numbness & pain in balls of feet?

[pzant]

Has anyone else experienced numbness and pain in the balls of their feet after taking Coumadin or Warafin for a few years?

I had surgery in 1997 - in 1999 I started getting extreme pain in the balls of my feet and numbness. The numbness has not gone away. Pain disappears for periods of time.

No! I am not diabetic, - blockage test shows no blockages.

Only medicine I am on is Warfarin and one time I did go off it for 3 days using Niacin to keep blood thin under Dr care - Amazing!! the numbness and pain went away.!

I am beginning to believe this could be an undocumented side affect of the medicine. Others I know personally that have had valve surgery also have the numbness and pain in feet.

Anyone else have this problem?? Anyone with a solution?

 

[pzant]

No tingling

No tingling

No tingling. Numbness (no feelingand when I bend my toes it feels puffy or 'pillows' one is walking on.) Toes have some numbness.

I have been to a chiropractor for back problems for years and he couldn't help. He said it wasn't related to the back. Had accupunture done for it - that didn't help either.(feet are so numb I couldn't feel the needles at all) Massage doesn't help. The more I walk the more painful it becomes.

Numbness never goes away. Pain does come and go depending on how much walking I do.

 

[catwoman]

Pzant:
I've had pain in the balls of my feet, don't know about any numbness. This started long before my surgery, and I've had foot problems on and off since I was about 8-9 years old.
Have you consulted someone who specializes in foot problems?

Bristol-Myers Squibb's leaflet on Coumadin lists "pain" and "paresthesia including feeling cold and chills" among what it calls "adverse reactions reported infrequently."

 

[Herb M]

I have numbness is my toes and balls of feet. I initially strated feeling some numbness in my toes after taking Coumadin. It eventually spread to all my toes and balls of feet over many years. I have been diagnosed with neuropathy. I am not diabetic.

None of the literature or doctors say there is any connection between Coumadin and neuropathy. The literature does indicate neuropathy is a rare side effect for statins and Ace Inhibiters. I take both, but the numbness started before I started taking those medications. By the way the doctors will tell you there is no relationship between neuropathy and statins.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Huh? Taken from the list of forums...

Huh? Taken from the list of forums...

Anti-Coagulation (10 Viewing)

Discussions regarding coumadin and anti-coagulation therapy.
numbness & pain in balls...

by Pam Osse 1 Minute Ago 1,046 12,780

 

[pzant]

Herb, is there any thing that can be done to get rid of the numbness? What have you tried?

 

[PJmomrunner]

My dad has numbness and a burning sensation in the balls of his feet. He had an MRI of his spine to make sure there were no pinched nerves and was diagnosed with neuropathy and put on a drug that made him dizzy. He put up with the dizziness until he fell off a step stool (no injury, thankfully), then he took himself off the drug and told the neurologist he was doing so and asked if there were alternatives to the drug. Neurologist told him to try rubbing Bengay on his feet. It worked! Dad was pretty pissed that Bengay was not the FIRST thing tried! (BTW, he IS on a statin drug)

 

[Herb M]

Herb, is there any thing that can be done to get rid of the numbness? What have you tried?

PZANT, I go to a neurologist but he doesn't offer any solutions. I took some blood tests which didn't show anything. Most people will tell you that peripheral neuropothy eventually spreads. Most people are troubled with severe pain and take pain medications that help. There are some anecdotal reports about some supplements that reduce the pain, such as alpha lipoic acid, acetyl L-carnatine, arginine, quinine, evening primrose oil, etc Chiropracter and acupuncture help some but not most. I don't have much pain, just discomfort, but I take all the supplements listed above. I can't say that they help, but things have thus far not gotten worse.

There are 100 causes of neuropathy and very little is known. Some research is just starting.

go to www.neuropathy.org

You will find a bulletind board just like this one where sufferers post there experiences and occasionally improvements.

 

[Herb M]

I haven't heard of Bengay being used, but some people have used Hot and Cold and capsacian lotion. It makes the feet feel more comfortable for some and worse for others.

Putting any lotion on my feet seems to make things feel better. Maybe I will try Bengay.

 

[catwoman]

Anti-Coagulation (10 Viewing)

Discussions regarding coumadin and anti-coagulation therapy.
numbness & pain in balls...

by Pam Osse 1 Minute Ago 1,046 12,780

Janie:
You're so sharp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nancy]

Janie-

You are so funny, I went and looked, and there it was, cut off at just the right point in the sentence . Did Ross alter it, do you suppose??

