Rivaroxaban side effects
Posted , 4 users are following.
Female, 40 - 49 years, Australasia, not pregnant
Symptoms: I am post 6 weeks bilateral TKR. I have a small cluster of PE's in my left lung, a risk that is associated with a TKR. To combat this problem, I have been taking Rivaroxaban 20mg in the morning. My period this time was extremely heavy ( 1 super tampon on the hour every hour and using a pad for back up as sometimes it was under the hour). My period was heavy from the Saturday to Thursday (6days) and then heavy from Thursday to Saturday. On Sunday it had eased to normal light. On Monday (yesterday) it began again, extremely heavy again. This time I was passing large black jelly blobs of blood each time I went to the toilet. This has continued today as well. I also have a small constant pain on the left side of my left breast. It is a nulling pain, it is not causing me to have panadol, but I know it is there. Is this all part of taking the Rivaroxaban? Has anyone else experienced this while taking Rivaroxaban? The only other drug I take is Swisse Cranberry for reocurring UTI's.
0 likes, 5 replies
peter54321 kylie34529
Posted
High Kylie,
I was on Rivaroxaban when I first had my PEs. No experience with periods (guy), but had significant bleeding problems (along with knee and neck pain). Both bleeding and pain continued to increase, so I was rapidly switched to warfarin. Bleeding stopped after 24 hours or so (and pain reduced considerably).
Statistically a sample of one makes it difficult to conclude it was the Riveroxaban, but a hell of a coincidence if it wasn't.
Peter
leanne67259 kylie34529
Posted
Hi Kylie, You might want to check with your GP, but i am sure i read somewhere that cranberries don't go too well with blood thinners. I kmow it is no good with warfarin. Not sure about rivaroxiban though. I would cease taking and double check. Would love to know how you get on.
kylie34529 leanne67259
Posted
Hi Leanne,
The doc okayed the cranberry to be taken with the Rivaroxaban, as it was different to Warfarin.
However I stopped taking the cranberry and my period has returned to 'normal' while taking Rivaroxaban.
I need to find something else to assist with the UTI's that doesn't affect the Rivaroxaban.
sonja26042 kylie34529
Posted
Dear Kylie,
I was diagnosed with PE at the end of Jan '17.
I've not experienced a heavy period in all 39 years of my life. I was given Rivaroxaban dose (as per normal now in the UK). Having stopped the birth control pills 2 days earlier (it was the 3-week-on, 3-week-off kind) my period was due to start. And yeah, it was heavy. I mean, I was changing the super absorbent sanitary towels and heavy-duty tampons every 4 hours. Hands up here – I mean there are women who live with this and its normal but yeah, this was unusual for me. THEN after 6 whole days of this...oh boy! It REALLY kicked off. I couldn't use the sanitary towels and tampons for more than an hour without needing to change. I couldn’t leave the house because if I wasn't near a lavatory to take care of business every hour, I became the 13 year old girl with the blood stain on her trousers (you remember - when we didn't know enough to anticipate the next cycle?). But only worse because it was like I'd punctured an artery! The stain wasn't the issue. It was the fact that it was only the start. I found myself in absolute despair. Chronic diarrhoea would have been more manageable. Then there were the clots in the blood itself. Wow - sometimes I could barely keep the tampons in as huge blood clumps (like £5 coins) were slipping past the tampons. Wtf? It was scary. Thank god for the online forums as it helped no end reassuring me that this was actually ‘par for course’.
I found the best support at the time were the sanitary towels that are created for people with weak bladders. They're huge but a thousand times better than the most absorbent of the thin sanitary towels available today. I only had to change these about twice during the night (used in conjunction with tampons mind) and every 2.5 hours during the day (also in conjunction with tampons). All in all this first period on Rivaroxaban lasted 12 days. The next period lasted the usual 5 days with a heavier than usual flow on day 2 and 3 (but NOTHING like the first one). Anxiety born from my earlier experience meant that I did use the bladder towels the first 2 days (I was working and absolutely needed the peace of mind) but it wasn't necessary. It’s now been 3 months since that first period and it’s almost totally back to normal. I say normal because on a short city break to Paris (the worst timing ever), 2 weeks ago, I missed taking my medication on the 2nd day and (after 2 glasses of champers at the top of the Eiffel tower) it flowed with a VENGEANCE. But I'm putting this down to my 2 naughty glasses of alcohol and not taking the meds that I've been religious with for the months leading up to it.
The long and short of it is this – the heavy flow is normal. An extended period (eg. 12 days instead of 5) is not unusual with some complaining of even longer stretches. Be smart about it though. Recognise that your body needs to find its middle ground again. Take a (good brand) of iron tablets – my partner gave me his expensive slow release ones and it definitely helped. And yeah – you’re going to tire easily (blame that as much on the PE recovery as the blood loss) and, unlike me after 8 days of boredom at home on sick leave (I was booked off for 2 weeks with the option to extend) go into work. Apparently showing up with a skin tone comparable to ‘bleached white’ is not reassuring to colleagues. That and being stupidly exhausted, irritable, anxious and prone to embarrassments like not packing in the right sanitary towels and having to change your TROUSERS like twice. Yeah you heard me. Trousers – not underwear.
?So sorry for the gruesome details but it would have been a huge help in settling my mind when I was searching like crazy for this info in early Feb this year.
Hope its of some help.
sonja26042
Posted