While blood clotting is essential to prevent excessive bleeding, sometimes this mechanism needs to be inhibited. Blood clots can be a problem, especially in a hospital setting. They can cause leg pain, pulmonary emboli or strokes. Therefore, it is often necessary to use prophylactic medication to prevent these events from occurring.
Bleeding Side Effects
With every anticoagulant medication, excessive bleeding or hemorrhage is a side effect. With heparin use, you must be cautious to prevent trauma when performing daily activities. If you fall while taking heparin, you should see your doctor immediately. Internal bleeding can also occur. If you have bleeding from your rectum or are throwing up blood, this could be a sign of a serious gastrointestinal problem. Again, seek medical attention immediately.
According to an article in Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America in 2007, Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) syndrome is a serious side effect of heparin use. It occurs after five to ten days of use and results in your body's immune system attacking your own platelets. This results in the destruction of platelets, which may cause further bleeding. The destruction of platelets is usually corrected with discontinued use. HIT syndrome can only occur if you have previously been exposed to heparin. This is because your body must create antibodies to heparin from previous exposure. Antibodies are chemical markers that cause the body to attack certain organisms or chemical substances. In HIT, antibodies are inappropriately formed against heparin and platelets. Therefore, the HIT immune response can only occur once those antibodies have been formed from previous exposure and released upon a new exposure to heparin. Newly available synthetic heparins reduce this response because they have a different chemical make-up that does not trigger antibody release and an immune response.
Non-Bleeding Side Effects
Because heparin is an injected medication, local irritation is a common side effect. In addition to local irritation, you may have an allergic reaction to heparin. According to RxList.com, symptoms to watch for include rash, fever, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting and most importantly, difficulty breathing. Alert your doctor immediately if any of these symptoms persist. Intubation or other life support measures may be necessary.
Summary
Heparin is a safe drug to use in the hospital setting once you are aware of the possible side effects. Be sure to let your physician know if you have been exposed to heparin. Because of antibody formation, HIT syndrome can only occur after previous exposure to heparin. Many physicians now use synthetic heparin, which has a different chemical make-up from heparin, to prevent this from occurring. Seek medical attention immediately if you begin to have a rash, headache, nausea or vomiting as these can be signs of respiratory distress possibly occurring.
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