I have been on Xarelto for about a month, following a pulmonary embolism, most likely due to knee surgery. I have had near constant mild nausea since then. The only other new med I’m taking since the “event” is a low dose of digoxin for a heart arrhythmia that got triggered by the clot. Sigh. So sick of this. I never know from day to day what I will be able to eat, and my poor sainted husband has been running around picking up special requests!
I hopefully won’t be on this long term, so I’m not inclined to try a different blood thinner. Just wondering if this one could be the culprit. Thankfully, the knee is coming along pretty well.
Did they give you blood thinner or aspirin after your surgery? They didn’t give any to my husband, and he ended up with blood clots. I assumed they did that as a matter of practice nowadays, however, even if they do, I guess it might not prevent everything. Sorry about your pulmonary embolism. You are lucky to be alive!
Nausea is not a known side effect of Xarelto, but it is a common side effect of digoxin. Is there something else they can give you besides digoxin?
I was taking aspirin since day one of surgery. On day 8, I was at pt when I started feeling lightheaded. I fainted with my knee pinned under me. Basically a manipulation without anesthesia! Got taken in an ambulance to the er and spent 3 days in the hospital. I wonder if the pe would have been found if not for the heart arrhythmia. I have had this since I was a teenager and the condition is benign. Unfortunately, it took awhile to get it under control. At this point, I doubt I even need the digoxin. I’m going for an echocardiogram in two weeks as a precaution, but I don’t expect any problems. I wonder if the cardiologist would agree to stop it. He is soooo conservative.
You should tell your cardiologist about the nausea ASAP. Maybe he has something different for you or can lower the dosage. No reason to suffer if you don’t have to!
^^Though that begs the question…are those two drugs causing the increased mortality, or is it because you have a serious condition that you’re getting these medications for that causes it?
I’ve decided to take a break from the digoxin for now. Other than this nuisance heart short circuit, I don’t think I have heart disease. My family doc agrees. I am on a prophylactic beta blocker. My only problem is my heart can race when my body is under great stress. The one time before when this happened, I had been very sick with a stomach bug. I should have had this condition repaired years ago, but life got in the way. I’m determined to fix it now.
The blood clot in my lung is a small one, and the various doctors were speculating that the heart short circuit may be in the same area and is being irritated by the clot. I should be having another cat scan and ultrasound of the legs in a few months to get the all clear. Were it not for the nausea, I think I would be feeling close to normal.
I’m very far behind in rehabbing my knee. I only walk up and down the driveway unless I have someone to come with me. I’m not ready to drive. I am keeping busy with activities of home life and I think I’m making progress. I’m just so anxious to feel normal again.
Please talk to your specialist before discontinuing your medication. From family experience, some family doctors are day-to-day wonderful but do not keep up with treatments and protocols outside basic care.
Thanks for all the replies! I have skipped the digoxin for the last two days. I called the cardiologist’s office to let him know, and I got a call back that it’s okay. Feeling alright in the am and increasingly worse as the day goes on. I am hungry for dinner atm, but dread the nausea that’s coming. Sigh.
Okay. I seem to be digesting dinner with no ill effects! Don’t feel completely normal, but not sick, either. My med student DD says the half life of digoxin may take up to ten days to exit my system. I hope this is the solution!
Thanks for asking, @gouf78! I will be six weeks post knee replacement surgery tomorrow, and today I drove for the first time. With DH as co-pilot! I am feeling less nauseated now, but far from normal. The incremental improvements are so slight as to be unnoticed. I assume the pulmonary embolism is the cause of the fatigue. Trying to be patient.