Coumadin/joint pain?

[Troy]

I know everyone new tries to blame everything on Coumadin. I am 2 months post op AHV with a mechanical valve. My joints have been hurting quite a bit. The only thing different is I take Coumadin now, 3 mg. I am 39 yrs old and do have a connective tissue disorder, MPS-1, (muccopolysacchridosis) Scheie's syndrome. Simply, I am missing a gene that breaks down metabolic waste and it ends up stored in the joints, heart valves and the corneas. I have always been very active, built my own house, building fence, and splitting wood. Before surgery I occassionally would have a minimal amount of joint pain after a hard days work. Now, I have a great deal of pain with a minimal amount of activity. I know, ask the doctor. But they say they don't know. Has anyone experienced increased joint pain after taking Coumadin?

 

[Ross]

No but I guess it's certainly possible.


ADVERSE REACTIONS
Potential adverse reactions to COUMADIN may include:
• Fatal or nonfatal hemorrhage from any tissue or organ. This is a consequence of the anticoagulant effect. The
signs, symptoms, and severity will vary according to the location and degree or extent of the bleeding.
Hemorrhagic complications may present as paralysis; paresthesia; headache, chest, abdomen, joint, muscle or
other pain; dizziness; shortness of breath, difficult breathing or swallowing; unexplained swelling; weakness;
hypotension; or unexplained shock. Therefore, the possibility of hemorrhage should be considered in evaluating
the condition of any anticoagulated patient with complaints which do not indicate an obvious diagnosis. Bleeding
during anticoagulant therapy does not always correlate with PT/INR. (See OVERDOSAGE: Treatment.)
• Bleeding which occurs when the PT/INR is within the therapeutic range warrants diagnostic investigation since
it may unmask a previously unsuspected lesion, e.g., tumor, ulcer, etc.
• Necrosis of skin and other tissues. (See WARNINGS.)
• Adverse reactions reported infrequently include: hypersensitivity/allergic reactions, systemic cholesterol
microembolization, purple toes syndrome, hepatitis, cholestatic hepatic injury, jaundice, elevated liver enzymes,
vasculitis, edema, fever, rash, dermatitis, including bullous eruptions, urticaria, abdominal pain including cramping,
flatulence/bloating, fatigue, lethargy, malaise, asthenia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain, headache, dizziness,
taste perversion, pruritus, alopecia, cold intolerance, and paresthesia including feeling cold and chills.
Rare events of tracheal or tracheobronchial calcification have been reported in association with long-term warfarin
therapy. The clinical significance of this event is unknown.
Priapism has been associated with anticoagulant administration, however, a causal relationship has not been
established.

 

[catwoman]

Troy:

At 2 months post-op, you may still be having pain related to the surgery. I did, for about 4 months.
I'm sure that Al Lodwick will post a response and be able to speculate on whether warfarin could indeed cause increased joint pain for people like yourself.
Was the MPS-1 the reason for your valve replacement?

 

[Cooker]

I was sore in places I was never sore before, including my joints. That may have something to do with turning 50 I'm almost 22 weeks post op and still have some shoulder pain but I don't think it is heart/med related. So far (knock on wood) I don't seem to have any coumadin issues.

Tom

 

[Guest]

It is possible that there is some bleeding into the joints. However, the people I have seen who had this said that it was the worst possible pain.

One man told me that it was the second time it happened and he said, "I can't go through it again." He went home and shot himself in the head.

I told another man who had it the story and he said, "I'm not going to do that but I can certainly see how someone would have considered it."

 

[catwoman]

Troy:

My youngest sister has lupus, including osteonecrosis, and has a lot of joint pain. She's had several joint replacement surgeries, developed scoliosis from her hip joint replacement, and has had back surgeries.
When Vioxx was on the market, she took that on & off, going off when her BP went up.
What's helped her the most is her whirlpool tub. My brother-in-law replaced the tub in one bathroom of their former home with a small whirlpool. When he designed & built their lake home, he put in a huge whirlpool tub big enough for 3-4 people. Nancy hops into that for pain relief, even in the middle of night in the winter.
I'm sure you've been there, done that with whirlpool tubs. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[Troy]

Yes, I had several pains I related to the surgery being in one position for 7 hours, these would come and go, like my shoulder, points on my chest on either side of my sternum, etc. That is what I love about this forum. Real experience from folks that are going through the same stuff. When I walk a lot my ankles hurt pretty bad, one more than the other. Not enough to shoot myself like Al said a guy did. So it is probably not bleeding in my joints. But usually bad enough to take a pain pill and limp around. So it probably has more to do with the MPS and maybe Coumadin and its effect on the MPS. Thanks for all the input. I really rely on and have learned a great deal from you guys. My experience with doctors is they are too busy, give inaccurate information, or no imformation.