Warfarin Sodium and fatigue

I have been on Warfarin for three months for a DVT in my femoral vein. I get some headaches, fatigue, feel cold, tired and have gained weight. I am a fit middle aged male, back at the gym now and cycling. I eat a balanced low fat high fiber diet, but still cannot shift the weight. I have been a depressive for most of my life and although manage without drugs have resorted to Valium to help me sleep, as insomnia has also been a significant side effect. I do not sit around, drink excessively or eat like a pig, so where is the weight coming from? My GP's seems ambivalent and it took five weeks to diagnose my DVT after my complaining about Phlebitis and pains in my groin. Not a happy bunny.

Been on warfarin for three months for DVT left calf. I got to this site looking up fatigue associated with the rat poison. I've also experienced increased sensitivity to sunlight both directly on my face and extreme sweating from doing lite work. I also have a constant ringing in my ears and memory seems to be worse. My dad also takes this medication and doesn't have any of the same symptoms. I will deal with it for the time being rather than have my calf swell up like a cantaloupe.

I have been on Warfarin for 3 months.Fatigue, poor memory and definite increased sensitivity to heat and sunlight. I've always worked outside and this summer has been unbearable.I sweat profusely from average activity. I asked my dad who is also on warfarin if he felt tired or noticed the suns heat on his skin and he replied no. Of course my
Dr. said he had not heard of these symptoms. another side effect is ringing in my ears.

Had a mitral valve replacement with pigs valve in September 2008. Told I needed it and would feel much better. Two weeks later had Atrial Fibrilation and was put on warfarin together with bisoprolol (beta blocker). Was cardioverted in December but am still on Warfarin 7-8mg to keep my INR at between 2-3. I experience such awful side effects, that seeing thig site proved that it was not all in my head.
Symptoms, hair loss, bleeding gums, painful legs, weight gain, fatigue, headaches, blurred vision, tender skin, depression etc. etc.
I feel depressed and wish I hadn't bothered with the operation, as I feel worse that before!

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.

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!!

I recently delivered a healthy baby girl (Feb 9th) in which 1 week later I developed a blood clot on my brain and was hospitalized for 1 week after experiencing 4 seizures. They told me it was pregnancy related and I would be on warfarin for 6-9 months until the clot dissolved. I too am experiencing: fatigue, extreme dizziness, light headedness, I am seeing spots all of the time, I am getting leg cramps and foot cramps a lot, I feel really weak, and just plain old. I will be 37 years old this July, and I feel way too young to be feeling this way all of the time. I can not handle going to the lab 2-3 times every week for blood work, my veins are collapsing and bruising really bad. I cry every time I leave, my husband must think I'm such a loser. It has been almost 3 months now and I just got my first period since my daughter was born. I thought I was going to bleed to death. My husband had to watch me around the clock to make sure I didn't have to be rushed into emergency. This sucks....I'm trying to remain strong, and doing lots of praying these days....Thanks for letting me share my story.....

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.

I was taking warfarin for about 2 months 8 mg daily due to a blood clot in my left arm, i also have witnessed headaches, dizziness, always tired and fatigue. I also told the doctor about all this and he said it's not the medicine, I don't know what else it could of been because i wasn't taking any other medication. my life remained the same as previous with the exception of the warfarin. Anyway, i discontinued taking the medication because it was killing me to take it. I will now have to take my chances.

I had open heart surgery August 23rd 2006 for a conginital heart defeat (Aortic Valve replaced with mechanical St Jude valve). I wanted a bio valve but Drs insisted I should have the mechanical valve because of my age (45 at the time).

Prior to my heart surgery I was a performer, singer/songwriter/actress/comedianne and I loved what I did. It was my life. Now, after 2+ years post-op and on Warfarin (7.5 mg daily for life) I feel like life has ended and I'm just a walking dead person. The effects I feel daily are as follows...

