Osteoarthritis and Apixaban

Traceyl

I have osteoarthritis in both knees. It is quite bad. Since coming to England in 2020, some of my medication changed and I now believe that this change may be affecting/contributing to my general body pain.

I have a blood clotting disorder and was on warfarin in South Africa for around 6 years. Once in the UK, I was put onto Apixaban. My pain has been getting slowly and now quite fast worse and worse.

For the last 2-2.5 years I have been getting a variety of pain killers from the GP and they do nothing at all - even the morphine 10mcg. I am at a point now where I can hardly walk and cannot go into work, fortunately I am allowed to work from home.

I have read up on Apixaban and it's reviews are awful. Many of the side affects listed there I suffer from, but the doctors deny this could be a contributing factor.

Have you had any dealings with this that could help?

Kind regards, Tracey

jamieA

Hi @Traceyl

I have a heart condition and I'm on Edoxaban. I suffer from a known side effect of Edoxaban - cold hands and feet. My cardiologist changed my blood thinner to Apixaban in 2022 because of this and I started suffering from blinding headaches after a couple of months - which the cardiologist said was a known side effect of Apixaban. He changed me back to Edoxaban and I now just put up with the cold extremities. Maybe Edoxaban might be an alternative you could try.

helpline_team

Hi @Traceyl

Thank you for posting on the Online Community. I am sorry to hear you are experiencing increased pain and worsening mobility due to your osteoarthritis (OA) which may have been aggravated by side effects of medication. Pain and reduced mobility limits daily activities and work. This can really drag you down and feel very debilitating . I am glad you are able to work from home.

@jamieA has given a helpful response to your post and it may be worth talking things through further with your GP and asking about his suggestion and alternative medication. Unfortunately, we are not medically qualified to advise you about this.

Referral to an orthopaedic specialist for your arthritis and physiotherapy or the musculoskeletal (MSK) service may be worth considering. A pain clinic referral may be helpful too.

NSAID gels, such as Ibuprofen or Voltarol, or naturally occurring Flexiseq bought over the counter, may help to reduce the number of tablets you are taking. Heat and/or cold may help too. The right kind of exercise a little and often may help you to move more easily and be in less pain. Eating a healthy balanced diet and keeping a healthy weight will put less strain on your joints.

Anyone living with a long term condition which is substantially affecting you in daily life and work, is covered by the Equality Act. This means that as long as your employer is aware of your condition, they are legally obliged to make reasonable adjustments to make your job more manageable. You can read more about this on our Versus Arthritis website.

If you would like to have more replies to your post, you are welcome to repost on our Living with Arthritis forum which is a supportive space where you can ask questions and share experiences with others. You are also welcome to call our Free Helpline on 0800 5200 520 weekdays 9am - 6pm if you would like to talk things through informally and in confidence.

I hope the information given below will be of some help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/work/

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes,

Fiona, Helpline Advisor