Pronunciation: ELL-eh-kwiss
Generic name: apixaban
Other brand names of apixaban include: Eliquis, Eliquis Sprinkle
Dosage form: oral extended-release tablets (2.5 mg, 5 mg), tablet for oral suspension (0.5 mg), capsule sprinkle for oral suspension (0.15mg)
Drug class: Factor Xa inhibitors

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 28, 2025.

What is Eliquis?

Eliquis blocks the activity of certain clotting substances in the blood.

Eliquis is used to lower the risk of stroke or a blood clot in people with a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation that is not caused by a heart valve problem.

Eliquis is also used to prevent blood clots in the veins of the legs (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE) in people who have just had hip or knee replacement surgery, to treat DVTs or PEs, and to reduce the risk of DVTs or PEs from happening again after treatment for blood clots.

Eliquis is used in children from birth and older to treat blood clots in the veins of the legs and lungs (venous thromboembolism) after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment, and to reduce the risk of them happening again.

• Eliquis was not studied and is not recommended in children who weigh less than 5.7 pounds (2.6 kg). 

Warnings

Eliquis increases your risk of severe or fatal bleeding, especially if you take certain medicines at the same time (including some over-the-counter medicines). It is very important to tell your doctor about all medicines you have recently used.

Call your doctor at once if you have signs of bleeding such as: swelling, pain, feeling very weak or dizzy, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, heavy menstrual periods or abnormal vaginal bleeding, blood in your urine, bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds, or any bleeding that will not stop.

Eliquis should be stopped 24-48 hours prior to any surgery, invasive procedure, or dental work. Tell your surgeon if you are taking Eliquis.

Eliquis can cause a very serious blood clot around your spinal cord that can lead to long-term or permanent paralysis. This type of blood clot can occur during a spinal tap or spinal anesthesia (epidural), especially if you have a genetic spinal defect, if you use a spinal catheter, if you've had spinal surgery or repeated spinal taps, or if you use drugs that can affect blood clotting. This type of blood clot can lead to long-term or permanent paralysis.

Get emergency medical help if you have symptoms of a spinal cord blood clot such as back pain, numbness or muscle weakness in your lower body, or loss of bladder or bowel control.

Do not stop taking Eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. Stopping suddenly can increase your risk of blood clot or stroke.

Before taking this medicine

You should not take Eliquis if you are allergic to apixaban, or if you have active bleeding from a surgery, injury, or other cause.

Eliquis may cause you to bleed more easily, especially if you have a bleeding disorder that is inherited or caused by disease.

Tell your doctor if you have an artificial heart valve, or if you have ever had:

• bleeding problems;

• antiphospholipid syndrome, especially if you have a triple positive antibody test; or

• liver or kidney disease.

Eliquis can cause a very serious blood clot around your spinal cord if you undergo a spinal tap or receive spinal anesthesia (epidural). This type of blood clot could cause long-term paralysis, and may be more likely to occur if:

• you have a spinal catheter in place or if a catheter has been recently removed;

• you have a history of spinal surgery or repeated spinal taps;

• you have recently had a spinal tap or epidural anesthesia;

• you take or other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others; or

• you are using other medicines to treat or prevent blood clots.

Tell all of your healthcare providers and dentists that you or your child are taking Eliquis. They should talk to the healthcare provider who prescribed Eliquis for you, before you have any surgery, medical or dental procedure.

Taking Eliquis may increase the risk of bleeding while you are pregnant or during your delivery. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Pregnancy

It is not known if Eliquis will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant during treatment with Eliquis. Taking Eliquis during pregnancy may increase the risk of bleeding in you or in your unborn baby.

Females who are able to become pregnant: Talk with your healthcare provider about pregnancy planning during treatment with Eliquis. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk for severe uterine bleeding if you are treated with Eliquis.

If you take Eliquis during pregnancy, tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop any signs or symptoms of bleeding or blood loss.

Breastfeeding

It is not known if Eliquis passes into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with Eliquis. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with Eliquis.

How should I take Eliquis?

Take Eliquis exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider.

