Warfarin Sodium and coumadin

I suffered a DVT in 2006 followed by a venous cranial clot in March 2008. I have been on Coumadin since March. My experience has not been too bad, I have gained about seven pounds. The positive side effect is better erections. (Must be the thinner blood) I am a 52 yr old male.

I am not sure what to think now. I too have a Protein C deficiency and developed one clot per lung in Dec 2006. I lost about 20 lbs after leaving the hospital because I was under nourished and had messed up my metabolism over the years, so the consistence food intake and water was a good thing.

Now...I feel sluggish some times, and I feel like my mid-section is gaining weight. I have never been a small person, but I could always count on certain parts of me to look a certain way.

I have also noticed some elevated blood pressure...I was usually 110 over 60 now 120 over 70-75

Are you guys saying that exercise is futile?

I'm 39 and have been on Coumadin for about a month. Was diagnosed with DVT in right calf after taking Yaz birth control for only about 4-5 months (no other pre-conditions - I'm a non-smoker, fairly active, not overweight, no recent airplane trips or long car rides.) I was on Yaz to treat severe problems with my period which has been the case since I was a teenager, but I was tired of having to call in sick to work every month, and had hoped Yaz would eliminate that problem. I had been on other BCPs when I was in my 20's, and never had any symptoms of clotting, so didn't think that it would be all that risky to try again, despite me being slightly older than the typical woman on BCP. Obviously, I am not taking Yaz anymore, and will not be able to take any other hormonal therapies for the rest of my life. But I guess that's minor compared to the risk of developing PE from an undiagnosed blood clot.

Anyway, I've been noticing I've been getting sudden, severe headaches since starting the Coumadin. I have a history of migraines but I usually only get one or two per year at most. Now I've had what feels a lot like a migraine twice in a matter of a couple weeks. My husband has also commented that I've been irritable and acting "spacy".

My INR has also been all over the place. They've been alternating me between 5 mg and 7.5 mg per day. For the first few weeks I was right where they wanted me - between 2 and 3, but then last Friday my results were 4.6!! Way too high. I go back this afternoon to see if anything's changed over the weekend, after skipping a dose and then doing 5 mg Sat. and Sun. I do hope they can find the right balance and don't have to keep tinkering with the dosage. I'm wondering if that's what's contributing to the headaches. Maybe if they can stabilize how much I'm taking from day to day, my body will adjust.

I wonder if anyone "official" is tracking the number of DVT/PE patients that can trace their onset of symptoms to Yaz. My sense is that this is a much more serious and prevalent side effect than their marketing dept. would like to admit.....

Hello! After a 3 1/2 day stay in the hospital for atrial Fibb. which has since gone away and was likely cuased by extreme low blood potassium and sodium which has since been brought to all but normal levels.. I was taken off of Plavix a blood thinner which I had been taking since a heart attack in 2003, and put on the Warfarin, that was on June 22nd that I began taking Warfarin/Coumadin!. About 2 weeks ago I began having neck and shoulder pain, then slowly side and back pains deep down in the muscles. It is much worse in laying down position, have a hard time to sleep well, and if I trun or move while lying down the pain is very intense. I am going to assk the Dr. to take me off of the Warfarin and put me back on Plavix so I can see it it is the reason for the pains. I am quite sure it is! Please reply if you have the same symptoms as I do! Thanks, B.E.

Last week I had an issue with my INR - it has always been unstable, but this time was weird. My INR had been 6 and so I stopped the warfarin for 4 days, and went back on my regular 2 mg dose. Then we went on holiday to Washington DC for a week. 3 days in, my pee was the colour of cherry kool aid. Went to the local hospital (thank god for travel insurance). My INR was 7.89 - In the US this is considered critical and I was admitted, and treated with Vitamin K and 2 units of plasma. Within 8 hours my INR had dropped to 1.8 - now too low. The next day down to 1.25, and a week later I am still 1. I am taking fragmin now until I can get my INR theraputic again but Fragmin shots are even worse than warfarin.

