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What Causes Weight Gain, Tiredness, Depression And Anxiety Attacks?
Question: my husband is 57, 6', 230lbs, has been on warafin in the past for blood clots and still wears support hose. In the last 3-4 years he has gained alot of weight and is tired, depressed, has anxiety attacks, aches and pains in all joints and muscles, and excessive swelling in his ankles and legs. Could this be a lasting effect of the warafin, or thyroid problems?
Brief Answer:
Warfarin not major cause, screen for thyroid, hear
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for the query,
Warfarin works by preventing blood from clotting. Its main side effects , apart from allergies that some persons could present to the drug, would be mainly due to bleeding (hemorrhage) in certain areas of the body. One can bleed in the head, gastrointestinal tract, see blood in urine, bruises on the gums and if any of these is seen, medical attention needs to be sought.
It is very rare and almost impossible to associate the clinical experiences of your husband at this point in time to Warfarin.
Weight gain and tiredness can be seen in thryoid disease. Testing for thyroid hormones, TSH, T3 and T4 would be very much welcome. Other conditions like diabetes mellitus should also be carefully screened for.
Depression and anxiety would need special care. A clinical review and questioning would be of interest to know if he has depression, anxiety or both. This is important for drug prescription and follow up. Excessive swelling in joints and ankles could be seen in hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels in blood). However, joint swelling could also be due to an inflammation, arthritis, an infection as seen in septic arthritis, or some problems arising elsewhere like as seen in heart failure or in venous insufficiency, where veins fail to send up blood appropriately towards the heart.
I am of the opinion that you book an appointment from an internist, for a careful clinical review. Kind regards as I wish him the best of health.
Dr Bain
Warfarin not major cause, screen for thyroid, hear
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for the query,
Warfarin works by preventing blood from clotting. Its main side effects , apart from allergies that some persons could present to the drug, would be mainly due to bleeding (hemorrhage) in certain areas of the body. One can bleed in the head, gastrointestinal tract, see blood in urine, bruises on the gums and if any of these is seen, medical attention needs to be sought.
It is very rare and almost impossible to associate the clinical experiences of your husband at this point in time to Warfarin.
Weight gain and tiredness can be seen in thryoid disease. Testing for thyroid hormones, TSH, T3 and T4 would be very much welcome. Other conditions like diabetes mellitus should also be carefully screened for.
Depression and anxiety would need special care. A clinical review and questioning would be of interest to know if he has depression, anxiety or both. This is important for drug prescription and follow up. Excessive swelling in joints and ankles could be seen in hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels in blood). However, joint swelling could also be due to an inflammation, arthritis, an infection as seen in septic arthritis, or some problems arising elsewhere like as seen in heart failure or in venous insufficiency, where veins fail to send up blood appropriately towards the heart.
I am of the opinion that you book an appointment from an internist, for a careful clinical review. Kind regards as I wish him the best of health.
Dr Bain
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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