Patient Log of Experience Using COUMADIN
DRUG RATINGS REPORTS HISTORY FOR A PATIENT TAKING COUMADIN
| Key to ratings for COUMADIN: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
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| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken and Dosage | Date Added | |
| 3 | DVT in thigh, PE/Plumonary Embolism | Swelling knees, back aches, often have difficulty sleeping due to lower back pain along the muscles of the spine, morning muscle aches from the kidneys upwards or muscle pain radiating out from between the shoulder blades, the lower trapezius. More frequent cramping in calves, fingernails are brittle (rip and chip more easily), fatigue/loss of physical endurance, slower to heal, sensation of blood rushing through my leg veins, maybe some minor memory loss as well, although it could be that I'm just getting older :) | It is difficult to distinguish what might be a drug effect, what is due to clotting, and what is life, but it seems to me that since going on Coumadin the circulation in my back muscles is reduced when I sleep. I get woken up after 5-7 hours from the ache, and it only goes away with a massage or enhanced blood flow to the area from a little physical activity. Sometimes in the middle of the night I get calf cramps that I never used to get as well. Naturally I'm often more tired as I don't get the consistently unbroken sleep that I used to. The slight swelling at the back of my knees has made maintaining leg flexibility a challenge, but not an insurmountable one. My INR still fluctuates every few months between 1.3 and 3.4. All of this is a pain to manage but not life changing. As a seasonal labourer the most disturbing symptom for me is the fatigue/steadily declining physical energy reserves, although it may have more to do with hitting the 40s than Coumadin. Still, I am looking at other drugs like Rivaroxaban but the long-term side effects are unknown. Would love to go off Coumadin for 4 or 5 months a year so I could heal more rapidly during my work season. | M | 41 | 3 years 7.5 MG 1X D | 10/16/2013 | |