Coumadin symptoms and conditions

I was diagnosed 16 years ago with portal vein thrombosis which is a blood clot deep in the liver. Taking Coumadin or warfarin is not an option for me it is a necessity to live. I experienced headaches and depression early on which I did not connect to the drug because of the trauma I had been through. The symptoms have come on over the years and seem to be worsening. I am experiencing severe joint and muscle pain, cramps in my legs and hands, extreme weight gain, severe water retention ( I take 3 kinds of water pills a day), extreme fatigue, insomnia, heart valve problems, memory loss and have recently found out I have developed severe osteoporosis in the last 10 months. I have recently undergone tests for auto immune disease, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis which all came back negative. I am 42 and feel like I'm 72. I keep asking the doctors if these symptoms are related to the long term use of the drug and they say it is unlikely. I currently take pain killers to manage the pain so that I can function daily. I take 5 mg and 7 1/2 mg alternately and keep my INR around 3.0 to 3.2 and am very stable. After reading these postings I am even more convinced it is the drug. Is there anyone out there that has been these drugs as long as I have and if so, what are your side effects?

Been on coumadin for a year, horrible medication. Have aches all over, legs, shoulders, back, always tired, want to be off this med. Was taking alternative meds previously...nattokinase, bilberry which are blood thinners but are also SAFE. Then I had no leg pain, no muscle pain. I now take vitamin e and fish oil with the coumadin, no interaction since I've been using them for a long time and are more beneficial than the coumadin as far as I'm concerned. What I need is a naturopathic doctor, but they are hard to find, regular mds have no clue about supplements..all they want to do is increase your prescriptions. Doctors try to scare people telling them they'll have a stroke without coumadin, but have no solution on how to prevent stroke, etc. without drugs.

32 year old male. Admitted to ER with A-Fib. Treated with lovenox and atenolol. Cardioverted 3 days later. The headaches began as soon as I started the coumadin and have persisted everyday since. Worked with doctor to find cause of headaches, tried switching blockers, no avail. The only other med I'm on is warfarin. What else could it be? I love how a quick search shows "coumadin, no known side effects", but here's a room full of people with the same headaches. Now I see, headaches are just the beginning. What kills me, is instead of finding out why I went into A-Fib, and working to fix the real problem, the doctor's would rather thin my blood, so I don't have a stroke when my A-Fib comes back! I refuse to poison myself to death, just to avoid death by stroke. Come get me, I'm done with this qwuap!

I took ortho-tricycline low for 6 years with no problems whatsoever. At 18 my doctor switched me to Yasmin, by my 28th day on Yasmin I had a intense dull pain in my left hip/groin area and the of my knee and calf area. After two weeks of putting it off as a sprain, it had only gotten worse, my entire left leg was swollen to about twice the normal size and had purplish discoloration and I was could barely walk or sit. I was taken to the ER where they diagnosed me with a DVT the size of a softball in my left thigh. I spent two weeks in the hospital on narcotic painkillers and IV Coumadin before they would let me go home. I spent an additional 6 weeks at home on light duty and bed rest. I stayed on Coumadin for a year before it almost killed me as well. Today I am 23 years old and still feel the effects of the clot I had 5 years ago. My leg a calf are still swollen, though not nearly as bad and anytime I'm on my feet or have to sit in a chair all day I have to deal with moderate pain. I wasn't on Yasmin on Yasmin long enough to experience any other side effects but I would strongly advise you do your research before taking this medication.

I was on Coumadin and Lovenox. I went to the Coumadin site here and realized most of the problems I've been having were from the Coumadin.

I made a copy, took it to my doctor along with a copy of my symptoms and he took me off Coumadin but kept me on Lovenox.

All the symptoms went away...except for one. An overwhelming tiredness that takes over after I get my shot.

I found that it's best to get the shot at night and take advantage of the tiredness then. I sleep for hours after a shot and if I get it in the daytime I won't sleep at night,

My doctor also told me that I would now have to watch out for Osteoporosis, because one of the side effects of Lovenox is Osteoporosis. Nice to know since I already have Osteoporosis. Now what? Oh. well....

By the way the little lumps and bumps under your skin are small hematomas. I asked my nurse.