An ultrasound showed now issues with my bladder or kidneys, but I do not understand why I was bleeding.

Guess that this just shows the importance of regular checking of INR levels while on warfarin.

I stumbled onto this site while trying to find a reason for these headaches I get sometimes for no" apparent" reason. Imagine my surprise to find your testimonies about your lives on warfarin sodium.At 38, I had surgery to repair a congenital defect of the aortic valve and had to have a hema-shield graph to repair an aneurysm of the aorta. That was in Oct.2002. Warfarin has been a part of my life since then. I was also put on anti-depressants because my family Dr. thought I was depressed since I repeatedly complained of not feeling well.(I took myself off the anti-depressants a couple of years ago.) Extreme fatigue , serious memory issues, thinning hair,dizzy spells and numerous other ailments continue to plague me.Add to that a large weight gain ...and, well, you get the picture. If anyone knows of an alternative to taking this "poison", PLEASE, PLEASE let me know. I just WANT MY LIFE BACK!!! I actually cried after reading this blog. As I explained to my husband, I suppose it was from the sheer relief of knowing I was not going insane!!!

horrible...started taking coumadin in November of 2007--it is now July of 2008 and in recent weeks I have had the most horrible bruising all over my body--deep maroon and deep purple and HUGE! One covers my hip on my back completely and I have others all over me. I have been having severe fatique, widespread pain to include my entire abdominal cavity, my lower and upper back, my sides, sudden headaches, and a general feeling of malaise, weakness in extremities...I am not taking this medication EVER again and I have an appt with my heart doc in a few days. I feel like I've been run over with a paver and aspirin is obviously a better choice for me. What's the use of preventing clots if your quality of life is s__t. After all, it is basically rat poison. Seriously, folks...look at the ingredients on both.

Information For The Recently Diagnosed
Possible Side Effects of Coumadin®

I found the following on a website dedicated to Factor V Leiden patients who need the warfarin/coumadin due to the genetic issues:
******
Here are some of the side effects reported by members of our mailing list who are on Coumadin®:

Hair thinning-hair loss
fatigue or being tired more often
taking longer to recover from cuts or bruises
sun burn or sensitivity to light
depression.
You may experience some of these effects or none of them.

Also reported: Uneven INR's with generic coumadin®. I refuse to take generic coumadin® (warfarin). My INR will not stay stable on it. But some folks like it. It's a personal choice.

Possible side effects of LMWH:

Bleeding is the main adverse effect, either major (internal) or minor (injection site bruises, easy bruising, etc).
osteoporosis may be an issue with long-term use
very rarely an allergy develops, called HIT (heparin-induced thrombocytopenia)
liver tests (enzyme levels) may become temporarily elevated, but usually return to normal and rarely lead to the need to stop LMWH
last but not least: empty wallet syndrome (very expensive drugs)

link

******

I was on Coumadin for a blood cloth I had last year(I originally started on 2.5mg and kept getting bumped up higher and higer as my PT/INR tests kept coming back).

I had most of the symptoms described here. The three worst being fatigue, memory loss and hair loss.

I remember constantly being tired on this medication. I had to go back to work after a few months and I remember not being able to lift much of anything and being extremely tired.

When I would take showers I remember running my hands through my fingers and literally pulling out clumps of hair. Each and every time. I thought I was going nuts.

The worst was the memory loss. I had severe short term memory loss like you wouldn't believe. I would be fine one minute and then space out and I literally could not remember what I had done the day before.

I am 24 years old and I had a pulmonary embolism last month. I was on the birth control YAZ for only 3 months, and that's what doctors seem to think caused it. My insurance only paid for me to be in the hospital for three daysand I was sent home with lovenox shots and Coumadin pills.

One month later, my INR is still unstable, fluctuating so much that they are checking it twice per week. My dosage is constantly changing. I have a red, painful rash on my buttocks - it hurts of sit for more than a few minutes. I am losing clumps of hair. I have lost my libido. I am very irritable and snap at my husband several times per day. I have a headache almost daily and frequent nausea.

