Coumadin linked to weight gain

I began coumadin in 2006 and will be on it for life. I GAINED 10 pounds per year for 4 years and can't lose weight either. I take it because factor V Liden thickens blood and I suffered a DVT's in several veins of the left leg and a PE. Then the clots slid upward and now I have a vena cava filter. There is no way they will ever take me off this drug. I hope and pray that they research and develope a better one ( preferably not containing rat poison) that doesnt contribute to weight gain.

I can understand that, one of my family member has been gainning weight also. Plus also having other problems.

I wouldn't stop taking the Warfarin, unless it's supervised by a doctor. My understanding is, that you can clot up pretty bad.

Take care ............

I was taking this for 5 months and have gained 20 pounds. I also couldn't excersize on it cuz I couldn't walk due to car accident. I've been off it for maybe a month and have lost 2 pounds so far. I'm glad to be off it!

I've been off the Warfarin for nearly a month (docs switched me to Lovenox since my husband and I are going to start trying to conceive) and, now that I can eat leafy greens again, I've been doing phase one of South Beach.  My husband, who just came off warfarin after his three month stint following a DVT, has also been dieting.  While he's lost nearly 15 pounds in three weeks, I'm holding steady at my current weight after dropping 8 lbs the first week.  I'm still baffled how any person can eat 1000 calories a day, walk over a mile daily, and not lose weight, but now I don't have the warfarin to blame.  Looks like I might have to go back to the endocrinologist and push the issue.  Can Lovenox cause the same issues as Warfarin or am I just destined to be a blob the rest of my life with this stupid Thrombophilia?

I have been on coumadin since March 19th I run 3miles and bleachers everyday and I have put on 15pounds my doctor says its not related but I eat Healthy as well

i agree with you and freaked out over the last several weeks because I watch what i eat, walk three miles everyday and I am up almost 10 lbs!!!!!! not 5 lbs but 10. i need this to stop!!!!!

I've been on Warfarin for about 6 months, and have lost (4) pounds. You are not suppose to diet when taking Warfarin, but I was losing weight prior to taking it and I countinue losing weight very slowly. I feel I have full control over my weight, and try only to lose about a pound a month. So far I've lost 24lbs. Then when I go to the doc for my blood take, I'm always between 2.5 and 2.9. When I get to 2.9, I eat a good green salad a week. That brings me down.

Also my brother has been on Warfaring for a bit over nine years. He walks every day, eats green salads 1-2 times a week, and has been at 200 lbs + or- 3 lbs for those nine years.

We are either lucky, or living right :-) Neither of us smoke or drink.

Take care .............

warfarin sodium) is a prescription anticoagulant, often described as a "blood thinner" (although it does not actually thin the blood). The medication is used to prevent and treat blood clots due to various causes. Many people are curious about the difference between Coumadin versus warfarin. There is actually no difference at all; warfarin, Coumadin, and Jantoven are different names or brand names for the exact same medication. Warfarin is simply the generic name for Coumadin.





Coumadin works to inhibit blood clotting by decreasing the formation of active forms of certain clotting factors. Some clotting factors require vitamin K to be converted into their active forms. Although this reaction changes vitamin K into an unusable form, the body can recycle it back using an enzyme known as vitamin K epoxide reductase. Coumadin blocks this enzyme, inhibiting the recycling of vitamin K and, thereby, decreasing the formation of the active clotting factors.







It is important to understand that Coumadin does not "dissolve" or break down blood clots. Rather, it prevents them from forming. When used to treat a blood clot, Coumadin keeps the clot formation in check, allowing the body's natural processes to break down the clot.

It seems to me it might about time people realized that medical professionals are human and have their weaknesses. One being denial. Yup. I have gained about 20 pounds in the last 5 months, having started Warfarin in December, 11. Medical professionals, how about a simple study and prove the negative....Warfarin, etc do not cause weight gain. I am willing to bet 80-85 % of study subjects gain 5-7 pounds per 30 -45 days once reaching their therapeutic level for their NRI.  I would be too easy to check. To assume everyone who reports weight gain after being on a blood thinner has some other direct cause is, denial. Thing might be that the blood thinner is causing something else to go wrong, resulting in weight gain. How about it, doc?

i totally agree! im gainin weight fast.

