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Xarelto, Doctors won't believe me. Has anyone else experienced this side effect

Posted , 3 users are following.

samuels
samuels

I suffer from another condition, it's called coronary artery spasms or otherwise known as prinzmetal angina. I am a regular visitor to our local emergency department due to it.I don't get chest pain everyday, usually once a week but lately 2- 3 times a week as I have been under a lot of emotional stress and stress is a trigger for angina. So am familiar with chest pain, lately, approximately 9 - 10 weeks ago I was getting more breathless with my chest pain and made mention of this to my GP and emergency doctors whilst in there, nothing was really said what or why.

I woke up one morning 5 weeks ago with a sore calf muscle ( left leg ), wasn't sore to the touch or to walk on but was sore, if that makes sense. I thought I'd pulled a muscle and so did my GP so we left it at that, by the end of the week I had a job to walk and it was all puffy. I had my usual coronary artery spasm attack that evening and had to call for an ambulance, paramedics asked and did thir usual stuff and asked if I had any swollen legs etc etc and I said well funny you should ask that smile They had a look and informed the triage nurse when we arrived at emergency, triage nurse came out and had a chat to me and to take a look at my leg, she was more concerned about my leg than the chest pain. Was seen immedietly by a doctor and he ordered my normal troponin blood test and he also ordered a D dimer blood test, he said I'm sure it will come back negative as he to was thinking pulled muscle. Test results came back troponins were elevated but not a concern for cardiology, the D dimer test also came back positive, the doc said I'm going to have to eat my words, the test indicates that I do in fact have a clot. I was admitted for the night for a contrast CT scan next day, Scan showed several blood clots in both lungs. I was prescibed Xarelto 15 Mg twice a day for 3 weeks then onto 20 Mg once a day after the 3 weeks. Now since being put on the Xarelto 1 -2 hours after taking it I got chest pain, my usual coronary artery spasm chest pain and at that stage didn't associate it, the chest pain, as a side effect until I got hold of a consumer information sheet about the Xarelto, it states on there that chest pain and / or  breathlesness is a major side effect and to go to your local emergency department, I experienced some of the other minor side effects but they have passed, indigestion was one of them and feeling sick. I have told my GP , several emergency doctors and a cardiologist consultant and they all say " No " the drug doesn't cause chest pain, it is a well tolerated drug with minimal side effects. I wasn't really happy with their responses so I made a few phone calls to pharmacists and the pharmaceutical company themselves, Bayer , I was informed that it is indeed listed as a side effect however it is an uncommon one.

I did a little experiment, I asked my local pharmacist when is the best time to take Xarelto, I was informed it can be taken either morning or night, I was taking it of a morning. What I did was the next day I started taking it of an evening and sure enough 1 hour and 10 mintues later chest pain arrived, my usual artery spasm pain, instead of going to emergency I started on my GTN spray, after about  6- 8 sprays I took an endone for pain relief, it took 2 to completely get rid of the pain. Day 2 took Xarelto at the same time again in the evening, 1 hour and 20 minutes later chest pain, repeated night before treatment GTN spray then 2 X endone. Day 3 same as above although I didn't take the endone I went to our emregency department to thankfully be told all good with the heart after blood test result but was told yet again that Xarelto wouldn't be causing the chest pain, was discharged in pain so took 2 endone when I got home at 2.30 -  3am this morning. Day 4 same as above, probably an hour and a half the pain started after the Xarelto tonight, back on the GTN spray, if it doesn't stop soon I will have to take endone again, not going back into emergency and belittled again.

So just to summarise, ever since being put on Xarelto with in 1 - 2 hours of taking it I would get chest pain, was taking it of a morning and getting chest pain and ended up in emergency quite a bit with it, swapped over to taking the Xarelto to night time now getting chest pain at night after taking Xarelto, no daytime chest pain anymore since trying my experiment.

Sorry for the ever so long read to see if anyone else experiences chest pain on this medication,  I thought it needed a pretty descriptive thing of what was occuring if anyone else has prinzmetal angina and also taking Xarelto experiences the same thing or even a person just on Xarelto was experiencing chest pain after taking it ?

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Windy8000
    Windy8000 samuels

    Posted

    I take mine in the evening with food and don't have any problem. The laugh I get is the information that comes with the xarelto says it will NOT dissolve the blood clot just prevent new ones while your body absorbs the one you have in 6-9 months. I have had Drs laugh at me and tell me I didn't read it and then I showed it to them !!!

    But no. No chest pains from the med thank goodness.

    • samuels
      samuels Windy8000

      Posted

      Hi Windy,

      That's how I take my medication, with food either in morning or at night but still get chest pain 1 - 2 hours after taking it. I don't get daytime chest pain now because I take the Xarelto of an evening, that was my little experiment smile

      If I do get chest pain during the day I know it's my coronary artery spasms, it's as if the Xarelto actually triggers the spasms off after each dose as I was getting chest pain every day when first put onto the medication, now that I take it at night I get chest pain every night now

    • jhona63366
      jhona63366 samuels

      Posted

      Hi Sam

      Me too feel the Same! 10 am i Took med. Then 12 to 1 i feel dizzy i feel high and afcoures chest pain with a heartbit fast!

    • samuels
      samuels jhona63366

      Posted

      Hi jhona,

      I start Pradaxa this morning, mt GP listened to me this time and even took a quick glance at some research that I had printed off in regards to chest pain caused by Xarelto. Pradaxa also has the "breathlesness" and "chest pain"  as a side effect but will see if my body will tolerate this medication.

  • samuels
    samuels

    Posted

    Problem solved, It was the Xarelto causing chest pain or setting off the angina. My GP swapped me over to Pradaxa and no more chest pain after 1-2 hours of taking it.

    Emergency Doctors especially cardiology consultants should listen to their patients and take their side effects seriously instead of fobbing them off and saying "no it's not  a side effect of the medication" they still say it when you show them the consumer product information sheet where it states "go to you nearest emergency department if you experience any of the serious side effects", "chest pain" "breathlesness"

    Touch wood * No problems on the Pradaxa as of yet, definately no chest pain from this medication 1- 2 hours after taking it.

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