I hate these side effects!

I've been on Coumadin for one month after having a pulmonary embolism (caused by birth control). I have painful red patches that look like clusters of pimples. I also have fatigue, nausea, headache, loss of libido, and irritability. I am 24 years old and just got married 6 months ago - these symptoms are ruining my "honeymoon period."

My father is currently in the hospital for his second internal bleeding from coumadin. He had a GI bleed and was discharged a month ago, put on coumadin AGAIN , supposedly monitored and wound up in ICU again, this time he had trouble breathing and was intubated and sedated for two days. I really thought Coumadin killed my father and in reality it almost did.....Now the hematologists are saying he is extremely sensitive to it, and his only other option is heperin shots which he refuses to do (that also has risk of bleeding). he is going to live with the chance of stroke rather than take coumadin a thrid time which is what they are suggesting. (idiots) . he has atrial fib and needs to be on blood thinner but at this point he would rather take his chances or take aspirin even though the doctors are saying it won't work as well. Hopefully there will be new anticoagulants out in the market soon like there are in Canada and Europe.

Coumadin KILLS....8,000 people a year bleed to death from coumadin......yes, it helps people too but judging from this site the side effects are awful...if you can avoid coumadin you should...

I suffered a Pulmonary Embolism December of 2005. Following, I found out that I have Factor 5 (later we found out that all my siblings have it as well as my father). I have been on Warfarin since. I have been told by a few doctors that I will be on it for life. I have also been told by other doctors that I should have had filters put in my lungs so that I don't need the Warfarin anymore. Prolonged use of Warfarin is terrible for you, they say. At the time I started taking Warfarin, I was 39 years old. After 6 months of use I began to loose my hair as well as the curls diminished. I also developed discoloration on my upper lip, face and forehead. 8 months later I was told that I was pre-menopausal...my hormones were changing....night sweats, dizziness, nausea, severe abdominal pain, digestive problems, bowel problems, severe weight gain. They then told me that I had Vertigo and that they were not sure why it began. I am now suffering severe memory problems. When watching a movie, if a commercial comes on I forget what I am watching. I can't read without nausea and dizziness. I get headaches, terrible leg and arm pain. My concentration is very poor. I can't remember what happened the previous day or who my customers are. I don't know what to do. If I stop taking it I will run the risk of another horrible embolism (20% survival rate). My children, 12 and 15, have already lost their father to cancer. They are very concerned of loosing their mother.

I'm 46, female.. developed blood clots on my lungs for apparently no reason, found them when going to ER and complaining of bad headache, nausea and left shoulder and back pain. I haven't had a recent surgery, nor was on birth control.

I'm dealing with anxiety, depression, unusual headache, horrible back and upper shoulder pain, itching of head, hair falling out during shampooing, , tightness in chest, trouble swallowing, really bad pain in hips, legs and feel like feet swell. I don't sleep well, even on Ambien.. doesn't keep me asleep. I awake in the mornings around 4:30 with diarrhea, nausea, headache and feel awful. Never get a good nights sleep. My hips hurt as well as dealing with parathesias down right arm and into hand.. feels like needles sticking in my hand. Most days I feel wiped out in the afternoon.. as I try and drag myself out of bed to get some excersise.

Does anyone deal with parathesia's down their arms or hands.. what feels like nerve pain?

Has anyone ever tried Aggrenox, also known as Dipyridamole instead?

Or actually tried the real Coumadin, instead of the generic Warfarin?

Has any other woman out there been told not to use a tampon when on her cycle, as this will cause more menstrual bleeding?

I'm so tired of Dr.'s not having personal experience of their own with this drug.. and telling the patient that they are crazy and need to be on anxiety meds or anti-depressants. I just found out that Warfarin is the main ingredient in RAT POISON..

Has anyone EVER gone the totally nutrition route, juiced and gone radical, telling their Dr.'s that they were getting off of all meds?

