Coumadin Vs. Lovenox

Of course both serve the same purposes but does anyone think one is better than the other as far as side effects etc.... of course the Lovenox are injections that can only be tooken in Sub-Q tissue ie. stomach, fat tissues. however side effects are none. Coumadin does serve it's purpose with alot of ups and downs but what do you think about one verses the other?

MICHELLE wrote:

Of course both serve the same purposes but does anyone think one is better than the other as far as side effects etc.... of course the Lovenox are injections that can only be tooken in Sub-Q tissue ie. stomach, fat tissues. however side effects are none. Coumadin does serve it's purpose with alot of ups and downs but what do you think about one verses the other?

Hey Michelle,
Well believe it or not Just one day with the CClinic they read his restults and in less than 2 hours we recieved a call they reviewed his case and he was taken off the coumidain He was admitted in the hospital sat late afternoon as I stated in the last fourm they did not fined a clot while he was there he was given 270 mg. of Lovenox injection and they pt/inrs were still not theraputic they were at 1.12 this was not the news we wanted. Off coumidian GREAT but still not rising Why wont his blood get any thinner this too must be address soon he was very lathargic today and did not even go to PTherapy Tommorrow will be a better day IN Gods time not ours

Of course this worries me. Maybe you should raise the question to your doc re: your husband not having the right gene to produce what he would need to thin his blood. Been reading alot on this maybe it's in the gene. Who knows well worth a try. God Bless you Honey may the Lord find the answers we need to defeat this.

Dede Lopresti wrote:

<quoted text>Hey Michelle,
Well believe it or not Just one day with the CClinic they read his restults and in less than 2 hours we recieved a call they reviewed his case and he was taken off the coumidain He was admitted in the hospital sat late afternoon as I stated in the last fourm they did not fined a clot while he was there he was given 270 mg. of Lovenox injection and they pt/inrs were still not theraputic they were at 1.12 this was not the news we wanted. Off coumidian GREAT but still not rising Why wont his blood get any thinner this too must be address soon he was very lathargic today and did not even go to PTherapy Tommorrow will be a better day IN Gods time not ours

I'll be on Coumadin for the rest of my life since having a mechanical valve replacement for my mitral valve 5 yrs ago. I get tested every 2 weeks for my level -- 2 days ago, it unexplainedly dropped to 1.1(I'm supposed to be between 2.5-3.5!) Here's my question: for 11 years, I've been on menopausal hormone therapy, which my gyno took me off of 3 weeks ago. While my cardiologist says this is not a reason for the awful drop to 1.1, I need to know if anything similar has happened to any women who read this. I'm a wreck -- please reply if you know anything about this. So many thanks!

My father just had total knee replacement and the Dr prescribed lovenox but that is a vary expense dr is there a difference in the coumadin versus the lovenox

I know the PT/INR doesn't measure lovenox in the system so they must be different in how they work. Lovenox is expensive, but if you are going on coumadin you have to be on Lovenox for a while till you have enough coumadin in your system built up. Worth asking if there is a cheaper solution though.

I am on coumadin and have been on lovenox as well.Lovenox has never helped me.I do not like the side effecys of coumadin either, especially after being on coumadin for 33 years.I would hope that eventually a new blood thinner with fewer side effects would become available in the near future...Thanks Cynthia, Suffolk Va.

Tomorrow I finish the 10th and final shot of Lovenox. My stomach looks like I went 15 rounds with a sumo
wrestler....quite bruised. I have an irregular heartbeat, up to 150 BPM at times. It comes and goes, so they put me on this stuff. After tomorrows final shot of Lovenox, I start on the coumandin. Doc says the Lovenox injections will disapates rapidly in my system, and the reason for the continued coumadin. He wants my levels at 2.5 -3.

I was on Coumadin for 3 yrs at VA (w/clot in heart), treatment stopped w/out explanation. Clot developed in leg requiring aka. Return to coumadin and bleedout occured. Discontinued Coumadin again w/statement from Dr."no more Coumadin, ever again due to bleedout". Results: More clotting and PE.

Lovenox therapy begin, 1yr after AKA. Did VA finally decide to go with the expensive treatment as a last resort? Was the cost factor the reason for not using Lovenox earlier on?????

Marion, Lovenox is not used routinely - one is most likely due to the expense and also because it is not easily monitored. There isnt a blood test to tell how thin your blood is and you cant regulate the dose - it is a weight based drug. Therefore, the best choice is Coumadin if tolerated. Im sorry to hear all you have gone through and hope this somehow helps.

My boyfriend got a MASSIVE blood clot in his leg Feb 4th /08. Was on LOVENOX till Feb 8th /08 then Coumadin everday until around May 5th /08 when a forced (by my boyfriend) chest x-ray was given and they found 1 blood clot in each lung (pulmonary embolism). He was hospitalized for 1 week following the x-ray and was again on Lovenox for the week, along with his coumadin. My boyfriend didn't feel they were monitoring the COUMADIN properly, so he was taken off it and has been on Lovenox injections since around may 13 /08. He has only had 1 Ultra Sound on the massive blood clot in his leg (starts around his knee up to his pelvic) and they said that there has been "no change" but he is noticing as time passes that his leg is getting larger, and the almost like swelling is going below the knee.
He doesn't know what to do because no one takes him seriously, he can't walk around because he gets too dizzy and he says that it feels like theres "bad blood" in his body and feels it moving in his veins. If anyone on Lovenox can help us out with any input about any of this. that'd be great.
We live in South Western Ontario, and he is only 23 years old. He doesn't have a blood specialist because in May, the doctor said he's done all he can. Any insight would be great.
izlemonster@hotmail.com
Thanks alot.