 

[Randy & Robyn]

Anti-Coagulation (10 Viewing)

Discussions regarding coumadin and anti-coagulation therapy.
numbness & pain in balls...

by Pam Osse 1 Minute Ago 1,046 12,780

Just had to click on this thread out of curiosity.

Were that a prominent side effect of coumadin I am quite certain we would see a great majority of men come out of valve surgery mooing or oinking.

 

[pzant]

Thank you for the suggestions. I do think herbs help if taken in the correct quantity. I will check into this. BenGay didn't help me. Thanks again for your suggestions and ideas.

PZANT, I go to a neurologist but he doesn't offer any solutions. I took some blood tests which didn't show anything. Most people will tell you that peripheral neuropothy eventually spreads. Most people are troubled with severe pain and take pain medications that help. There are some anecdotal reports about some supplements that reduce the pain, such as alpha lipoic acid, acetyl L-carnatine, arginine, quinine, evening primrose oil, etc Chiropracter and acupuncture help some but not most. I don't have much pain, just discomfort, but I take all the supplements listed above. I can't say that they help, but things have thus far not gotten worse.

There are 100 causes of neuropathy and very little is known. Some research is just starting.

go to www.neuropathy.org

You will find a bulletind board just like this one where sufferers post there experiences and occasionally improvements.

 

[Missy]

I have pain and tingling and occasional numbness in the balls of my feet. I started this after taking coumdin and lanoxin. I have read that it is associated with both medicines but it has been so many years that I forgot where I read it. I will try to remember. I do know that I have heard this mentioned before by people on these medications. It could be one or both of them with me. It really bothers me sometimes and I kind of worry about it. Can't coumadin or warfarin cause necrosis?? Scary ! But this is uncomfortable. Have also been to the doctors. Podiatrist only found that I needed orthodic. Hasn't helped except for the slight nueroma. Sitll have the other. Other docs found nothing.
It is the meds ..... I always have the bad side effects. Learn to deal with most of them. I have always been this way when it comes to medicine. Just doesn't take much for me and have side effects.

 

[Guest]

I don't think that Ben Gay will help with the pain that Janie is thinking about!!!

Warfarin has been on the market for over 50 years. I suppose that over that time just about every type of ache, pain, stab, burn, itch, etc has been attributed to it.

You do not have to be diabetic to have peripheral neuropathy. It is more common in diabetics. It is almost impossible to to treat effectively.

I have some serious concerns about any doctor who thinks that Niacin is a blood thinner that can substitute for warfarin.

After you stop warfarin, it take 2 or 3 days to clear from the body, so I doubt that stopping it for three days could be related to the pain decreasing. If it were the cause, you would still have enough in your body to cause the reaction at the end of that time.

 

[Ross]

Janie-

You are so funny, I went and looked, and there it was, cut off at just the right point in the sentence . Did Ross alter it, do you suppose??

Nope, Ross altered nothing.

 

[hensylee]

have you been checked for peripheral neuropathy?

 

[perrybucsdad]

lol... I'm sorry, but I had to do a double take on the subject line. I thought it said "Numbness and pain in balls".

Wow... that would be an interesting thread.

- John

 

[pzant]

You mis-understood. I was OFF the coumadin for 3 days before the pain and numbness went away.!!!

Naturalpaths use herbs all the time! YES! Niacin is a natural blood thinner, but the thinness can not be controled as with Coumadin. We did this safely with monitoring of thinness all the while. When on day 4 - I had no pain - no numbness !!! - it sure makes me think it is the Coumadin causing the problem!!!

Remember: Doctors "practice" medicine - doesn't mean they can have all the answers! and they bury their mistakes!

I don't think that Ben Gay will help with the pain that Janie is thinking about!!!

Warfarin has been on the market for over 50 years. I suppose that over that time just about every type of ache, pain, stab, burn, itch, etc has been attributed to it.

You do not have to be diabetic to have peripheral neuropathy. It is more common in diabetics. It is almost impossible to to treat effectively.

I have some serious concerns about any doctor who thinks that Niacin is a blood thinner that can substitute for warfarin.

After you stop warfarin, it take 2 or 3 days to clear from the body, so I doubt that stopping it for three days could be related to the pain decreasing. If it were the cause, you would still have enough in your body to cause the reaction at the end of that time.

 

[catwoman]

Pzant:

My comment about the stated infrequent adverse reactions included the reference to pain and paresthesia. Because I didn't know what paresthesia is, I checked a dictionary: "An abnormal sensation, as of burning, prickling, etc. on the skin." I would also consider numbness to be an abnormal sensation because it's a lack of sensation.