Does anyone suffer from feeling like their ears are full, or hearing loss?

I'm so tired of feeling afraid.. and tossed around by Dr.'s who really don't want to do the research, nor listen to their patients.

I'd love to hear from anyone who has some insight..on any or all of the questions..

Hi,
I have been on Warfarin since 2002. I suffered multiple pulmonary embolism's in both lungs. My first was in May 2002 and even though I had excruciating pain in my left shoulder area & could not lay down as this worsened the pain, the NHS x-rayed my torso!!!! & sent me home with medication for a kidney infection. I gave it a few weeks but the pain did not go completely & was moving to my right side, I was coughing up 'tablespoon' size clots of blood. My GP was not happy & spoke to a colleague at the hospital. I was sent straight in,(July) thorough tests done & I was found to have suffered multiple PE's.
I tried to sue them for medical negligence but it was turned away by the court as there was not enough evidence on my notes ie; some info was not written down & most was unreadable to even other medical professionals.
Since Aug 2002 I have been on Warfarin & am on this for life.
A blood test showed that I had a genetic blood disorder called 'Factor V (5) Leiden heterozygote'. This causes my blood to form clots much easier & quicker than the average person. If you have this disorder, as a woman it is important that each time you have a child you are treated with Heperin after each birth. I had 5 children & was not treated therefore I suffered with my PE's.My children have been tested for this & 3 of them have it. My daughter was glad she found out before having children as she hasn't had to suffer what I went through.
I ask one thing.... Please TELL your GP that you want a test for the above disorder. As I suffered my PE's & that I have this blood disorder I have to stay on Warfarin for life.
If you need any more info I will tell you as much as I know. Feel free to ask questions. my email is; ******

Last Christmas (07) I was diagnosed with pneumonia in the the right lung and x rays ordered. Xrays revealed an "unknown mass", or so they thought... they decided to redo - confirmed them and ordered CT scan... mass was gone, but there was PE in both lungs... so started the coumadin. I am type 2 diabetic as of Jan 07... have been managing my diabetes with healthy diet and regular exercise (A1C 7.4 to 5.4 in 9 months) ... no drugs... so the prospect of coumadin for life bothered me. However, my doctors all made a great case about how safe it is compared to other drugs... I lost 35 lbs in 07 after changing my lifestyle... and felt great. I am here today because I gained 20 lbs in 4 months of coumadin therapy (no change in how I was living), have aching muscles, chest pain and shortness of breath, and thinning hair.

After 2 days on the web I find only doctors and pharmacies say no side effects, but the hundreds of testimonials of actual coumadin guinee pigs like myself are finding a lot in common. For me, Im off it tonight.

I've been taking Coumadin for five years without many side effects. I've never gotten a rash from it, but my new girlfriend breaks out in a rash whenever we come into contact. Could she be getting the rash from my Coumadin?

I am a 33-year-old female. I was taking YAZ birth control. I woke up on a Friday morning with a bad cramping feeling in my left calf. By the end of the day, I was limping. By the middle of that night into Saturday morning, I woke up in such excruciating pain. I could not walk without help. I went to the ER. They ran an ultrasound and found nothing. They said I had a "pulled muscle" and sent me home. Went to my PCP on Monday. He said it was "phlebitis" and sent me home. He told me to return in 3 days. Did that. This whole time I told them my left foot was cold, the leg was discolored, and that I could not walk! Hello! I went back in 3 days, but this time he was finally alarmed when he couldn't find a pulse in my left foot (never checked that in the first place) and sent me back to the ER. The same jerk ran another ultrasound, and there was the clot. I've been on warfarin since February. In the beginning, I had TERRIBLE HEADACHES (which have since subsided). Now I am dealing with this: CONSTANT BODY PAINS (especially my back and ribs), OVERALL BODY SORENESS (kind of like when you have the flu), FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BLOATING AND GAS (I wake up with a huge painful puffy stomach every morning), CRAMPS (like having a period without one), sometimes DIARRHEA, STOMACH ACHES. When I reported the initial body pains to both the specialist and my PCP upon my follow-up visits after being discharged, both looked at me like I was crazy or making it up or something. I came home in tears after seeing the specialist. I thought he would be the one to know about this stuff! Instead, he made me feel like an idiot or crazy person. I was totally insulted and cried on the way home. I am so annoyed and have lost all faith in doctors. They should all have to retake their Anatomy and Physiology courses so they can be reminded what their ears are for. Why don't they listen to their patients? This is insane! I am so disgusted with this whole mess. I just want to give up.

