Rivaroxaban, weight gain and bloating

[dizzielizzie1]

I am due to start taking Rivaroxaban next week, but I have read that it causes bloating and weight gain. Anyone have experience of this? Does warfarin cause weight gain?

dizzielizzie1

[BobD Volunteer]

Can't speak for Rivaroxaban but I've been on Warfarin for eleven years and still within a pound or two (maybe even down a pound) of when I started. Caveat --we are all different.

(Life of Brian "I'm not" ha ha ) .

Bob

[Pdotg]

I've been on to rivaroxaban for two years now. I have put on a kilo or two, but that could be due to beta blockers - exercise is more tiring now - or just age.

I used to suffer from bloating (before these drugs) but no longer since I gave up all sugar (easier than you think!) and flour.

[IC4Miles in reply to Pdotg]

the brain runs on sugar

[Pdotg in reply to IC4Miles]

That would explain a lot then!

[Polski in reply to IC4Miles]

Beware a misunderstanding. The body turns all carbohydrates (and some other foods) into sugar, and this is released slowly into the blood stream by the liver. In order to maintain this steady stream, the body likes to receive complex carbohydrates which it can break down and uitilise slowly. When we consume added sugar this goes straight into the blood stream and round the body causing too much sugar in the system, so the liver reacts by frantically trying to remove the excess by means of insulin. Unfortunately it usually removes too much, so then we have a strong desire to consume more sugar, or have some caffeine which has a similar effect, resulting in our sugar levels yoyoing up and down. So actually, consuming sugar is the worst thing we can do for our health (and for other reasons too); eating complex carbohydrates (wholemeal flour, wholegrains, brown rice, vegetables, fruit etc) is what our bodies like, then they can control the system and keep the sugar levels even day and night, and we are much healthier. So giving up added sugar is well worthwhile.

Sugar in fruit is not so bad as the liver still has to break it down, so still has some control. Eating some protein (eg a few nuts) with the fruit slows the speed at which the fruit sugar is broken down further, and so is even better.

[IC4Miles in reply to Polski]

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the recommendation from the health authorities in the US is abt 4 pieces of fruit daily.

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i have 4 to 6, including 2 bananas for potass.

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i have 3 cups of skim milk daily for part of my protein req, 12 grams sugar ea.

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i dont eat junk/snacks.

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my body mass index is 20.

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imo, no need to elim sugar from my diet.

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[IC4Miles]

be careful in reading SIde effects/ Precautions.

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i believe they say abt Riva, May cause wt gain, etc.

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then you look farther into it and find that may happen in 1 of 1000 cases, in limited circumstances and is mild.

[Dovelady in reply to IC4Miles]

I thoroughly agree about reading deeply into the side effects of drugs. A lot of people get no side effects from any drugs at all. The drug companies have to list all possible side effects to cover themselves. I have found that when I did read what I might get I usually did, but in my case I usually had the symptom before I even took the drug!!

[Rellim296]

This is news to me. I've been taking Rivaroxaban for 18 months and my weight hasn't altered. I dropped weight significantly when I started taking Warfarin as I lost all interest in food.

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

Why did it make you lose all interest in food?

[Rellim296 in reply to seasider18]

There seemed to be foods that were off the menu, like cranberries, in all sorts of things I usually ate, plus things that make INR go up (mangoes, chick peas, ginger) and things that make it go down (greens) everywhere. I struggled and kept dropping out of range. I took larger and larger quantities of Warfarin but didn't get an INR above 2.0 (which is only just in range and gave me no feeling of protection) from July to February. It was all pain for no gain and I found it very challenging and did much too much walking. I dropped from 64kg to 56. Dark days.

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

Are you a vegetarian?

I just avoid cranberries, ginger and garlic but apart from that eat normally. My diet it always very bland.

I did once have a Greek meal the day before my INR test and the garlic did have an effect on it.

[Rellim296 in reply to seasider18]

We eat meat about one main meal in ten and fish about two meals in ten and the rest is Quorn, beans, nuts or pulses. Cashew and cranberry loaf is a favourite. I buy fresh cranberries at Christmas and freeze them, and often toss a few into a dull casserole to liven it up. I eat them quite a lot, though there might be the odd cranberry free day in the week, so a ban made a very big and unwelcome impact. They are in lots of things in cafes and on plenty of shelves in the supermarket. I started ordering online and buying the same things each time. Bland is the word! A reasonable INR was so elusive that apart from not going shopping, I stopped going out for meals and didn't visit friends for meals and refused wedding invitations. I had 33 INR tests in the space of a year. Much of this was before I was exposed to the wisdom of the forum.

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

So you found that diet was the main factor in keeping a stable INR ? After my recent INR surge from 2.5 to 3.6 I asked the nurse if it could be controlled more by diet. In the main she said that makes little difference apart from the known things like cranberries and it is down to ones metabolism. It takes 7 or 8mg to control mine but she has patients on 1mg and one on 1mg every second day.

