Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. I Can understand your husband discomfort. Cough and sudden weight loss while on Xarelto. Reduction of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation, blood clots in the legs and lungs, prevention of blood clots after knee or hip replacement surgery. Xarelto is described as a “next generation” blood thinner. The drug can help reduce the risk of developing blood clots. Blood clots can travel through the bloodstream to the brain and cause strokes.But, Xarelto can cause serious and sometimes deadly bleeding. Studies show Xarelto results in the same rate of adverse bleeding events as warfarin. Warfarin is an older version of a blood thinner. Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a prescription blood-thinning medicine that targets Factor Xa (FXa), inhibiting its effect on the formation of blood clots in a patient’s arteries or veins. Factor Xa is the active form of Factor X, an enzyme that is synthesized in the liver and assists in coagulation, or clotting of the blood, changing it from a liquid to a gel.This process is dependent upon vitamin K, which is what blood thinners such as warfarin (brand name Coumadin) act to interfere with, along with several other blood-clotting factors. Xarelto is considered a selective anticoagulant in that it only interferes with the one factor, Factor Xa, thereby interacting with less of the body’s natural functions.Despite its categorization as a “blood thinner,” Xarelto, and other similar drugs, do not actually thin a patient’s blood. Therefore, it cannot dissolve existing clots. But it can serve to prevent or reduce blood clotting, and can assist in preventing existing clots from growing larger and causing more serious problems for the patient. Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is indicated to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) by preventing the formation of blood clots. It is also used as a treatment and maintenance drug for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body, usually in the lower leg or thigh), which may lead to pulmonary embolism (PE) (a sudden blockage in an artery of the lung) in patients having knee or hip replacement surgery. symptoms: alpitations (or an abnormal rapid heartbeat),Shortness of breath, Weakness or difficulty exercising, Chest pain, Dizziness or fainting, atigue, Confusion. Precautions: •     The first warning advises patients taking Xarelto not to prematurely discontinue its use, as doing so may result in an increased risk of adverse thrombotic events, such as stroke. The manufacturer of the blood thinner also notes that in clinical trials involving patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), an increased risk of stroke has been observed in such individuals when switching from Xarelto to warfarin. The label directs that if use of the anticoagulant medication is discontinued for a reason other than bleeding or end of treatment, patients should strongly consider the use of another blood thinner in Xarelto’s place. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.