Hi,
Thank you for your reply to the posting. I am definitely convinced that I have gained 25 lbs since January due to the coumidin. My docgtor denies that and adds that the sodium in the medicine is not enough to give me weight gain. I am so digusted because I cannot fit into any of my clothes and do not topurchase new ones unless absolutely necessary. The PE is gone but the doctor wants me to continue the warfararin sodium until August. I also stopped smoking last Oct 12th and that is also good for weight gain. I am on Weight Watchers Plus Points Program which I started this week and tracking my points online. I hope I can lose with this program! Hang in there too!
So I finally got to see the endocrinologist and the moment I mentioned a connection between coumadin and weight gain (and difficulty losing weight) he immediately dismissed the theory. He is adamant that the two cannot be related and even tried to tell me that I'm not that severely overweight (I'd call 75 pounds severe!). Since I've been working with a dietician I know that I eat an average of 1400 calories a day. My husband and I ride bicycles nearly 60 miles a week, and he's claiming the fact that I'm not losing weight has to do with the rare soda that I drink and the fact that I often skip lunch (hence the low caloric intake). Forget that I eat healthy and exercise more than the average American. And his big suggestion? Exercise more and use meal replacement shakes. I was so frustrated, disappointed, and straight up angry that I broke into tears on the ride home, completely throwing my husband off-guard--particularly since I couldn't put a sentence together to explain. Maltesem, if Weight Watchers works for you, please let us all know. I feel like I'm back to square one right now.
I have been a Coumadin user since last August when I had a PE. I found out I will be on it for all my life. So far I've gain almost 30 pounds in 9 months. I'm happy to have found this site and to know I'm not alone with this weight problem.
I have been on Coumadin for 2 yrs and will be on it for the rest of my life, I have a mechanical heart valve. Before I had this put in I weighed 110 lbs and I have gained about 30 lbs I have noticed a difference in my energy level and the puffiness all over my body, I asked my Dr. if this medication had any link and I was informed that NO it doesnt he told me it was probably because of the way I eat. I was offended, I'm glad I found this site and know that I'm not the only one going through this.
I have a mechanical heart valve also and have had it for almost four years. I was never a lean mean machine but was shocked when I started gaining weight and having that weight go to parts formerly unknown! Today I had the results of my blood tests and my results are all normal but the doctor said I need to lose weight and exercise more. I probably exercise more than he does and I eat enough to keep going, nothing in excess. How can we lose weight when we do nothing but take our meds and gain it? I know extra weight isn't good but another of my problems is that I almost always feel fatigued in the middle of the day. I just don't have the strength to exercise. Does anyone else have problems with the heat? I live in Indiana where it gets hot and humid and at the end of the day of being outside minimal times, I feel like I have a sunburn, almost like I have stored up heat.
I am from Indiana also and I also have a trouble with the heat. Too much and I just feel tired and unmotivated to work out, so I hear you! :) I have also noticed a weight gain in places where I have never gained weight before... I just wonder why we all notice a change in our weight but the health care professionals think we're crazy for saying it's related...
Doctors act like we don't know our own bodies, like they know us better than we do! We live with ourselves day and night and know when something isn't right! Sorry, I rhymed there! I am female. Are there any male postings here? Do they feel the same?
OMG! thanks for noticing! I have been on coumadin for 5 months and I have gained 23 pounds it is very depressing, It really feels like water weight, my legs swell and I have had hair loss to the point where I had to get it cut, like all of the back of my hair was just gone.
I have heard that hair loss can be a side effect in some cases. I am really sorry that it affects you that way. Just remember that no matter what you are beautiful and don't let it get you down :) The way I look at it, I might feel fat but I'd rather be fat than have a blood clot again.
I am currently taking Warfarin which is basically the same medication, just a different name for use in the United States. It seems as if the reoccurring theme contained in the blogs that I am reading is that most doctors either do not give a patient much information concerning this drug or they do not want us to know about it.
How many of you are aware that Coumadin/Warfarin is actually, and to skip all the medical jargon, RAT POISON!
It was first used to kill rodents and still is used today for that purpose.
It is also rumored that Nikita Khruschev and others tried to kill Joesph Stalin with a high dosage of this medication.
