I came across this article from the INR testing website:
Does Coumadin® make you chilly?
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
PTINR.com Staff
Some patients complain they feel colder when taking warfarin – is there a connection or is this an urban legend?
There’s a chill in the air. Some blame taking Coumadin® is the cause. Officially, the package insert for Coumadin lists under its adverse reactions: cold intolerance and feelings of cold or chills.
It is important to note other adverse reactions included: fatigue, nausea, vomiting, pain, headache, and changes in patient’s taste are also listed in the potential side effects. Like feelings of being cold – there is very little if any evidence to suggest that Coumadin would be responsible for any of the above side effects.
Coumadin or its generic equivalent warfarin interferes with the body’s ability to form clots. There is nothing in the activity of warfarin (Coumadin ®) to suggest feelings of being cold however, because patients experienced these feelings in clinical studies – they are included as “side effects”.
No one discounts patient accounts, however, associating a medication with those feelings lack a scientific basis. The list of reactions experienced by patients “infrequently”, including feelings of being cold are similar sensations in the normal aging process. The ability to cool and heat the body becomes more difficult as we age. Holding warfarin responsible for feelings of being cold may not be warfarin’s fault but related to another condition. Patients should share their side effects with their healthcare professional regardless of how benign it seems.
I guess I need to find something some cross-training alternatives. Sigh...
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