Dizziness
Severe Headaches
Blurred vision
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Weight Gain
Trouble concentating
Fluttering effect in my head/ears- Hard to explain
Hair loss
Unexplained pains in chest & left side of my body
Unable to sleep well
Tiredness- even when I've done nothing to be tired for
Nausea
Gas & Diarrhea off and on
teeth pain- Like I've drank something very cold
feeling in my head similar to a brain freeze- like you ate ice cream too fast
Night bleeds in my month- wake up with a mouth full of blood daily
What do think, is that enough??

I'm going in tomorrow for a cat scan because the headaches have been so bad they feel I need to be checked for brain tumor and/or internal bleeding. When I tell the Drs I think this is due to Wafarin they pratically laugh in my face as if to say, "Silly silly woman, don't be foolish! We know whats best for you. Remember, we saved your life!" Really? Did you?!

I want nothing more than to get off this rat poison and regain my life, but to do so could mean a stroke or heart attack. I would go under the knife again to have the mechanical valve removed and replaced with a biological valve, but do you think my insurance company (Kieser) would pay for a "silly" thing like that? Right!

Welcome to the greatest country in the world!

I'm going to start a website to help people like us. I want your stories, please send me your info, together we might make a change, what can it hurt to try? Email me ******

B.

i been on warfarin since august 08 - its now end of feb 09, i have not noticed any serious side effects apart from blood in nose when wake up and snotter for the first time each day (excuse that term) .
i have been sitting under newly installed lighjt at work and find it to be very hot on my head... everyone else says its not, but i cant stay there after ten minutes... its mildly uncomfortable.. and it got to thinking that maybe warfarin can effect the sun and the taking of the tablets, im on 6mg a day and i have heart problems, heart failure and cardiomyopathy, i would like to here from any one that has problems with sun...... and after how long hair loss and teeth problems came after taking it - im only 24 but worry about it thank you for your time i also get fatigue

Cannot believe that tiredness/fatigue is not listed as a major side effect! My Doctor believes that it is my Warfarin/Coumadin and he has other similar patient experience.

I still have my sense of humor though! (just in case you wondered!)

I’m a 52 year old female diagnosed with bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms three months ago. I’ve been on Warfarin for those three months. The reason I’m searching this blog is because I experience chills at about 4:00 am every morning. It’s interesting to hear of others having the same issue. However, I have not experienced other side effects mentioned: weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, headaches, depression... One thing that I’ve not read about here is the actual physical effects from the embolisms. I do experience shortness of breath and fatigue but I attribute it to the healing process that is occurring in my lungs. I have a wonderful doctor that told me that the road to recovery will not be easy and there will be some set-backs along the way. She listened to my concerns about shortness of breath and prescribed a couple of inhalers that I use to make my breathing more productive. She told me me to exercise “gently” to help my blood circulate to aid the healing that needs to take place. I admit that it’s hard to exercise when I’m not feeling my best but the benefits are worth it. I’m now feeling better than I’ve felt in three months. I also reduced my calorie intake knowing that with my limited activity my metabolism would slow down and weight gain would be a risk. So I ask the people writing in with side effects to look at their situation honestly and see what changes they could make to help their bodies heal. Those with PE and DVT, are you exercising? Are you overweight and need to alter your eating habits? Do you still smoke? We need to take responsibility for our health. I am a healthy, active, non-smoker. My PE’s are probably the result of starting Hormone Replacement Therapy four months prior to my PE’s. I have no other risk factors. Once I’m off Warfarin my doctor will run blood tests to see if I have other clotting factors, meanwhile I’m doing all that I can to help my body heal. I wish everyone here well and hope that your health improves.

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:
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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

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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'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."

I have been on Warfarin for two years now and on it for life, i had a blood clot in my left leg. While i was reading everyone's side effects, it was like i was writing it myself...I experience the same symptoms........Foggy mind, short term memory loss (i even have a notebook now wherever i go now), fatigue, thirsty all the time, headaches, strange sore sensations in my legs/body especially when its cold.....all of which i am told Warfarin has no such side effects and that im imagining it.........i have been told this over and over and over. Im soooo glad im not crazy lol and that there are also people out there that are experiencing the exact same stuff that i am.