Needless to say, Warfarin almost killed me. I was put on it after an apendectomy gone wrong which then turned into a bowel resection. In between the two surgeries I ended up with pulmonary emboli. I was put on Warfarin and also had a vena cava fiter put in. I'm a 40 year old female and have never felt so sick in my life. I was exhausted, constantly throwing up and had chronic diarrhea. Also my INR elevated to an 8 after constant vomiting causing the need for a plasma transfusion. Ugh! I kept telling my Drs. that I thought it was the coumadin but no one seemed to listen. As a result of my last hospitalization (7 admissions since 12/5/2008) they finally took me off of the coumadin (Warfarin) and now I am a totally new woman. The stuff took a week to get out of my system but thankfully I feel great. I hope this is helpful to anyone suffering.

My father has been taking Warfarin for 13 years now 2.5mg a day. He's been complaining of headaches, heavy feeling in his head, dizzy spells, extreme fatigue,swelling of his legs, spontaneous numbness of his fingers, blurred vision, cold hands and feet, loss of balance and memory loss. I have spoken to his Doctors and no one believes him that the Warfarin is doing this to him. By the way, he was diagnosed with AF 13 years ago.

Does any one experience the same symptoms? what can he do? he is 77 years old.

I have been on Warfarin since Sept 2004 when I had multiple blood clots in both lungs. Since then I have had two more PE's (one with a therapeutic INR) and a blood clot in my left arm (INR was also therapeutic). Genetic tests show nothing.

Since starting Warfarin I have had
- dizziness issues,
- eternal extreme fatigue
- hair loss
- short term memory and cognitive issues,
- joint pain and
- head aches all the time. I think the headaches are the worse since I can't take any NSAID's for them.

I have lost weight and push myself to exercise because it is supposed to make you feel better, right? Well not yet. I keep waiting.

I have not been able to return to work and worry about the long term implications of this.

Many times I have wondered about my sanity and if I was imagining all of this, so finding this forum at least lets me know that there is a possibility that it is not all in my mind.

I have been seeing a psychiatrist to help me work through the almost dying 3 times thing, but it is hard to accept since no one knows why I throw the clots. My INR is not stable in spite of close monitoring of Vit K and other drugs, and my INR must be taken twice a week.

I'm a 42 year old woman, been on Coumadin on and off for almost 8 yrs due to 2 DVT's after childbirth in February, 2000. The scar tissue has completely blocked the main vain in my left leg and am on Coumadin to prevent new clots from forming. Symptoms from the beginning have been: memory problems, concentration problems, fatigue, low libido, every muscle in my body hurts to the touch, my skin looks like I have smoker's skin (I don't smoke), anxiety, rash around my ankles, I have almost no patience on most days and continual hair loss. They changed my dosage 5 months ago to 10mg one day & 7.5mg the next 2 days. Since, then symptoms have gotten almost unbearable at times. My current Dr. claims the Coumadin isn't causing any of it and won't listen. 5 yrs. ago, during my second pregnancy, I was on heparin shots twice a day instead of theoumadin and I felt incredible. Why is it that when there are so many people that have problems with this medicine, nobody will listen and come up with a solution C?

I am 27 year old female I lived a very active life went to the gym 5 times a week for 2hrs.I been on coumadin Since Feb. I gained so much weight. almost 50lbs.I had a disection of my right artery (one of the main veins in your head). I have no idea what caused it the doctors in Houston have no idea. I had 2 strokes.I take 15 Mg of coumadin my INR is never stable I range from 13-15 Mg of coumadin. If any one can help please let me know Im tired of being fat.