Actually my diet has always been bland but my wife eats all sorts of exotic things. I don't even like cheese. Strange cutting out salt and sugar more or less completely in 1983 and smoking in 1993 did not prevent me from becoming hypertensive in 2000 or T2 in 2004. Life ain't fair.

[Rellim296 in reply to seasider18]

I found a stable INR elusive. I did manage to get 4 consecutive weeks in range with tests weekly but in order to do this I ate only veggies low in vitamin K, like aubergines, sweet corn and beetroot. My other half was on a low fibre diet at the time and I stuck mostly to what he was allowed. I think sweetcorn was out for him.

I took 9 or 10mgs of warfarin a day and still managed to drop out of range. I find Rivaroxaban about a thousand times better.

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

Did you tell them how much you were restricting your diet ? You are supposed to follow a fairly normal diet and only reduce the most likely ones to affect it and most of them are things that are not basic items and are eaten in small amounts.

I am encouraged to eat green vegetables and have my normal glass of red wine. I can live without green tea, cranberries, garlic and ginger and have not had grapefruit in 16 years as it affects so many meds I have been on.

My digestive system cannot handle sweet corn and I would probably sooner die than eat beetroot I can’t understand the recent Foodies liking for kale. There are fields of it growing as forage on the Sussex Downs as it seems to thrive on the chalky soil. It is never harvested the farmers just open the gates and the sheep and cattle troop in to eat it as part of their winter diet. The same may apply to rape as the Downs are very colourful in late Spring but I have not noticed the sheep being in with it as those fields are quite a distance from the road.

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

Good News for you from AFA…. Cranberries are low in vitamin K.

nhs.uk/ipgmedia/national/at...

[Rellim296 in reply to seasider18]

I can't remember if I told them! Just anything seemed to rock the boat and INR was constantly dropping under 2.0. It seemed worth having no spinach to be able to have an ablation. I did eventually get four consecutive weeks in range, but INR suddenly shot up to 3.5 on the day. It didn't seem to be a problem. Happily my EP next time round said Rivaroxaban was OK.

[seasider18 in reply to Rellim296]

When having a cardioversion I was told that mine had to be around 3.5 or they would not do it so that probably applies to ablation as well.

However last time when my INR was checked prior to the cardioversion the matron said that it did not need to be that high.

Because of my tissue aortic valve NOACs are contra indicated.

[Goldfish_]

The side effects list what has been reported. It doesn't mean it is caused by this. People also report weight gain on warfarin, but very few!

Don't worry about it

[dizzielizzie1 in reply to Goldfish_]

Thank you Goldfish, and everyone else who replied to my post. I took my first Rivaroxaban tablet this morning! Felt like a rite of passage.

dizzielizzie1

[Hidden]

In my view and the EP's, Rivaroxaban is the better option. I have been on it for over a year and have had no problem whatsoever. Amiodarone may cause weight gain. I certainly put on a few pounds since taking that, in August, but still managed to stay below 9 stone. Was 8 stone 8 1/2 lbs. The problem is that when you don't watch what you eat and put on some weight, it is very hard to get rid of it again, hence the weight gain over a period of time.

Rivaroxaban definitely did not cause weight gain. Also the beauty of this drug you don't need blood tests every month. I think annually though but I have not yet had one because I am not experiencing any problems. If you are otherwise fit, you may be lucky like me.

[Polski]

Beware of beta-blockers such as Bisoprolol. They can cause some weight gain.

[Mazdavi in reply to Polski]

I am on them and and my weight had increased even though I eat less

[Terry2407]

I've put on almost 2stone in 6 months since switching fro warfarin feel tired and bloated almost all the time

[dizzielizzie1 in reply to Terry2407]

Hi Terry-- I didn't seem to put on weight with Rivaroxaban, but I switched to Apixaban as it is gentler on the stomach and haven't put on weight with that either. But about six weeks ago my doctor put me on Bisoprolol at a high dose, which was gradually reduced to 1.25mg, the lowest dose. I don't actually need it, so have stopped it, as it gave me bad joint pain ( couldn't bend my elbow to brush my hair--that bad) AND I put on about 4 lbs in a month---weight gain is a well known side effect. Now I am struggling to lose the weight. Am not a fan of Bisoprolol, but am happy with the Apixaban. If the Rivaroxaban isn't working for you , perhaps you could switch back to warfarin. Best of luck. Lizzie

[Terry2407 in reply to dizzielizzie1]

Thanks Dizzielizzie I am seeing my GP Wednesday and hope to do just that xx

[sue13hils]

Hi I am on rivaroxaban and put on weight. But now I am loosing it through diet you just have to be careful.

[sdalen]

I was on rivaroxaban 20mg. for about 30 days and got a big rectal bleed. Now am getting my colonoscopy (every 5 years) a bit earlier. This drug was given to me and I only have premature atrial complexes. The bleed caused some liver and kidney abnormal blood readings and low iron saturation. Been two weeks and except for the low iron, everything else back to normal. Now I am terrified of this drug. Anyone know whether you can take 1/2 dose and still benefit. BTW my INR after a month was still 1.2.