CVS, where I get mine, gives you a sheet which describes the side effects with every refill. As I read mine it listed loss of appetite and sudden weight gain as two side effects that the taker might experience. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. I have never had a loss of appetite but I have gained 25 pounds from taking this lovely drug.
Honestly I have never felt so hungry in my 59 years then I have after being prescribed Warfarin.
One morning I got up, ran to the fridge, and ate 5 tuna fish sandwiches, one right after another. That convinced me the weight gain is from medication despite what any doctor has to say.
How many of you are aware that Coumadin/Warfarin is actually, and to skip all the medical jargon, RAT POISON!
It was first used to kill rodents and still is used today for that purpose.
It is also rumored that Nikita Khruschev and others tried to kill Joesph Stalin with a high dosage of this medication.
CVS, where I get mine, gives you a sheet which describes the side effects with every refill. As I read mine it listed loss of appetite and sudden weight gain as two side effects that the taker might experience. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. I have never had a loss of appetite but I have gained 25 pounds from taking this lovely drug.
Honestly I have never felt so hungry in my 59 years then I have after being prescribed Warfarin.
One morning I got up, ran to the fridge, and ate 5 tuna fish sandwiches, one right after another. That convinced me the weight gain is from medication despite what any doctor has to say.
Yes Harriet, I am a 59 year old male on Warfarin and the side effects you are describing seem to run true for males as well. I gained weight, seems like I'm losing hair for the first time in my life. Legs swell from Edema caused by the Warfarin. That also requires me to take Triamterene-HCTZ (water pill).
My eating habits are good, it's just that I feel like I'm starving constantly. and yes I am fatigued in the afternoon. My legs always feel warm and I'm in Southern California where it bakes in the summer.
A couple things that I experienced that I haven't heard anyone talk about is that I developed an itching behind my ears that has finally gone away. Plus my shoulder starting twitching and felt as if it were asleep. That's gone as well. Can't forget the acne I get every few days.
All I can say is those poor rats, lolol.
My eating habits are good, it's just that I feel like I'm starving constantly. and yes I am fatigued in the afternoon. My legs always feel warm and I'm in Southern California where it bakes in the summer.
A couple things that I experienced that I haven't heard anyone talk about is that I developed an itching behind my ears that has finally gone away. Plus my shoulder starting twitching and felt as if it were asleep. That's gone as well. Can't forget the acne I get every few days.
All I can say is those poor rats, lolol.
I'll tell you why, and I was told this by my doctor a couple months after I starting taking Warfarin. Very basic answer.
It's a drug that a person must take, and how many patients (especially older and women) do you think would run to the pharmacy fill the prescription if their doctor had just said "oh don't let the fact that Warfarin/Coumadin is basically RAT POISON and you will GAIN 30 POUNDS in the first three months after taking it?
No one would even get near it, and most likely get sicker. So what are you to do but take it and be happy your not in the hospital ICU at $6,500.00 a day. Kinda makes sense to me, even though I can't stand all the side effects.
It's a drug that a person must take, and how many patients (especially older and women) do you think would run to the pharmacy fill the prescription if their doctor had just said "oh don't let the fact that Warfarin/Coumadin is basically RAT POISON and you will GAIN 30 POUNDS in the first three months after taking it?
No one would even get near it, and most likely get sicker. So what are you to do but take it and be happy your not in the hospital ICU at $6,500.00 a day. Kinda makes sense to me, even though I can't stand all the side effects.
yes I too take coumadin and will for the rest of my life! I have also gained 20 lbs. Since beginning coumadin and there is no one that can convince me that it is not a side effect! I know the Dr.'s say there is no link but I know what I eat and how I exercise and there is no other explanation, period!
SgtJackWagon wrote:
I too take Warfain for the last 7 years. I felt tired for the last 7 years. So I went to a Natureopathic M.D. (yes he is also a medical doctor) He helped me so tremendously. He said to take Chelated Chromium 500mcg in the A.M. with meal. (I take protein meal with the Chromium first thing in the morning, and eat carbs later in the day) Chromium keeps your glucose tolerance level up all day and keeps your hunger away. I do not have diabetes, just to let you know this has nothing to do with diabetes, although you can still do this if you are diabetic and it will do same thing). The doctor suggested to take a balanced B-vitamin like B-50. Not to take B-12 by mouth because it stimulates appetite. If you need B-12 have doctor give you injections instead. One book which greatly helped me is Protein Power, which I do not follow completely but it really does explain about weight gain. We cannot allow ourselves to have a stroke or something to the like by not taking Warfarin but just deal with the effects. Vitamin-C crystals mixed into orange juice counteracts any toxic effects of Warfarin. I treat my body like it is royalty and now I feel better, and you can too. (I also take Triamterene for blood pressure) When you are taking water pills, you must replace the vitamins and electrolytes you are losing because of the fast loss of water) Hope this helps.
