Muscle Pain From Warfarin? (Page 2) (Top voted first)

Hi. I have been taking warfarin for 4 months. Prior to my PE when landing home from a long flight I was very active running and swimming every day. Since the attack every muscle and many leg joints ache all the time. Is this a side effect from medication? Thanks.

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I am back again to ask, has anyone here ever be on Cipro or Levaquin or any of the other antibiotics in the Fluroquinolone group? I ask, because last year, I WAS on blood thinner, however put it in God's hands, got another Doctor and she agreed mine was a fluke. I stopped the med and in 5 days when I went back, my blood was normal. I never did reach the plateau they wanted me in as far as INR and I know it's because my body was fighting the drug. Anyway, I have been off this garbage since last November, but continued to feel bad with bone pain, muscle pain, burning in the tops of my feet, you name it, the symptoms were stil there. So, I got a post on FB talking about the Fluroquinolones being poison and what they are doing to people. I started investigating, requested my Medical Records and sure enough, they pumped me full of Cipro IV and by mouth. I am very angry, because this stuff is like pumping chemo into your body. I am trying to get myself back to health but it's been a hellish 15 months for me, as I never know how I am going to feel from day to day. So, it's not just blood thinner that can do you in. BEWARE of the fluroquinolones .What I thought was the blood thinner all that time, was the antibiotic.

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I am so pleased to read everyones coments. My father is on warfarin and has been feeling exactly as everyone has described. Pains in legs, no energy and said he feels worse now than when he had his heart attack. He keeps mentioning these symptoms to the doctor and the warfarin clinic nurses but they all say they have never heard of theses symptoms How can this be when so many people just on this one forum have reported the same problems? After reading these I am going to talk to my dad, maybe we could go to the doctor together and ask could he stop taking this terrible drug and go back on asprin which he was on for many years without problems.

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I have all the aches and pains in the joints and shoulders, which I blamed on the beta blockers and the calcium channel blockers...but have changed these pills and still have all the aches and pains and feeling unwell..only by chance cam upon this site and good to know that it is not just me....have you come off Warfarin and gone down the natural health route...ie ginger garlic etc,...perhaps you could let me know...I do take chia seeds which I take for constipation for the warfarin and the cocodamal I take for the pain but does not work..so would be interested to know how you coped coming off Warfarin

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Coumadin/Warfarin ....been on this for 8 months due to a DVT in my leg. My life really has changed to being tired all the time. Pain in my joints, fevers, bleeding, even regular numbness in joints and fingertips. I was takimg 7.5 mg 3x a week and 5 mg 4x weekly. Here just these past few days I've been in and out of the hospital due to thin blood, but ive never missed a dose or doubled up. I went to a 8.0 where i should have been 2-3.5 in that range. I noticed a dramatic change when i started witnessing extra bleeding from my gums and even urine that was red/brown. I should have only been on warfarin 6 months or less then takin off to see where my blood levels would adjust and maintain healthy. I went to the ER and even with them running a blood diagnostic, ultrasound, and xrays, they said i was fine? I knew i wasnt got a 2nd opinion and they took me off warfarin right away. Reversed the effect with vitamin K and now i go back tomorrow for an INR. My point is my body wasnt handling the effects of warfarin for a long term , my doses were too high and they should be monitored more often for a drug like this. I was bleeding internally slowly, my blood was so thin it my body became a big pain and mainly on my right side under my right shoulder blade, lower back and right arm became numb. they gave me tramadol which was only a quick fix to the pain i had. blood was into the kidneys, i developed an infection, where my kidneys swelled up which created most of the pain and stomach pain. Also yes they do use the same substance in warfarin for rat poison, which threw me off too. My opinion only is this drug is a bad choice to stay on long term and the side effects ive had and potential death, i will never go back to it. there are alternatives and i couldnt believe all the legal suits filed on this drug either. My suggestion is to ask questions and ask for alternatives. your doctor dont care about you just a good INR! Im 29 years old and on warfarin I feel like twice the age. I dont know what 50 years old feels like I just know im suppose to have some kind of energy and i feel like a lost cause!

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I was on 10 mgs of Warfarin for paroxysmal atrial fib for 12 years. After having a lot of health problems over the years, including multiple kidney stones and moderately severe osteoporosis, I too went off warfarin. Within a few days off, I experienced a noticeable reduction of debilitating fatigue and muscle weakness, especially in legs, and a disappearance of leg pain and restless legs at night. I've started to eat foods that apparently have a small anti-coagulant effect, including garlic, tumeric, ginger, omega 3s plus drinking 3 litres of fluid per day. I've only been off Coumadin for about 2 weeks so have no perspective on the long term affects.

