Injectable Anticoagulants
What are they and why do we need them?
Injectable anticoagulants can be used for many reasons. Outside the hospital, injectable anticoagulants may be used as a “bridge” for when you are starting warfarin or stopping warfarin for a short period of time. Warfarin commonly takes 5-7 days to take its full effect in your system and during that time we may need to use an injectable anticoagulant.
This table compares two common types of injectable anticoagulants and includes links to injection videos and the manufacturer’s website.
| Medication name | Lovenox (enoxaparin) | Arixtra (fondaparinux) |
| Administration | Once or twice daily | Once daily |
| Education Video | Lovenox Injection Technique | Similar technique and syringe as in the Lovenox video |
| Manufacture Site | Sanofi-Aventis | GlaxoSmithKline |
Anticoagulant Types
Warfarin
Warfarin is an anticoagulant that prevents new blood clots from forming and existing ones from growing larger.
Learn more about Warfarin
Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC)
Directly acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) include a direct thrombin inhibitor (dabigatran) and factor Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban).
Learn more about Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC)
Injectable Anticoagulants
Outside the hospital, injectable anticoagulants may be used as a “bridge” for when you are starting warfarin or stopping warfarin for a short period of time.
Learn more about Injectable Anticoagulants