Laurie wrote:

Marion, Lovenox is not used routinely - one is most likely due to the expense and also because it is not easily monitored. There isnt a blood test to tell how thin your blood is and you cant regulate the dose - it is a weight based drug. Therefore, the best choice is Coumadin if tolerated. Im sorry to hear all you have gone through and hope this somehow helps.

The doctors don't monitor LOVENOX because it's not a BLOOD THINNER, it's an ANTI-COAGULANT so it just stops the blood from being able to clot. Where as COUMADIN thins the blood, and also stops it from clotting.

Jessica- Lovenox and Coumadin are both in the same type of class - Coumadin is an anticoagulant - most people refer to both of them as a blood thinner - because its easier to describe. Neither of the drugs are "guaranteed" to stop clotting but they are the best preventative. As far as your boyfriend - he needs to see a surgeon. If the clot cannot be removed - he may need a graft to supply his lower leg with blood. The clot will eventually prevent blood flow and that is most likely why he is experiencing the swelling - his leg may also start to get warm and become more re than the other. It is extremely important that he finds a "new" doctor soon and alerts them of any new signs. If you can picture it - his oxygenated blood is not getting thru and is therefore not able to return to the heart on its normal pathway to be re-oxygenized (dont know if thats a real word) which could cause him to have some of the symptoms you are describing. Hope this helps a little.

I have applied to get a in home monitor for coumadin since im so sesistive to it.medicare pays if you have ahad a valve replacement.and maybe others.im hoping to have a better quality of life.Dont expect the Drs to want to okey this and thats what it takes because they still need to monitor your meds.

Jane, the doctors can still monitor your INR's even if you have a machine, I believe the machines can keep readings of your results although Im not sure. But as long as you tell them your INR - they can regulate your coumadin - dont let them tell you otherwise. The machines were made to take better control of patients and to be able to monitor them more efficiently. You just tell your doctors you want this to better control your inr's -- its your life and if they want to continue treating you they will or you will find another doctor who cares more about their patients :)

I had a DVT/PE in Sept of 2006. I was initially put on Lovenox and Coumadin, and when the Coumadin was therpeutic, I was taken off Lovenox. Over the last 2 years I've taken my Coumadin religiously and gotten my INR checked every 1-2 weeks. It's always been in the 2.0-3.0 range which is where the docs wanted it to be. I've had both legs scanned since my initial DVT, and there are no more new blood clots, and the original clot in my left leg is a bit smaller.
It's 2 years later now. I started to feel that my right arm was a bit swollen and kind of achy. I went to the ER and gad an ultrasound. I have 3 blood clots in my arm, one total blockage, and 2 partial blockages. I don't know how this can happen while on Coumadin, I didn't think it was possible. The doctors kept me overnight, took me off my Coumadin since they said it wasn't working, and put me on Lovenox. They told me to followup with a hematologist. In the meantime, they told me the clots could move to my lungs and be fatal, which I knew, but didn't need to hear.
Now, I'm scared. I felt like I had a safety net with the Coumadin. I don't know what other choices there are now. And how do I know if the Lovenox is working or not? Anyone have any ideas on why this is happening now?
I do have a slightly elevated Factor VIII, but my hematologist said it was so slight that he wasn't worried about it when he found this 2 years ago. If it is due to something hereditary, how is this managed if Coumadin doesn't work?
Anyone have any ideas?

Pat, coumadin isnt a guarantee to prevent clots - it helps to keep blood thinner - hopefully to prevent them but there isnt anything out there to guarantee it. If you dont mind me asking, are you on birth control? I actually wonder if the clots were there before and they werent found. It is true that if the clots travel they could be fatal but most times, people have serious symptoms leading up to it. Make sure you let your family know if you are experiencing chest pain of any sort or shortness of breath. I would guess that your hematologist should be running other tests to see what is causing your clots - there has to be a reason. I also wonder if the clots in your leg are actually what traveled to your arm - were you on bedrest at all when they found the clots in your legs - Im just thinking out loud here.

Hi Laurie,
To answer your questions: no, I wasn't on birth control, nor bed rest when my DVT was found. I do have RA, and I know that inflammation is an issue with that. I just haven't found any link between RA & blood clots. My Factor VIII is slightly elevated, and the hematologist thinks the reason is due to RA, not due to a genetic disposition to blood clots. I was just tested again in the hospital for this and it's still slightly higher than normal, but less than my test 2 years ago.
I saw the doc today and he's keeping me on Lovenox for a month and running more tests. He told me today that either the clots have been in my arm all along but no one knew it since my arm was never scanned, or they're new clots. If they're old, then my coumadin was probably working, so I can stay on it. If they're new, then the coumadin isn't working and I need long term Lovenox or Fragmin. But the kicker is that there isn't any definitive way to know if they're old or new. I will do what I need to do to stay safe, but man....these shots in the stomach are no picnic.
I appreciate your input.

Pat, I know the shots arent pleasant and the problem with them is that your stomach will be black and blue because you rotate the sites and if you are on them for a long period of time, you will develop scar tissue which will make the tissue hard and it will even be hard to give yourself shots there-- I do wish you the best, sorry I dont have more answers for you.

Laurie,
I appreciate you writing back and thinking out loud. I've been on Lovenox for 3 days now, and my arm is actually more swollen and painful today than when I went to the ER 4 days ago. It's scaring me. I called my Dr. who said he isn't too surprised by that. He said not to worry. I guess I think that it's an easy statement for him to say, not so easy for me to hear.

Thanks again