All I can say is shortness of breath, pulmonary embolisms and DVT's almost did me in 3 years ago. A week in CCU and a year or more on Coumadin. After a year I needed a blood transfusion because of an iron deficiency. Finally had endometrial ablation procedure and all is well. No periods or side effects. Completely off of meds and after 3 1/2 years I will be finished paying off all of my hospital bills in two more months!

Took Yaz years ago for some months. Do not remember many side effects. Starting taking it in July 2009 and within 2 weeks was hospitalized with pulmonary embolisms in both lung. Which means blood clots in both lungs. Doctor's could not find any other reason than Yaz. Please DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. I was a healthy 37 year old with not history of clotting disorders and now I have to have see a hematologist, pulmonologist and take Coumadin for the next 6-9 months. I never thought that a medicine could destroy me in as little of a time as 2 weeks. I thank God for getting me through it and am writing to warn any future users. Don't take this med.

I am a 40 year old female. I found out 3 years ago that I have factor V. I've been hospitalized for 17 PE's. I was being treated with coumadin, plavix, lovenox. My INR will not stabilize. The doctor has now put me on 30mg. of warfarin a day. and my INR still sets at 1.2. My side effects are awful. I feel tired, week, cold, weight gain, but most of all the terrible headaches. The doctor says it has nothing to do with the warfarin. I stay depressed and now losing hair. I've taken my doctors advice and I'm going back to the cancer center where they are more experienced. I feel like I'm dying everyday and its not in my head. I do believe its side effects. And if its not moving my INR than to me it seems useless to take such a high dosage. Its a catch 22.

Hi I posted this on the Coumadin site when I should have been here,

I am a 66 year old female and up to a year ago I felt 20 years younger now I feel 20 years older.

I fell and broke my hip June '08. Had a hip replacement and developed a blood clot (DVT) in my left leg.

They put me on Coumadin and when that didn’t do the job they added Lovanox (another blood thinner requiring shots in the stomach).

Not only has they not helped but my blood clot is growing.

My symptoms:
daily headaches, debilitating leg pain (the pain is so bad that it is crippling me), fatigue (an overwhelming feeling of tiredness, I set down for a few minutes and wake up hours later.), loss my concentration (trouble doing simple crosswords), can’t study simple directions, numbness in toes and hands. I can go on.

And the doctors? “It’s all in my head. It can’t be the blood thinners.”

I am going to copy your blogs and take them to my doctor and demand something be done.

Thanks again to this site and all of you. I was beginning to think there was something wrong with my mind.

Hi, I wanted to update my experience with Warfarin, I changed to Coumadin and have had much less severe side effects.

I too am on warfarin for life. I was diagnoised with lupus anti coagulant after they found a clot in my right leg. I was having no symptoms in my leg ,went to the er for hurting in my chest and left arm. was started on lovenox shots 2 times a day and coumadin. I too am experiencing joint and muscle aches and dizziness and feel extremely tired all the time. But I thank God every day they found my clot before it moved. And that they found the clotting disorder. I hope you all get better soon .. God bless you all. P.S. This medicine scares me very much, But so does the alternative!!!!!

After reading these posts I am more confused than before, because my experience is so far very different. I was diagnosed with DVT about two weeks ago and now take Coumadin daily; the Lovenox injections have been discontinued. The reason I'm so confused is I now feel the best I have in 5 (five) years.

Before being placed on the anti-coagulants I had memory and concentration issues that were progressively getting worse and greatly affecting my job, and had daily headaches. I had joint pain that made it difficult to get up after sitting for awhile; they felt constantly inflamed. I felt fatigued all the time and my muscles hurt like I had really pushed them; I just didn't have any strength, and had muscle cramps. I was constantly yawning and found my jaws hurt from clinching my teeth, subconsciously trying not to yawn. I was extremely sensitive to physical touch, even hugs hurt. I also felt extremely depressed and cried almost daily. My lips and left cheek tingled, as well as other parts of my body. Plus I would get the feeling of sudden pressure in my head (different from a headache) like it was going to pop off, and I my eyes didn't seem to track what I looking at and had difficulty in remembering or comprehending what I just read.

About 6 (six) days after starting treatment it completely changed and these symptoms are essentially gone. I have talked with my doctor and pharmacist and they are baffled. I am concerned this change, while welcomed, may indicate an underlying condition that is not yet diagnosed. Has anyone ever heard of such an impact from starting Coumadin treatment?

