Coumadin Side Effects

Apr 2, 2010 | By Jojo Genden

Coumadin, also known as Warfarin, is an anticoagulant, commonly called a blood-thinner. This medication is taken to prevent blood clots from forming to prevent stroke, heart attack and clots in the lungs. Coumadin is commonly prescribed if you have a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, if you just had a heart attack or your immobility puts you at a risk for developing clots in your legs.

Uncontrolled Bleeding

The most serious and potentially life-threatening side effect of Coumadin is uncontrolled bleeding or hemorrhaging. Because the drug works by preventing normal blood clot formation, you won't stop bleeding if, for example, you cut your finger. To monitor the level of the drug's effect, your doctor will routinely test your blood using an assessment called PT/INR. This is to make sure your blood is not "thinned-out" too much, putting you at an increased risk for bleeding. Some medications and herbal products interact with Coumadin to intensify bleeding, so inform your doctor of all the medications you take.

Frank Bleeding

Frank bleeding includes any bleeding you can physically observe such as bleeding gums, unexplained bruises, nosebleeds or petechiae, which are tiny red or purple spots over areas of the body indicating hemorrhage of the capillaries. If you also see streaks of blood in your urine, bowel movements or vomit, contact your doctor for Coumadin level assessments.

Occult Bleeding

If you cannot see any frank bleeding, you can still be experiencing dangerous side effects of Coumadin by occult bleeding, which is not visibly detectable. Although "occult blood" is a medical term pertaining to blood in the stool undetectable by the eye, besides in the stool, there are other bleeding conditions that you cannot see and need to be determined by laboratory tests. These are thrombocytopenia (low levels of platelets in the blood) and hypotension, which is decreased blood pressure. Hypotension can cause light-headedness and feeling faint.