I have been prescribed Warfarin after my knee replacement Wednesday. The wife is freaking out about the side effects and is making my life miserable. Anybody here have any experience with it?

So she's reading the label, as opposed to you actually experiencing side effects ?

I would tell her that reading the "side effects" list for almost any drug will freak you out. This is short term usage to prevent the formation of blood clots, a very important function. (according to Wifey, RN, unless as Hank mentioned there other cardio issues)

A blood clot as we all know can kill you, but they can also permanently damage things like your eyes. Don't tell her that, but controlling clots would be important.

Heal up soon, JG !!

It is the active ingredient in rat poison. My Dad used it before he passed to control clotting. He needed to test his clotting ability every 2 or 3 days to make certain his blood wasn't getting too thin. I'd be careful.

I had to administer coumadin to my father for years. Too little and he ran the risk of heart attack and stroke; too much caused excessive bleeding and bruising. The tendancy was to prescribe more than was needed, as the consequenses were less dire. After Dad had a artificial valve placed in his heart, he was stuck taking coumadin for the rest of his life. Not taking it wasn't an option. Coumadin use required constant monitoring and lab testing. Hopefully, you'll only need it for a limited time.

Interesting the differences in Doctors and their recommendations.....and that is what it is......a recommendation. With my last hip replacement my family doctor was recommending Coumadin....the surgeon said.....Aspirin would be just fine. It was.

Second opinion in order?

I used aspirin after the first knee replacement, different doctor for the second replacement and he has me on 8 different meds. 5 meds are for pain, 2 are for constipation and the warfarin. I will get a second opinion in the morning.

Jerry, I was given the rat poison after each of my knee replacements to prevent blood clots. It was for 2 weeks and during that time my blood was monitored to make sure the clot factor was within a certain range. A good friend suffered a severe knee injury and did not take the warfarin (coumadin) as he assumed it is a poison. He suffered blood clots that traveled to his lungs and spent a month in the hospital. Warfarin (coumadin) is not a poison, it just helps the blood from clotting. I felt it was given for a reason and I trusted my Orthopod to do the right thing for me, including the after care.

I was also given 2 different pain meds but I only used them when I went to physical therapy so I could work out real hard. That crap put me back to the last century and made me a veg, could not stand that feeling.

Good luck

print off the pm and take it with you.

When in doubt, get the second opinion. Good luck.

Blood clots originating in the legs off a lot of folks. Coumadin helps preclude that risk but needs constant attention. I took the stuff
after a 4 way bypass in 1996. Only for four days as my a-fib went
away in short order.
Aspirin ever since. And yup you do bruise easy, big deal.

Lead Bouncer related his personal experience with Warfarin, I certainly didn't take it as medical advice.

We had an older friend (78) that went blind due to capillary bleeding in the eyes from Warfarin use.

Have you thought of talking to your doctor and pharmacist about this?

Good one Dave....

Long term use ?

Agree with DV, other than all the experts here, talk to that other group of experts about your concerns.

Not looking to get "expert" opinions here, just wanted to hear some personal experiences to add to the total information flow.

You know they are just "practicing" medicine don't you?

Good Luck with your surgery.
Get Well as quick as you can.

Wifey has administered this to patients that have returned home after surgery.
It's usually given via sub-cutaneous injection daily, in the belly region.
She thinks it may have a "less scary" list of possible side effects.

I've known many including my Grandfather that have taken Coumadin with good results. It, like virtually everything has potential side effects. The most serious involving an otherwise small internal bleed being unable to clot. If that happens in your noggin it can be bad stuff. Bleeding from minor cuts and scrapes is usually copious but with a site specific clotting agent or styptic pencil can be contained. My personal experience with anti-coagulants is confined to Heparin which we used to keep an IV line open for continued use. As always talk to your Doc and don't be afraid to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion.

Best of health to you Jerry and Merry Christmas.

Doctors bury their mistakes.

My wife and father in law take it daily for blood clots with out any side affects. Both were going in for weekly blood tests until they got the amount prescribed adjusted to where the clotting factors were where they wanted them and now go for blood tests once a month. Even with side effects it would be better than being dead from a blood clot. It was real close for both my wife and father in law. They were real lucky.