I have been on Coumadin for about 2 months now after surviving a cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (blood clot on my brain - akin to a stroke). I am s 34 yo female who races triathlons and leads a very active healthy lifestyle. My side effects seem to be mild compared to what I read of others. I am on 5mg/day, except 1 day a week I take 10mg. My INR has been pretty stable. The side effects I notice are mild forgetfulness which I am hoping goes away as I start my 3rd year of law school next week! I also had some weird skin peeling on my hands, but that has subsided. I seem to urinate more often than normal and soda pop tastes weird to me now. Anyone else experience the frequent urination and/or taste issues?
Thanks!
Dana :)

Have been on COUMADIN / Warfarin since 2001 for a diagnosed "LOW FUNCTIONAL S PROTEIN / DEFIENCY". Since then as a result, have been hospitalized for Pulmonary Embolism of the lung on three occasions not including a DVT in left deep vein (uptake vein to heart).
Presently take 12 mg/day.

I've been on Warfarin since Feb/04. I had 2 blood clots form in my leg and traveled in my lung and was dignosed with APS. At first I was on 12mg a day for about a year, now I am regulated at 10mg a day. For the last 2 months my INR count has been high (blood too thin) and was on 5 mg for 2 days in July/07 and then back to 10mg. This month Aug/07 my dr took me off my meds for 2 days, then back on reg 10mg. I will go back and check my INR in a few weeks.
I haven't experienced hair loss, but I have experienced migraines, weight gain (a lot!), blurred vision, black out with vision, and slight memory loss. And I am only 40 yrs old. Just wondering if you or anyone else has experienced any of these side effects.

so glad to read these comments as most of my doctors have told me warfarin has no side effects. mine are increased sensitivity to cold, foggy brain, memory problems, persistent itchy rash on my leg, clumsiness, lightheadedness, frequent fatigue.

on 9mg, Protein S deficiency. my INR also bounces all over the place too.

I have been on Warfarin since December 2003 for peripheral vascular disease. I was on the same dosage, 7.5 mg, up until I started seeing a different DR. last year and he upped me to 9.5 mg a day. I noticed I started losing a tremendous amount of hair. Dr put me on prenatal vitamins with no improvement. Hair is very dry and brittle. Have had alot of lightheadedness to the point where I feel I want to pass out but don't, now it affects my driving and work. My head feels like it wants to explode sometimes and have lots of migraines. Anyone else????

I am a 47 year old female. I had superficial blood clots in my left leg in Dec 05 and Nov 06. Developed a DVT in left leg and a superficial clot in right leg in June 07. Now taking 9 mg of warfarin (coumadin) a day. Suffering from extreme fatigue, heavy periods and I just discovered the hard way that warfarin makes you sensitive to the sun (got a severe sunburn on my face, forearms, hands and the top of my head, all places that I do not normally burn). Called the pharmacist and she said sun sensitivity is not a side effect. Went to several websites before I finally it upon one that did say that sun sensitivity is a side effect. My doctor did not tell me this and it is not a warning on the prescription label. Please be careful in the sun. Also, if you are a cranberry lover, I found several websites that said no cranberries in any form, juice, dried, herbal supplements, etc.

I am so glad to read all of this information. I am a 40 year old female. I have suffered 2 PEs. I have varied from being on 10 mg of warfarin to 25 mg a day. This is the first time I got to go 1 month between INR checks. I'm on 11 mg/day with INR of 2.1. I am having SEVERE recurrent headaches, sleepless nights, feeling tired all the time, and problems with my memory. Drs tell me they don't know what this is from and there are no side effects to warfarin. I have a vena cava filter in and I'm on the medicine for the rest of my life. Glad to hear I'm not losing my mind (just having horrible side effects regardless of what the doctors say!)

