a clot in a blood vessel supplying the lungs), and to prevent DVT and pulmonary embolism from recurring in adults;
to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE, the formation of blood clots in the veins) in adults who are undergoing surgery to replace a hip or knee;
to treat VTE and prevent VTE from recurring in children and adolescents aged less than 18 years;

to prevent stroke (caused by a blood clot in the brain) and systemic embolism (a blood clot in another organ) in adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (irregular rapid contractions of the upper chambers of the heart);

to prevent atherothrombotic events (such as heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease) in adults:

after an acute coronary syndrome, when it is used with an antiplatelet medicine (which prevents the formation of blood clots). Acute coronary syndrome consists of conditions such as unstable angina (a severe type of chest pain) and heart attack;

at high risk of ischaemic events (problems caused by restricted blood supply) who have coronary artery disease (disease caused by obstructed blood supply to the heart muscle) or peripheral artery disease (disease caused by defective blood flow in the arteries). It is used with aspirin.

Xarelto contains the active substance rivaroxaban.


How is Xarelto used?


Xarelto is available as tablets and granules for making an oral suspension. The dose and duration of treatment with Xarelto depend on what it is being used for and the patient's risk of bleeding. For children, the form, dose and duration of treatment also depend on the patient’s age and weight.

Xarelto is given at a lower dose (2.5 mg twice daily) when used in combination with an antiplatelet medicine such as aspirin, clopidogrel or ticlopidine. The doctor will regularly evaluate the benefits of ongoing treatment against the risk of excessive or internal bleeding.

The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription. For more information about using Xarelto, see the package leaflet or contact your doctor or pharmacist.


How does Xarelto work?


The active substance in Xarelto, rivaroxaban, is a ‘factor Xa inhibitor’. This means that it blocks factor Xa, an enzyme that is involved in the production of thrombin. Thrombin is central to the process of blood clotting. By blocking factor Xa, the levels of thrombin decrease, which reduces the risk of blood clots forming in the veins and arteries, and also treats existing clots.