I've been taking Xarelto for 6 months. Anyone have acute muscle and joint pain on this drug?

Ultimately it MIGHT not matter as my follow-up MRI is in two weeks and if the pulmonary embolism has cleared, then I won't need to be on the blood thinner anymore. But if it is still there, I am terrified that my doctor will tell me that I don't have a choice but to be on Xarelto. That is not something I can tolerate.

Finally I begged for help and he wrote me a prescription for Allopurinol. I took Colchicine until it provided some relief, then I started on the Allopurinol. It took about a month and a half of taking Allopurinol for my uric acid levels to bottom out and finally the gout subsided. I occasionally feel the stirrings of a flare in my knee or ankle, but I now have a routine that works.

I take the Allopurinol first thing in the morning and wait an hour. Then I take the Xarelto. At the end of the day I take tart cherry pills to help control uric acid while I sleep.

Some folks suggest turmeric, but that can cause conflicts with the blood thinner.

This seems to be the magic ritual for me. As of now, I am two weeks pain free after three months of the worst pain I have ever experienced. I hope it doesn't come back, I'm not sure I can handle it again.

Hopefully my clot is gone and I can stop taking this horrid medicine. I find out on Sept 23.

Male
44 years of age
Frisco, TX

I would also suggest while sleeping that you reduce pressures on the areas where you know you have a blood clot. This is because, while immobile, blood circulation is reduced: Your heart works slower when you are sleeping. A 100% effective solution to this may be impossible but a helpful answer which I can tell from my own experience, hospitals rarely tell anyone is to reduce pressure by either having your unaffected leg directly resting above the affected one, or having the affected leg rested above the non affected one. It is obviously better to have the affected one on top but even better if you shift throughout the night. It is better to do this gradually and not swiftly, just like getting out of bed to go to the washroom at night or in the morning as you have been immobile for a long period of time (hours). Place a narrow pillow or blanket in between your legs while sleeping and experiment as to what's most comfortable. It is best to balance the weight throughout your thigh area but if that area has a significant clot or is too painful, you can try placing more weight near the knee cap area which is what I did at one point. I cannot stand sleeping on my back, but I initially forced myself to get use to it because initially, my knee cap would get sore pretty quick. Placing a pillow under your ankle area will help with circulation of blood while you are resting/sleeping. If this causes pins and needles, then your circulation is too poor to be able to do this, so don't do it!! Work the ankles (pointing toes upwards, then down, repeat) as much as you can when you are sitting or in another immobile position as by doing this you are pumping the blood from the very bottom of your body, back up to your heart. This will not only help dissolve your current DVT but will help prevent new ones! Lots of scientific articles on this. Walking achieves this motion as well as others, so the sooner you can get on your feet, and the longer you can stay on your feet, the better! But don't overdue it. I believe too much exercise with this condition can be risky to dislodge especially fresh blood clots. Heat pads are excellent to use before exercising, especially if you are stiff, like I was. You can still use them even when you are not as they will still help blood circulation. Complications happen when circulation becomes too poor so take proper care of it while it is still good! Don't allow the heat pad to get too hot where you burn yourself. Just to the point it gets a bit hot, and let it go back to room temperature is the best idea. Ice will not help blood circulation nor will it reduce your swelling with a blood clot.

He did all the tests and they were all negative. He also told me not to risk taking ibuprofen with blood thinners because of the bleeding risk.
I went home and stopped the Xarelto so I could use ibuprofen to control the pain. Next day I took ibuprofen regularly.
By the second day the pain was much better and I stopped taking the ibuprofen. 5 days later my legs really improved, so I started back on the Xarelto, by the second day, the leg pain was back. That’s when I found your post. I quit Xarelto a month ago and my legs are much better. I don’t have any more problems with stairs, standing up from sitting or getting in and out of my car. I started riding my bike and walking again and it’s such a relief to be rid of that pain. I still have the usual arthritis pain and stiffness now and then but it feels fine with a little activity.
Thanks so much for posting your question!!!

I still hurt everywhere and I have felt myself slowing down everyday. I really don’t think this new medication is helping either. I’m scared to death to find out how I’m going to feel when I come off the methylprednisolone. All of this started with the xarelto. I do believe it has most likely done some kind of permanent joint damage to me.