• Take Eliquis 2 times every day.
• Do not change your dose or stop taking Eliquis unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

For adults and children weighing at least 77 pounds (35 kg), if you have trouble swallowing the tablet whole, talk to your healthcare provider about other ways to take Eliquis tablets.

Your healthcare provider will decide how long you should take Eliquis. Do not stop taking it without first talking with your healthcare provider.

Do not run out of Eliquis. Refill your prescription before you run out. When leaving the hospital following hip or knee replacement, be sure that you will have Eliquis available to avoid missing any doses.

Call your healthcare provider or healthcare provider right away if you fall or injure yourself, especially if you hit your head. Your healthcare provider or healthcare provider may need to check you.

For children who take Eliquis:

See the detailed Instructions for Use that comes with Eliquis Sprinkle for oral suspension or Eliquis tablets for oral suspension for information on how to prepare and give a dose of Eliquis to children who weigh less than 77 pounds (35 kg).

• Always give Eliquis exactly as your child’s healthcare provider or pharmacist has told you.
• The dose of Eliquis is based on your child’s body weight. Your child’s healthcare provider may need to change your child’s dose as their weight changes. Do not change your child’s dose without talking with the healthcare provider.
• If a child vomits or spits up within 30 minutes after taking Eliquis, repeat the dose.
• If a child vomits or spits up more than 30 minutes after taking Eliquis, do not repeat the dose. Continue to give the next Eliquis dose at the next scheduled time.
• Contact the healthcare provider if your child repeatedly vomits or spits up after taking Eliquis.

Dosing information

Reduction of risk of stroke and systemic embolism in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation:

• 5 mg orally twice daily.

Note: In patients with at least 2 of the following characteristics: age greater than or equal to 80 years, body weight less than or equal to 60 kg, or serum creatinine greater than or equal to 1.5 mg/dL, reduce the dosage to:

• 2.5 mg orally twice daily. 

Adult Eliquis Dose for Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) -- Prophylaxis: Following Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery

• 2.5 mg orally twice a day

Duration of therapy:

• Hip replacement: 35 days
• Knee replacement: 12 days

Comments:

The initial dose should be taken 12 to 24 hours after surgery.

Adult Eliquis Dose for DVT and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) -- Treatment

• Initial dose: 10 mg orally 2 times a day for 7 days
• Maintenance dose: 5 mg orally 2 times a day

Adult Eliquis Dose for Reduction in the Risk of Recurrent DVT and PE Following Initial Therapy 

• 2.5 mg orally twice a day.

Treatment of VTE and reduction in the risk of recurrent VTE in pediatric patients from birth and older after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment:

• See dosing recommendations in the Full Prescribing Information.

What happens if I miss a dose?

If you or your child misses a dose of Eliquis, take it as soon as you remember on the same day. Do not take 2 doses of Eliquis at the same time to make up for a missed dose. Return to your usual dosing schedule the next day.

Get your prescription refilled before you run out of Eliquis completely.

What happens if I overdose?

If you take too much Eliquis, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What should I avoid while taking Eliquis?

Avoid activities that may increase your risk of bleeding or injury. Use extra care while shaving or brushing your teeth.

Eliquis side effects

The most common side effects of Eliquis in adults is bleeding.

The most common side effects of Eliquis in children is bleeding:

• headache
• vomiting
• heavy menstrual bleeding.

Serious side effects and warnings

Eliquis can cause the following serious side effects:

• Increased risk of blood clots if you stop taking Eliquis. Eliquis lowers your chance of having a stroke by helping to prevent clots from forming. If you stop taking Eliquis, you may have increased risk of forming a clot in your blood.

Do not stop taking Eliquis without talking to the healthcare provider who prescribes it for you. Stopping Eliquis increases your risk of having a stroke.

Eliquis may need to be stopped, if possible, prior to surgery or a medical or dental procedure. Ask the healthcare provider who prescribed Eliquis for you when you should stop taking it. Your healthcare provider will tell you when you may start taking Eliquis again after your surgery or procedure. If you have to stop taking Eliquis, your healthcare provider may prescribe another medicine to help prevent a blood clot from forming.

