There is no cure for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), so treatment aims to reduce your risk of developing more blood clots.
Medication
As part of your treatment, you will be prescribed anticoagulant medicines, such as warfarin or an antiplatelet, such as aspirin.
These work by interrupting the process of blood clot formation. This means that blood clots are less likely to form when they are not needed, but they will still form when they are needed, for example when you cut yourself.
If aspirin and warfarin don't work, you may be prescribed a higher dose of warfarin or an additional anticoagulant called heparin.
Aspirin and warfarin are taken in tablet form and heparin is usually given as an injection. You can be trained to give the injections yourself.
Most people with APS will need to take anticoagulants for the rest of their life. A risk associated with this type of medication is that it can sometimes disrupt the blood’s ability to clot which can cause excessive bleeding (haemorrhage).
Symptoms of excessive bleeding include:
- blood in your urine or faeces
- black faeces
- severe bruising
- prolonged nosebleeds (lasting longer than 10 minutes)
- blood in your vomit
- coughing up blood
Contact your GP immediately if you have any of these symptoms while taking an anticoagulant. If this is not possible, call your local out-of-hours service or NHS Direct (0845 46 47).
Pregnancy
Women who are diagnosed with APS are strongly advised to plan for any future pregnancy. This is because treatment to improve the outcome of a pregnancy is most effective when it begins as soon as possible after an attempt to conceive.
If you do not plan your pregnancy, it may take several weeks before you realise that you are pregnant. There is a small risk that treatment to safeguard the pregnancy may fail.
Treatment during pregnancy involves taking daily doses of aspirin or heparin, or a combination of both, depending on whether you have a history of blood clots and previous complications during pregnancy. Warfarin is not recommended during pregnancy because it carries a small risk of causing birth defects.
After you have reached the last three months of your pregnancy, and the health of your baby has been confirmed, you may no longer need to take heparin. However, you may need to continue taking aspirin.