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Get off it. Try natural blood thinners. Your body is telling u what to do. Listen. I say these things after watching the extreme pain my dad had been in and Drs not listening. Top bad we have to do our own research
It's about quality life and being your own advocate. Why don't Drs listen?

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Sorry for what you have hint thru. Consider looking onto ginger oil, turmeric and krill oil shame on the Dr who did not keep you at normal levels Unfortunately we have to do our own research

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My onc doc put me on Warfarin last week due to a blood clot and within 4 days I was howling in pain, my leg felt like it was on fire - got to the hospital, doped up, x-rayed, ultrasound, they found nothing. I couldn't bear weight on my leg and it was numb and useless. I looked up the side effects of Warfarin: "sudden and severe leg or foot pain, foot ulcer, purple toes or fingers;" second one on the list. I knew it. I stopped that stuff and will never use it again. I have always been athletic and strong. My leg is finally almost normal, a bit numb around the knee cap and I'm able to walk steady on it now. Oh, and the blood clot? gee, now they can't find it. and there were questions from other radiologists regarding the clot ever existed. The Coumadin Clinic they insisted I go to didn't even acknowledge the leg pain I was beginning to go through when I was there. I strongly suspect there is a pharmaceutical influence on these docs where they are encouraged to prescribe drugs for some kind of payoff.

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Had bilateral multiple PEs in early May and have been on warfarin for about a month and experience back pain that just does not go away. Have little bubbles on chest, had one instance of extreme nausea with uncontrollable urge to vomit, have had some diarrhea off and on.

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My experience was similar; had an injury on April 20, 2014, didn't move around a lot and, looking back, probably was dehydrated--when I presented to the emergency room I definitely was dehydrated. Was seen by several doctors while in hospital but only one or two said the injury had anything to do with the PEs. How stupid can they be? Ultrasound of both legs show absolutely no evidence of clotting issues. I am beginning other methods to deal with this. Best to you.

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Hi Sonny,
I'm sorry that all this has happened to you, especially the misdiagnosis. My daughter is currently being treated for breast cancer - she is a little older than you but still young. I was on warfarin for a heart arythmia - atrial fibrillation - not a PE but wanted to reply to your heartfelt message. Having such a life threatening illness is in itself a reason for depression, let alone being so young and misdiagnosed for months. You are at an age when most of us feel invincible and ready to take on the world. You have been hit in the head with a diagnosis that forces you to look your own mortality in the eye. Most people who recover from a life threatening illness experience fear and depression. Sometimes I think the depression, if it is not severe, is a way that our body/mind/spirit slows us down to focus on healing and how we want to live the next stage of our lives. Clinical depression is a different thing, especially if you feel suicidal. If you are feeling this way, it is important that you seek medical help.

I live in Canada so may have a different health care system than you but I think it is important to see a specialist to turn over any potential causes of you PE so you can make changes to prevent a reocurance. I have found personally that I have to persevere and keep asking for what I need in a pleasant and polite way. It also might help if you could somehow find an individual or group of young people who have faced a life threatening illness. It often helps to share with someone who truly understands. I also would like to recommend mindfulness meditation to help calm your busy worrying mind. Jon Kabat Zinn has resources on the internet and has written several books. The loving kindness meditation is one I use often when I feel unsafe.

All the best to you in your recovery. You are very early on your path and need to patient with yourself as you make sense of the life changing illness that happened to you. You made a great step in reaching out to others.
Take care, Caroleeg

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I was put on warafin after a total knee replacement while I was in the hospital and rehap I was on a lot of pain meds so I didn't feel a lot of pain that I felt when I came home and wasn't on that much pain meds but was still on the warafin I tell you my back was killing me I didn't know where to put myself I stopped taking the warafin for a couple of days to see if would help with the backache going away well sure enough had no more pain in the back I went back on the warafin was afraid of blood clots and guess what the pain in the back came back I called the dr. and he didn't think it was a side effect he never heard of it but he took me off them and my back was fine. So talk to your Dr.

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Eight years ago I also had a blood clot with multiple PE's and was told that I should be on blood thinners for life. Since I could not take Warfrin due to the severe muscle pain throughout my body I was put on Lovenox shots. Since my doctor did not like the idea of me being on the shots for life he sent me to Mayo Clinic for tests to see what they could determine. After tests I was allowed to go off my blood thinners and I have done just fine. I do watch it when I am sitting for a period of time (such as traveling in a car) and also when I flying.