• Increased risk of bleeding. Eliquis can cause bleeding which can be serious and may lead to death. This is because Eliquis is a blood thinner medicine that reduces blood clotting. You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take Eliquis and take other medicines that increase your risk of bleeding, including:
  • aspirin or aspirin-containing products
  • long-term (chronic) use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • warfarin sodium
  • any medicine that contains heparin
  • clopidogrel
  • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  • other medicines to help prevent or treat blood clots.

Tell your healthcare provider if you take any of these medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you are not sure if your medicine is one listed above. During treatment with Eliquis:

• • you may bruise more easily
  • it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop.

Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you or your child develop any of these signs or symptoms of bleeding during treatment with Eliquis:

• • unexpected bleeding or bruising, or bleeding that lasts a long time
  • unusual bleeding from the gums
  • nosebleeds that happen often
  • menstrual bleeding or vaginal bleeding that is heavier than normal.
  • bleeding that is severe or you cannot control
  • red, pink, or brown urine
  • red or black stools (looks like tar)
  • cough up blood or blood clots
  • vomit blood or your vomit looks like “coffee grounds”
  • unexpected pain, swelling, or joint pain
  • headaches, feeling dizzy or weak.
• Spinal or epidural blood clots (hematoma). People who take a blood thinner medicine (anticoagulant) like Eliquis, and have medicine injected into their spinal and epidural area, or have a spinal puncture have a risk of forming a blood clot that can cause long-term or permanent loss of the ability to move (paralysis). Your risk of developing a spinal or epidural blood clot is higher if:
  • a thin tube called an epidural catheter is placed in your back to give you certain medicine
  • you take NSAIDs or a medicine to prevent blood from clotting
  • you have a history of difficult or repeated epidural or spinal punctures
  • you have a history of problems with your spine or have had surgery on your spine.

If you take Eliquis and receive spinal anesthesia or have a spinal puncture, your healthcare provider should watch you closely for symptoms of spinal or epidural blood clots or bleeding. Tell your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you have back pain, tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness, especially in your legs and feet, or loss of control of the bowels or bladder (incontinence).

Eliquis is not for use in people with artificial heart valves.

Eliquis is not for use in people with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), especially with positive triple antibody testing.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction to Eliquis: hives; chest pain, wheezing, difficult breathing; feeling light-headed; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Related/similar drugs

What other drugs will affect Eliquis?

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.

Many other drugs (including some over-the-counter medicines) can increase your risk of bleeding or blood clots. Tell your doctor about all medicines you have recently used, especially:

• any other medicines to treat or prevent blood clots;

• a blood thinner such as heparin or warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);

• an antidepressant; or

• aspirin or other NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) used long term.

This list is not complete and many other drugs may interact with apixaban. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

Eliquis and Medicare

Because of the prescription drug law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare is able to negotiate directly with drug companies to improve access to some of the costliest single-source brand-name Medicare Part B and Part D drugs.

Eliquis is one of 10 drugs covered under Medicare Part D that were selected in 2024 for the first cycle of negotiation based on Total Expenditures under Part D and other criteria as required by the law. Negotiations with participating drug companies are ongoing, and any negotiated prices for the first cycle of negotiation is effective from 2026.

Storage

Store Eliquis at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).

Keep out of the reach of children. 

Ingredients

Active ingredient: apixaban

Inactive ingredients:

• Eliquis tablets: 2.5 mg and 5 mg: anhydrous lactose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, and sodium lauryl sulfate. The film coating contains hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, titanium dioxide, triacetin, and yellow iron oxide (2.5 mg tablets) or red iron oxide (5 mg tablets).
• Eliquis 0.5 mg film coated tablets for oral suspension: anhydrous lactose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium lauryl sulfate. The film coating contains hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, red iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and triacetin.
• Eliquis Sprinkle: 0.15 mg for oral suspension: contains hypromellose and sugar spheres.

Manufacturer

Eliquis (apixaban) is manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in collaboration with Pfizer. These two pharmaceutical companies jointly developed and market this anticoagulant medication.

• Bristol Myers Squibb's global headquarters are located in New York City, New York, USA.
• Pfizer's global headquarters are also located in New York City, New York, USA.

Popular FAQ

More FAQ

• What are biologic drugs and how do they work?

View more FAQ

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Medical Disclaimer