Table Anticoagulation strategies for DVT There are several strategies for anticoagulation of patients with DVT: Initial treatment with an injectable heparin (unfractionated or low molecular weight) followed after several days by long-term treatment with an oral drug (warfarin, a factor Xa inhibitor, or a direct thrombin inhibitor) Initial and long-term treatment with a LMWH Initial and long-term treatment with certain oral Xa inhibitors (rivaroxaban or apixaban) Some but not all of the newer oral anticoagulant drugs are alternatives to warfarin as 1st-line treatment for DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) and may also be used as monotherapy (see table).