Question: I take Xeralto each day to prevent a recurrence of four pulmonary emboli two years ago. I also have an autoimmune disease (Reiters Syndrome, also called reactive arthritis) for which I am taking a lot of pain medications. I am carefully monitored by a top blood doctor and a top pain doctor every month. We have been discussing the ability to lower my pain medication by substituting small quantities of medical marijuana. I tried a little this week for the first time in my life, cut my pain meds in half, and felt better than I have felt in years. However, I am concerned that taking marijuana with Xeralto, could cause bleeding. I have not been able to reach my blood doctor. What do you think?

Thank you for your advice. I will get hold of my blood doctor. Most of what I had found on the internet indicated that Marijuana was not a blood thinner, so I tried a very little in vapor, and got an immediate good result. Unfortunately, I will have to bridge the pain doctor with the blood doctor. The pain doctor prescribed the pain medication and we only talked in passing about marijuana--I gave him the research I had found concerning it's positive action with Reiter's. Then I tried a little because I figured it wasn't worth doing all the work if it didn't help. It was tremendous on both inflammation reduction and pain-relief. I could possibly cut out 2/3rds of the XXXXXXX narcotics I take now. However, Xarelto is very new here and I am sure he was not thinking about that when we talked. He was just sort of amazed I had survived four bilateral emboli--infarcted. And I did not mention the marijuana to the blood doctor, again, because I did not believe it could have that much of an impact that it was worth trying. My kids saw me suffering, even with all the drugs, and begged me to try it a few days ago. I tried it in vapor, but the Reiter's causes COPD so it is not good for my lungs--I think. I wanted to try it in an edible form, and that's when I looked it up because that is a more long lasting proposition. May I ask one thing? Where did you get the information that bleeding was doubled with marijuana and Xarelto? I can understand the issue with Cummadin, which I failed on--but Xarelto thins by a completely different mechanism. Thanks for your kind response. Henry