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.

I have been on Warfarin since the end of Aug. 2007 when I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve. I will be on it for the rest of my life. My doctor.'s all assured me there were no side effects other than the bleeding risks. I now know this is not true. The side effects I am dealing with make me sometimes wish I had chosen a tissue (pig) valve, even though I would be guaranteed another heart surgery within ten years. I am 39 years old and a mother of two young kids. Since being on Warfarin I have experienced various body aches that come on suddenly but don't stay long; extreme hot and cold; itchy hands and feet; dry hair and hair loss; seeing "spots" usually followed by a headache; very thirsty; ongoing bowel troubles, possibly developed colitis; but the worst side effect for me is the fatigue and depression. I feel like I traded in my old self for my mechanical valve. Like I said, I'd have to have a tissue valve replaced eventually, and as bad as heart surgery is, I'd rather have 10 happy years w/out Warfarin than this struggle I deal with almost everyday. My brother is a surgeon and even he buys into the "no side effects" b.s. I work out as much as I can, which used to make me feel great, now I feel like it helps me get by but not the positive effect it used to have on me mentally.

Been on 5mg Warfarin for past 2 months. Developed severe headaches, resulted in MRI brain scan. Thank God all clear. Severe hair loss and dry coarse hair, sour smelling stools, weight gain.Fatigue. But Doctors and specialists reassure you, none are from the Warfarin!!! DON'T THINK SO!

In July my calf hurt for over a week I went and had it checked out and they found a small DVT I was sent home and prescribed Lovenox and taken off my birth control. The next morning I had trouble breathing and went to the ER I had multiple PEs in both lungs. I was in the hospital for 5 days and sent home with a non-therapeutic INR, Lovenox shots and warfarin sodium. I have to regularly increase my dosage I am now up to 15mgs 6days a week and 10 the 7th day. I have recently started seeing small unexplainable bruises, even though my INR is still not and only has been for a short time since my release from the hospital. I have had severe chest, leg and other body pain. I have been to the ER so much I have just stopped going. I have horrible headaches and fatigue especially after they re-up my meds. My periods have been off the charts as well. I think I am done with this and I am really considering taking myself off the meds

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?

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 noticed changes in my memory, and felt very fatigued when I first started the warfarin.The fatigue has tapered off after 5 months but I notice more changes in memory lately. I get off the med in one more month. I found the best way to control drug levels is to eat at least one frozen meal a day with a lot of vegetables, such as a Lean Cuisine that is advertised as having twice as many vegetables as a regular lean cuisine...then I eat dinner and limit leafy green vegetable intake. I'm also not positive of this, but sometimes it is harder to control when I drink a lot of green tea. Hope this helps someone.

My 79 YO father began taking Warfarin following a TIA 2 years ago. It has caused him some fatigue but lately he has been experiencing quite bad swelling of the feet and ankles and also a lot of joint pain not present before the medication. Are there any alternatives to this medication?

MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN ON WARIFIN FOR EIGHT YEARS AND HAS EXPERIENCED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING

COLD SWEATS
(SHORT TERM) MEMORY LOSS - A BIG DIFFERENCE LATELY
DOUBLE VISION
BLURRED VISION
SHADED VISION
EXTREME SUDDEN HEAD ACHES
NAUSEA
FATIGUE
DIZZY SPELLS
LOSS OF BALANCE
POSSIBLE TIA'S

AND MOST RECENTLY A BIG ONE -- LIVER DAMAGE
(SIGNS OF WHICH ARE ENLARGED LIVER, YELLOW SKIN AND EYES, JANDICE, THROWING UP, -- BASICALLY THE SAME SYMPTOMS OF HEPATITUS -- BUT THE HEPITITUS TEST WILL COME BACK NEGATIVE.

ALTHOUGH NO eR OR DOCTOR WILL SAY THAT ANY OF THESE ARE RELATED TO BEING ON WARFIN

HOWEVER, LIVER DAMAGE AND JANDICE ARE LISTED AS SIDE EFFECTS