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Wow! I read these posts and I wonder if you're all still around. I'm on this stuff (Warfarin) for life as I have a mitral valve replacement. My INR is never steady. It's either too low or too high. YES! YOU SHOULD GET YOUR OWN MONITOR! I know it's expensive but it is cheaper and less traumatic, and safer than multiple trips to the lab. (because you can test more often... anytime you want) My diet is my biggest issue. I don't have much of an appetite but take an array of meds and I have a large hernia in my stomach that bleeds if I do anything wrong. I have had a couple of bad bleeds. One sent me to the hospital, in a helicopter, for 9 units of blood. (THANK YOU DONERS!!!). Cold meds did that! I still don't know what caused the second one. So careful, careful, careful! Don't touch her, she bleeds! Ha! There are many antibiotics that you should not take while taking Warfarin. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! PLEASE READ YOUR PHARMACY NOTES! If it says drink a full glass of water then drink a full glass of water!! Bottom line, I'm still alive! Praise God! This is a difficult situation and I'm very sympathetic with all of you. I know that this is not an easy life. I know that you feel like you've been cut off at the knees. This happened to me when I was 50! (I inherited this condition.) I can no longer do the things I enjoyed most and that stinks! And no, it's not fair, but it is what it is! I don't know how long I'll live but I'm grateful for every day! And I'm grateful for the doctors that have saved my life multiple times. One thing I do know, you can't just quit taking your meds. I've monitored my INR for all these years, and I know that if you quit taking them, without your doctors assistance, you will most likely die. They don't put you on this stuff just for giggles. Right now, even with my INR at 4.3, I know this stuff is keeping me alive! Chin up! Chest out! We are soldiers, you know!! Fear IS your greatest enemy!

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I had bi lateral PE 3.5 YRS ago. Been on warfarin since. Had muscle and joint pain ever since. Recently had swollen bursi? in wrist. Ive never had such prolonged mid level to debilitating pain.
Im searching for a non drug equivalent to prednisone.

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I have been on roughly 3.5mg of Warfarin for 4 years now following a heart valve replacement. Dose can vary sometimes but I'm on it for life.
My joints, particularly my knees, ankles and feet ache. Sometimes I'm in agony and walking up and down stairs can be very difficult and the symptoms have become quite severe over the past 6 months.
I'm going to address this issue with my consultant but not quite sure what they will do for me as the warfarin is for life.

Hope you get some resolution soon. X

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i have bin on warfarin for 3 years had 2 blood clots..,will be on for life..i have had mussel pain fatigue..also have RA so hard to tell what is side effects or RA...i often wonder what long term use of warfarin will be...

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Wow. I've read this entire thread and am amazed at how many of us have the same side effects from warfarin, but all of our docs and pharmacists deny there are side effects. I've been on warfarin for so long I can't remember when I started. I have Crohn's disease diagnosed when I was 30 (I'm 52 now), so I often experience dehydration. (My Crohn's has actually been in remission for a couple of years following multiple surgeries and hospitalizations.) I got a DVT in my arm after having a PICC line inserted and left in for six weeks during one of my many hospitalizations. I was in lovenox injs for awhile, but then was started on warfarin "for life" as well. I later developed another DVT in my right groin. I remember when I started warfarin, I had so much pain, shortness of breath, etc., but my doc said it wasn't the warfarin. Long story short, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis several years ago, but the doc wasn't certain it was the right dx. I'd been having severe joint pain, bleeding in my knee joints, fatigue, severe anemia to the point of several blood transfusions, hair loss, shortness of breath, etc. Hemotologist dx'd me with Protein S deficiency, but said that can be brought on by taking warfarin for a long time. I'm currently in 15 medications, having been prescribed one after another to combat what I now think have been side effects of warfarin or side effect after side effect of each medication as I experience them. This frightens me. I take six different meds to combat the depression and anxiety I have. I think I have become addicted to Norco because my pain is so bad that I can't go a day without it. I'm nauseous all the time, for which I take an anti-nausea med. I can't believe I, nor any of my docs, never considered that each med I was prescribed might be chasing away a symptom caused by another med. I was on prednisone for ten years (because of my Crohn's disease), which I know screwed up so many of my bodily functions. Anyway, my INR has always been erratic. It was 1.6 last week, so the coag clinic increased my dose by a lot, and it was 4.2 yesterday. I thought it was high because I had increased joint pain, shortness of breath, bruising, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, severe itching everywhere, you name it. Whenever I increase my warfarin, I feel worse, and I just realized it after taking it for so long. Wow, do I feel stupid! I'm thankful to find this thread. I'll be talking to the coag clinic about it and I'll be showing it to my doc.

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Re: Sue (# 6)

oh wow.....feel a lot of the same symptoms. I have been on warfarin 5 mg for almost 2 years for Afib. My muscles are weak....I have less energy.....lightheadness periodically. The only med I am on is warfarin so it has to be this med.

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Re: rach (# 5)

I know exactly how you feel, I have been on warfarin 10 mg daily for 5 weeks and my whole body hurts especially my legs, but sometimes my chest, my arms, my stomach. I keep thinking something else is wrong, wondering if there is another blood clot or something worse, it has made me very anxiety ridden. It's good to know I'm not the only one.

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