I have been on Warfarin since October 20th of 07 after being bedridden for 3 weeks in excruciating pain in my hip/butt which kept me from moving & i'd drag my left side of body from my waist down, into our bathroom in excruciating pain unable to turn to flush a toilet or stand for more then a minute. I begged my primary doctor to "give me an mri as my back was in so much pain with the hip/butt". I had been getting epidurals for what doctor assumed was a herniated disk.i was in a wheelchair now & my husband took me several times to E.R. AND THEY SAID "WHY ARE YOU CRYING IT'S ONLY BACK PAIN." I labored more & more just to breath. I couldn't get my breaths. "Frightening" finally Then, I walked myself into the local E.R. and told them "I think I have a clot in my lung because I don't have a cold or a bronchitis & I've been in bed so much I believe it is a clot." It was two clots in my right lung. My lung hurt a little more each day I recall I went about two weeks gradually having more & more difficulty getting my breaths. I was hospitalized and then my primary wanted NOTHING to do with my care when E.R. doctors called him.local hospt. took care of me & the clots resolved. I am still on warfarin for coumadin. I really do have a memory problem I fear now, "short term", especially now after 2 yrs on this med. Also, Last time I went in the sun I was so wiped out exhausted like it beat me up. I am afraid to go back to the beach. I get headachs also and one time when my INR. went up over 3, my ankles got these little red spots and also on my chins of both legs like blood specks showing thru the surface.Still there but not as evident. My avg. INR is 2.4 I feel most comfortable at.I try to maintain. Back in 1998, I got two clots in my left leg after a botched knee surgery to repair a torn cartledge and awoke with an in place fractured knee cap.. two weeks later horrible pain in my left leg revealed two clots one at ankle to groin in my vein=d.v.t. and the other at the side of my knee in artery to groin when the tornaquat was.

I am a 53 yr. old woman who had aortic Valve replacement surgery in April 2007. I had a St. Jude valve put in and have been on Warfarin ever since. I usually go for a couple months with a steady INR and then, for no apparent reason, it goes out of whack and I have to adjust the level (with repeated doctor visits) to smooth things out. I have gained 20 lbs since my surgery, and cannot lose it, no matter what I do! I ride an exercise bike an hour a day, or walk a 3 mile route. NOTHING helps. I have recently said that if I had it to do all over again, I would choose a Bovine valve (even with the knowledge that surgery would probably have to be repeated later in life) just to be able to avoid the side effects of Warfarin. I have also experienced light-headedness, left sided chest pain, fatigue, coarse thinning hair, but by far, the worst is the weight gain!!

Hi, I am a 47 year old woman and started Warfarin and Lovenox June 29th as a result of blood clots in my left leg from knee surgery. I was able to go off the Lovenox July 4th (Yay!) because my INR levels were above 2. I thought the Lovenox was the cause of the nausea I experienced, but apparently that is not the case. I keep telling the clinicians at the Anticoagulant Clinic about the nausea and their response is that they haven't heard of it as a side effect. Thank you all for posting to this website, there is some comfort in learning you are not alone with these strange side effects. I also experience dizziness and have difficulty finding words. I think I will switch from Warfarin to Coumadin to see if the side effects are less, though many of you have written about weight gain ~ yikes. For those of you bruising with Lovenox I was told if the needle is dry when it goes in there is much less bruising. And to everyone my thoughts and prayers are with you. Oh yeah, I also have nerve pain in the bottom of my left foot, the compression hose do help website is ******

I am a 46 yr old woman. After developing 3 DVT's in my lower rt calf after major foot surgery, I was prescribed Coumadin/Warfarin. My doses have fluctuated between 1mg to 7.5mg (I have just lowered my dose from 6mg to 5mg as my INR yesterday was 3.9). I have noticed a lot of the symptoms listed above (others comments), but have bumbled along. The symptom that is bothering is my mouth! I can hardly eat or talk - my lower jaw especially aches constantly and even despite using an extra soft toddlers toothbrush, my gums bleed profusely. I only read of one other persons symptom regarding teeth/gums/mouth. I know it sounds melodramatic, but my mouth aches as though I had mouth cancer!!! I can't wait to get off this rat poison! Good luck to all.

My husband was taking coumadin and developed an infection in his leg. He was ordered Bactrim DS bid. By the third day of the Bactrim, his INR was 4.7 and he was having mental status changes and vomiting. A head CT Scan showed he was bleeding in his brain from the interaction of the coumadin and Bactrim. He had to have 2 bilateral crainiotomies to flush out the blood from his brain. He nearly died. He has severe headaches and short term memory loss.

