Hello! After a 3 1/2 day stay in the hospital for atrial Fibb. w...

I have stroke history and then recently a DVT and A Fib and am now on Coumadin instead of Lovenox thanks to my insurance, not good. I too have severe back, neck, shoulder and side pain. Now it seems to be my legs as well. This isn't the first I have heard of this as a side effect so I am sure it is no coincidence. In fact, if you will be safe taking the Plavix instead then DO SO!!!!!!!!

Hey! I'm 46 and have been on warfarin for almost 4 years . Have told the docs about various aches in muscels and my headaches seem to be getting worse , I'm so tired of waking up with a terrible headache. What can we do ?

I think that I have some similar problems, here is my story:

I am a 49 year old male. I had my aortic valve and a part of my aorta replaced 5-1/2 weeks ago. The valve had a congenital defect and it was replaced with an artificial valve. I was able to do aerobic exercise and jog right up until my surgery.

My heart surgery went very well and it appears to be healing nicely. I have been exercising daily and have been going to cardiac rehab twice a week. Aerobically, I am doing well.

The main problem that I have been experiencing has been numbness and pain in my arms and upper back. This has been present for the last 4 weeks. My right arm has been the worst. Most of my right arm is numb. Muscle strength has dropped in my right arm. Also for the last two weeks, part of my tricep muscle in my right arm does not "fire". I cannot move my arm in some directions. I was refered to a neurologist and he indicated that there is nerve damage. I will be having an EMG this coming week.

I am not taking a lot of medications. I take 100 mg/day of Metoprolo which I have been taking for the last two years. I am taking 5 mg of Coumadin, and I take some fish oil. I also took Amiodarone for ten days after surgery and then discontinued it.

Most of my muscle pain symptoms started 1-1/2 to 2 weeks after surgery, and they have progressively gotten worse. Some symptoms can come and go. Symptoms include:
-Sharp pains in my arms, back, and legs
-Left and right arm aches, sharp pains in forearms when reaching
-Numbness in my right upper arm, left and right forearms, inside of my left leg, fingertips of the right hand, left thumb
-Loss of strength in my right arm. Tricep muscle does not fire (3-1/2 weeks after surgery).

I realize that unexplained aches and pains are probably the norm after a major surgery. The numbness and pain in my arms seems to be out of the ordinary and chronic. The surgical doctors have not been able to offer any explanation, they refered me to the neurologist. Since the surgery went well, I feel that they are pretty much done with me. I feel that I am on my own.

I did try switching from Warfarin to Coumadin to see if that would make any difference. That was about 3 weeks ago and it did not seem to make any difference.

The surgical doctors do not think that the Coumadin could be causing my issues. I have read about rare, but serious Coumadin side affects that include muscle and joint pain, numbness. At this point, I am very concerned that I could loose more use of my right arm. I will be contacting my family doctor this week for advice also.

Did you switch off from the Coumadin?