I felt a little bit of relief after finding this discussion. I was diagnosed with a PE a year ago, i got it after taking birth control for acne. Which made me gain weight to begin with. Once I was put of cumadin I GAIN EVEN MORE WEIGHT. I eat well and I am pretty active, I kept beating myself up trying to think what I ate or didn't do to gain all this weight. I knew it was the blood thinners, but my dr's said otherwise. I've been off the cumadin for a yr (after taking it for 10 months) and I am finding it soo hard to lose the weight. Its like my metabolism was completely shot after taking cumadin.

I am so glad about finding this sight.  .  I am 45 years old, but still play in a soccer leage with players half my age.  I have been on Warafin for 5 months

Before it, I weighed always 210-215 with probably only 12% bodyfat.  I worked out with weights, running soccer, hiking.3-4 days a week. 

Since taking around 3mg daily I have gained 25 lbs in the past few months DESPITE increasing length of workouts and working out 5 days a week!

 I also took a more South Beach diet approach and still the weight gain.  I thought something was going wrong with my thyroid and may still check it BUT after concluding that the only new variable in my life was the Warafin, I did a Yahoo search and BINGO...found this site.

Is this just another example of a drug company not wanting to admit another side effect...because they fear that if weight gain is shown many people will look for another blood thinner, or just take asprin?  I wonder...

Thank you for a glimpse of what's on the other side. I had a drug reaction resulting in multiple PEs and DVT with vascular occlusion of my left leg. Been on warfarin for 9 mos with the unexplained 15 lbs springing out of no where. Thank goodness for this web site and vindicating me with my claims that it's the drug. Tried and true diet and fitness utilized my entire life (49 years old) no longer had any effect. FRUSTRATING!! I'm supposed to get off coumadin by the end of the month and have armed myself with medical research discussing health risks exacerbated by the drug in case I need to argue my case. I really feel for anyone who is on this drug with no target end date.

Last night I woke up with a light bulb moment! Coumadin! So I logged on and went looking for what I now suspect: Coumadin =Weight imbalance.

I have always been on the plump side, I used to exercise, but don't do so much now.

I have some early training in nutrition.

I know when and what will cause my weight to rise.  (eg: Got addicted to one brand of icecream....). I have seen it drop (just a little) when that behaviour stops.

All kind of normal stuff for a body. Any body.

Then blood clot leg/ multiple blood clots both lungs = Warfarin: no greens. (Already on a low fibre diet because of intestinal problems. That laid low another myth that went against my nutritional training. You do not need a high fibre diet! You need to have enough waste food in the intestine to push that before it-to do the necessary. Since being on low fibre I have never 'performed better in that department-ever).

My point is: no matter what conventional thinking is: use your common sense. Doctors may not make a connection between Warfarin and weight gain-they may be wrong....they may be misled... The Parma may be reluctant to release this, (given that weight gain within reason is unlikely to be fatal).

OK. Since Warfarin my weight is increasing...and increasing. I'm not doing anything substantially different to cause that. During the night it hit me-Warfarin is the ONLY major change -(and I've noticed btw, that my hair is finer and quite limp now)- to my life.

My novice conclusion, (because some here have lost weight): Warfarin interferes with metabolism. I believe for many of us it has slowed metabolism. For some it has increased it.

It would account for the lethargy in many of us. That will also cause a weight gain, simply by total inertia.

I'm a six month-er! Six weeks to go. My good wishes to you all,-thanks for the 'comfort' of hearing other stories. I came looking for them after the night's enlightenment!

The fact that the medical profession can't...or won't acknowledge some of these problems comes as no surprise to me... 

Oh my gosh!  I'm so happy to come across this website!!  I've been on coumadin since Feb. - 6 months now and I've gained 30lbs.  My stomach looks like I'm pregnant.  I'm on fluid pills 50mg a day but even that can't seem to keep the puffiness and fluid at bay.  I'll be 45 in August, always been healthy till the PE and my diet isn't that bad.  My hemotologist told me it wasn't the coumadin, the coumadin clinic where they monitor me said it happens sometimes but its rare.  So glad to know I'm not insane and its happening to other people!  I''m also tired all the time and never seem to have any energy!   I'm hoping by October I'll be off of the coumadin and hopefully can start losing the weight!  Thanks for making me feel "normal"!