Warfarin

[yardrunner]

 

Had  a chest complaint and saw a doctor and told him i was on warfarin. herbal tablets among the medicines prescribed. went away and 3 weeks later had my IRN blood test, levels slightly higher and increased heart rate but was told leave till next visit to see if things had settled down, had a tickly cough a fortnight later and went to my local pharmacy to buy the halls throat sweets i usually use but they had run out, recommended some chinese throat tablets with ginseng, question asked do they react with warfarin, answer NO. two days later i was very short of breath and thought i was due a heart attack so straight to hospital emergency room, and they took me in for tests IRN level doubled and palpitations, three days in hospital for tests and investigation, result Ginseng can have a severe reaction with warfarin also any herbal remedy should be avoided if you are on warfarin as strengths vary between batches and can cause very adverse reactions

So be warned take what the pharmacists say with a pinch of salt and be ready to go elsewhere and with doctors find a good specialist and be ready to query what the doctors and pharmacists say

 

[Langsuan Man]

You might try a larger type so we can read it or has the warfarin effected you eyesight so it looks fine to you ?

[yardrunner]

1 hour ago, Langsuan Man said:

You might try a larger type so we can read it or has the warfarin effected you eyesight so it looks fine to you ?

satire is the lowest form of wit

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, yardrunner said:

satire is the lowest form of wit

A well thought out and pertinent response !...  

 

 

Or is it Sarcasm that is the lowest form of Wit ?

 

 

Back on Topic: Warfarin is lethal, when taking it people have to be so careful with almost anything they consume, Alcohol, green vegetables... the safest option when taking Warfarin is to remain as 'consistent' as possible in your diet and consumption of any other medicines, herbs etc.

 

If I am not mistaken there are some new alternatives to Warfarin on the market which are less 'temperamental'.

[Langsuan Man]

1 hour ago, yardrunner said:

satire is the lowest form of wit

hardly satire or sarcasm,  just simply unreadable 

 

[yardrunner]

5 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

You might try a larger type so we can read it or has the warfarin effected you eyesight so it looks fine to you ?

Had  a chest complaint and saw a doctor and told him i was on warfarin. herbal tablets among the medicines prescribed. went away and 3 weeks later had my IRN blood test, levels slightly higher and increased heart rate but was told leave till next visit to see if things had settled down, had a tickly cough a fortnight later and went to my local pharmacy to buy the halls throat sweets i usually use but they had run out, recommended some chinese throat tablets with ginseng, question asked do they react with warfarin, answer NO. two days later i was very short of breath and thought i was due a heart attack so straight to hospital emergency room, and they took me in for tests IRN level doubled and palpitations, three days in hospital for tests and investigation, result Ginseng can have a severe reaction with warfarin also any herbal remedy should be avoided if you are on warfarin as strengths vary between batches and can cause very adverse reactions

So be warned take what the pharmacists say with a pinch of salt and be ready to go elsewhere and with doctors find a good specialist and be ready to query what the doctors and pharmacists say,

 

hope that this is better, if not i will increase the font size and try again

[Sheryl]

Please keep it civil.

 

Herbal medications can indeed have serious interactions with other drugs including, but not limited to, warfarin.

 

Thai doctors on the whole tend in my experience to discount/be rather cavalier regarding  drug side effects and interactions. True full-fledged pharmacists are usually better in this regard - in fact some are quite knowledgable -   but rarely is that who is behind the pharmacy counter, in fact often the person behind the pharmacy counter has no formal training at all (true even if wearing a white coat).

 

Bottom line  is, I am afraid, that you need to do your own research, for every med you take, reading up on adverse effects and interactions. This is a good write-up on warfarin:

 

https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anticoagulants-warfarin-/Pages/Introduction.aspx

 

 

[NewGuy]

One should also be aware of adverse food-warfarin interactions. Cranberries, kale - actually, so many foods to avoid and difficult to remember them all.  A bunch of 'be careful' items such as olive oil and broccoli don't seem to cause me issues.

[Langsuan Man]

As a long time Warfarin user for DVT there are several life style problems with the drug, not just medical ones

 

The first and foremost it the requirement for regular INR testing,   Your INR (  international normalized ratio) must stay between 2.0 and 3.0 and should be checked at a minimum of once a month, although I tested every two weeks, which is preferred since any food you may have eaten before the test can effect your levels.  Especially suspect are leafy greens, broccoli, and spinach. as listed by other posters

 

The warafarin will also cause you to be a bleeder, no matter how small a cut you get it will bleed for a long time because of the drug in your system.  The chemical in Warfarin was developed as a rat poison that was popular because it caused not only the death of the rats but prevented the decay smell since the chemical limits the putrefaction process

 

Most US doctors no longer prescribe Warfarin or Coumadin (generic Warfarin)  because of the testing requirements and food intake problems and are changing most patients to drugs such as: 

Apixaban (Eliquis)

Dabigatran (Pradaxa)

Edoxaban (Savaysa)

Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)

 

see: https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/features/warfarin-new-blood-thinners#1

 

My Hematologist took me off of Coumadin after 6 years and no new clots and stated that if they should return he would prescribe one of the above listed alternatives .     I am happy that I can now work around the house and only have to clean up once, where in the past,  I had to clean up twice,  once for the project and again for the blood all over the project 

[NewGuy]

Hi Yangsuan Man,

 

In Canada the docs say to get the INR test once a week; I do it every 10 days. 1 of 4 or 5 tests is a bit high (though I went to BPH for a Vitamin K shot when the clinic told me 8.0), 1 in 10 is a bit low. Boy, am I good in adjusting my doses - track them in a spreadsheet. When I am sick it goes higher.

 

One reason I stick with Warfarin is because it's effects can be stopped immediately with Vitamin K (the nasty in some veggies that you should avoid too). If I had to have an operation this is a good option to have.  I looked at a couple of the drugs on your list but it seemed that only time without dosing can remove the drug's effects (I think you don't have worry about foods, though). 

 

Cheers

 

 

[Sheryl]

The main advantage to warfarin IMO is simply its affordability, the newer drugs are costly. Quite a few TV members on warafrin who are already stretched financially and would not be able to pay for the alternatives.

[rodknock]

i have been on warfarin since a dvt in 2005.

it is not expensive in Thailand.

i also bought my own tester and test every week, simple.

i feel more confident testing every week opposed to the other drugs where no testing is done.

there was a driver in NASCAR who was on one of those drugs and sponsored by them, op's had a relapse and can no longer drive.