I had a pulmonary saddle embolism in December 05 after a knee surgery which I didn't need and I am scared to death that my Doctor will eventualy take me off the Coumadin.She stated "indefinitely" but, one never knows how long indefinitely is by Doctors standards. I have side effects from other medications I am taking but I feel safe taking my Coumadin. I see the Coumadin clinic Pharmacists every four weeks unless a problem develops, like massive bleeding under the skin, additional other meds.

Regardless what Coumadin could do to me, I cheated death by a few minutes and I hope this medicine will keep me alive awhile longer. I also have a green filter installed, so lets hope for the best.

I've been on Warfarin since Dec 2006. I'm a big guy, 6'2 265. They have me on 12 mg daily to keep my INR in check. Only recently did i get to the one month period between INR tests. I'm 36 years old, likely 40 lbs overweight, formerly very active- played ice hoceky, competitive swimming, baseball, etc. Anyway foot surgery in Nov 2006 caused me to be in a cast which led to extensive DVT's which led to an almost fatal very significant PE in my right lung. Lost 15 lbs on the hospital which I since gained back...think that was just portion control. anyway having a tough time realizing if the warfarin is actually giving me side-effects. Just walking for 45 minutes recently left my whole body sore. Sleep isn't what it used to be and my overall "focus" is not there. Also find my self forgetting things that I've always been quite sharp with. I'm scheduled to be off the coumadin in the coming months if my vascular surgeon says the DVT's are all healed. By the way, when I had the PE I never had real difficulty breathing. The doctors said I had very good lung capacity and that helped me. Anyway, just like some of the other posts I read- Can't wait to get back to being ME !

My second run in with a blood clot resulted in passing out on my way to pick up my 8 yr old daughter and being rushed to the ER because of a PE (near death), I'm thankful to be alive however (no reason for PE and being on coumadin for the rest of my life) I feel so tired now, I don't want to go to work, I can't concentrate, I suffer from dizzy spells, I'm always hungry (weight gain), nausea sometimes. before passing out I was working out, doing Taebo, the balance ball thing, walking. Now I feel like I'm and old woman. I'm 32 yrs old and taking #5 coumadin and I feel so bad the majority of the time and yes the doctors say "it's shouldn't be the coumadin" but I think it is my whole world has changed and I'm just trying to get back to being the fun, outgoing, active me. I miss myself so much, its like I'm depressed. I MISS MYSELF.

I had abdominal surgery without knoweledge of a clotting disorder and ended up with portal vein thrombosis. Ive been on coumadin for 2 months and despite the fact that I eat healthy and consistently, and am extremely fitness-oriented, this medicine has been just awful. I'm making my way down the list of side-effects!
nausea, abdominal cramping, fever, chills, spontaneous numbness in fingers and toes, purple discoloration in skin, fatigue and weakness, reflux, vomiting blood which landed me in the hospital for 3 days, a red rash all over the face, blurred vision and horribly dry eyes, slight jaundice, memory lapse, difficulty focusing.....and hair loss.
i really though I was making this all up in my mind so I am so relieved to see I'm not imagining these symptoms!

My husband has been on coumadin for about three months and recently I noticed that his face is very oily, especially around his nose. I also noticed that his nose and cheekbones are very red, almost like sunburn. Sort of like a raccoon. Has anyone else noticed something like this? Also, it seems to be difficult to keep in the "zone" that the doctors want to keep him in. Any suggestions on how to make this easier?

I have been taking Coumadin / Warfarin since June 14, 2005. Two major complaints are clumsiness & I am very weak. On a lesser scale, I lose my train of thought and have to fight for the right words to use when speaking. Nothing comes normally or easily anymore. I can't keep my PT/INR in check. I was given a fairly wide margin before increasing or reducing the amount I take daily. but that doesn't seem to make any difference. My surgeon said once it was regulated I could have my monthly labs reduced to once every 2-3 months. I don't see that ever happening. Is there something else I can take that would be easier to regulate and not have these side effects?