Enoxaparin, marketed under the brand name Lovenox, is an anticoagulant or blood thinner used to prevent blood clots after you have had hip or knee replacement or abdominal surgery. This drug is also used to prevent clots if you have restricted mobility. Enoxaparin, which is administered by injection, may cause serious side effects or complications.
Bleeding
As a blood thinner, enoxaparin may cause major or minor bleeding episodes. If you have a history of bleeding disorders such as stomach or intestinal ulcers, uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetic eye disease or poor kidney function, your risk for bleeding increases. Therefore, when these conditions are present, your doctor must exercise caution when prescribing enoxaparin. Your risk of bleeding also goes up if you are taking other blood thinners such as warfarin and clopidogrel. Major bleeding complications, characterized by the loss of two or more units of blood, are rare but serious. Examples of such complications are bleeding in the brain, eyes and behind the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity.
Thrombocytopenia
Enoxaparin may cause thrombocytopenia, which is an abnormal decrease in the number of platelets in your blood. Platelets are cells found in the blood that promote the clotting of blood. Low platelet counts should be monitored by your doctor. If your platelets get too low, your doctor should have you discontinue the enoxaparin.
Injection-site Reactions
Enoxaparin is administered by subcutaneous injection, which is in the fatty layer directly under the skin, or intravenously--in the vein. These injections may result in pain, irritation, inflammation and redness around the injection site. They may also cause a purplish discoloration and oozing at the injection site. These reactions are considered fairly mild.
Anemia
According to the prescribing information for Lovenox, patients may experience anemia after receiving treatment with enoxaparin. Sixteen percent of 288 pre-marketing clinical trial participants who received enoxaparin before hip surgery experienced anemia. The patients received 40 mg once a day perioperatively -- 12 hours before, the day of and after surgery, according to the FDA. Results of the pre-marketing clinical trial also showed that with extended use -- up to 21 days -- the incidence of anemia in 131 of 288 participants decreased to less than 2 percent.
References
- FDA: Lovenox Prescribing Information
- "Drug Information Handbook"; Charles Lacy, Lora Armstrong, Morton Goldman, Leonard Lance; 2008
Member Comments