Harriett Hill wrote:
I have a mechanical heart valve also and have had it for almost four years. I was never a lean mean machine but was shocked when I started gaining weight and having that weight go to parts formerly unknown! Today I had the results of my blood tests and my results are all normal but the doctor said I need to lose weight and exercise more. I probably exercise more than he does and I eat enough to keep going, nothing in excess. How can we lose weight when we do nothing but take our meds and gain it? I know extra weight isn't good but another of my problems is that I almost always feel fatigued in the middle of the day. I just don't have the strength to exercise. Does anyone else have problems with the heat? I live in Indiana where it gets hot and humid and at the end of the day of being outside minimal times, I feel like I have a sunburn, almost like I have stored up heat.
Yes Harriet, I am a 59 year old male on Warfarin and the side effects you are describing seem to run true for males as well. I gained weight, seems like I'm losing hair for the first time in my life. Legs swell from Edema caused by the Warfarin. That also requires me to take Triamterene-HCTZ (water pill). My eating habits are good, it's just that I feel like I'm starving constantly. and yes I am fatigued in the afternoon. My legs always feel warm and I'm in Southern California where it bakes in the summer. A couple things that I experienced that I haven't heard anyone talk about is that I developed an itching behind my ears that has finally gone away. Plus my shoulder starting twitching and felt as if it were asleep. That's gone as well. Can't forget the acne I get every few days. All I can say is those poor rats, lolol.
I too take Warfain for the last 7 years. I felt tired for the last 7 years. So I went to a Natureopathic M.D. (yes he is also a medical doctor) He helped me so tremendously. He said to take Chelated Chromium 500mcg in the A.M. with meal. (I take protein meal with the Chromium first thing in the morning, and eat carbs later in the day) Chromium keeps your glucose tolerance level up all day and keeps your hunger away. I do not have diabetes, just to let you know this has nothing to do with diabetes, although you can still do this if you are diabetic and it will do same thing). The doctor suggested to take a balanced B-vitamin like B-50. Not to take B-12 by mouth because it stimulates appetite. If you need B-12 have doctor give you injections instead. One book which greatly helped me is Protein Power, which I do not follow completely but it really does explain about weight gain. We cannot allow ourselves to have a stroke or something to the like by not taking Warfarin but just deal with the effects. Vitamin-C crystals mixed into orange juice counteracts any toxic effects of Warfarin. I treat my body like it is royalty and now I feel better, and you can too. (I also take Triamterene for blood pressure) When you are taking water pills, you must replace the vitamins and electrolytes you are losing because of the fast loss of water) Hope this helps.
I wanted to post this for all who are having trouble taking Warfarin/Coumadin. I too take Warfain for the last 7 years. I felt tired for the last 7 years. So I went to a Natureopathic M.D. (yes he is also a medical doctor) He helped me so tremendously. He said to take Chelated Chromium 500mcg in the A.M. with meal. (I take protein meal with the Chromium first thing in the morning, and eat carbs later in the day) Chromium keeps your glucose tolerance level up all day and keeps your hunger away. I do not have diabetes, just to let you know this has nothing to do with diabetes, although you can still do this if you are diabetic and it will do same thing). The doctor suggested to take a balanced B-vitamin like B-50. Not to take B-12 by mouth because it stimulates appetite. If you need B-12 have doctor give you injections instead. One book which greatly helped me is Protein Power, which I do not follow completely but it really does explain about weight gain. We cannot allow ourselves to have a stroke or something to the like by not taking Warfarin but just deal with the effects. Vitamin-C crystals mixed into orange juice counteracts any toxic effects of Warfarin. I treat my body like it is royalty and now I feel better, and you can too. (I also take Triamterene for blood pressure) When you are taking water pills, you must replace the vitamins and electrolytes you are losing because of the fast loss of water) Such as fast loss of water creates edema. Hope this helps.