My husband was taking coumadin and then developed an infection. He was ordered Bactrim D.S twice a day and by the third day he was bleeding in his brain. He had to have bilateral subdural crainiotimies twice to flush out all the blood in his head. He almost died. He now has severe headaches and some short term memory loss.

Doctors really kind of hit and miss w/ all these agenda of telling patients that coumadin related symptoms are not at all what it seems..telling patients" it is all it your head"..what it seems and I know that doctors are 'tuned in" to tell patients "what they think they believe or read in textbooks and not listening to the real stories of these patients who are on these meds..they are therapeutic in a way to prevent blood clots in some conditions but in real situations those symptoms created by these meds are purely debilitating to some and having not to live life where discomfort won't hinder one from just living the normal life...free from all these adverse reactions,which are so crippling....I have made a decision to talk to my husband's cardiologist to have him stop taking this so called "rat poison" or surreal "human poison"...he was diagnosed w/ afib and had cardiac ablation..hubby's taking coumadin for about 8 months now-preventively...
but these symptoms had changed him into a very depressed individual..after reading all these tonight..I will take charge and will take control of our lives again and hopefully just live to be healthy again...thanx for all of you that posted these info.......

I started coumadin 2 weeks ago, for a clot in my leg. I'm dizzy and lightheaded. I guess I'll be on it for at least 3 months. I've had abdominal surgery and a wrist fracture repaired surgically in the last 6 months and have had breast cancer (surgery, chemo, radiation) 4 years ago. I'm on Arimidex now. All of this is to explain possible underlying causes which I am investigating.

Dizziness seems to occur within an hour of my taking it - in the morning, but subsides by the afternoon. I'm thinking of switching the time I take it to the night - before I go to bed - maybe I can be dizzy in my sleep then and wake up with some sense of normalcy. Any comments?

diagnosed w atrial fibrillation last jan 2009, prescribed coumadin,2.5 to start per day, now may 2009,leveled off to 10 mg 5days per wk,adn5mg 2days. also since feb prescribed rythmol, coreg & crestor. **but since late March have experienced weigh gain, mostly stomach weight & some upper body. also seemed tired earlier at night, have leg pains which the cardio dr.claims is from the crestor...but this weight gain is crazy.gained at least 5 lbs since mid to late march.

As a follow up to last pm message, I have found that taking the coumadin later in the day (i.e. 5 pm range) that the daily severe headache seems to come during the early a.m hours (4-5a.m).. and easier to manage/tolerate than interrupting my all day and evening activities. It does not alleviate them, but the timing is better?

The severe headaches EVERY day. that the doctor was sure were not related to the coumadin.. are debilitating. They are usually in the evening or during the night, as I take the medication later in the day. However, I do not know how I will be able to take this med the rest of my life. I am 66 and just spent time losing weight on weight watchers program.. only to see the scales climbing daily. I appreciate the insight on this site to let me know that I am not imagining all this and not alone.

I had a several small PEs in my right lung 2 weeks after cosmetic surgery. I just turned 37, run every day and in great shape. I was put on both lovenox shots for 5 days and Coumadin for 6 months. After 6 weeks the side effects with Coumadin were so severe (weight gain 14 pounds in 6 weeks, joint pain, tiredness, hair loss) that I took myself off cold turkey and started on NATTOKINASE. I am doing great! I would recommend searching the natural approach like Nattokinase, vitamin E, cayenne pepper, etc. I have stopped gaining the weight and it's starting to come off. All of my other side effects went away too. I've been off 4 weeks now. All of the doctors were mad and scared me when I went off of Coumadin. I had to do my own research and listen to my body.

Im 23 years old. One of the youngest people that is on coumadin I got sick when I was 22. I developed blood clots on my liver and stomach. Due to blood deficiency. I was told by the doctor it was inherited by one of my parents. My side affects are very fatigue, tired for no reason, skin blotches, slow memory, I get tired after 10 minutes of running like Im ready to collapse. Im always dizzy. =( I feel very fragile. I do get depressed sometimes because I feel like im very young at my age for this to happen. I found out I have to be on coumadin for the rest of my life. But we all move on....

E-mail me ******

Hopefully someone can share there idea's or another source of help.