Ot/coumadin

Does anyone take this medication. Jeff do you?? My mom started this and it is scaring me. Nosebleed out of nowhere. Not sure there are any other options for blood thinners.

Thanks in advance

Carol
hey Carol, I only know that it's a blood thinner, usually RXed for the elderly.

Just wanted to say HI, and hope you and mom are doing good. :-)
Coumadin/Warifin are blood thinners. Warifin is also an ingredient used in rat poison. There was a bad batch of Warifin out of China that was sold to the USA the beginning of the year. It was supposed to all be sent back, however some facilities musn't have received the memo...a really good friend of mine just lost her mate due to the bad drug. I would call her doctor asap and see if there is another alternative (perhaps Plavix), or if there are any drug interactions with other medicines she may be taking. I also would contact the pharmacy and ask them the same thing and also have them check that the medicine she is receiving is not the recalled lot.
The whole coumadin thing is unnerving. watch you eat, watch your meds, constant lab work. its a full time job in itself. Carol hey there doing ok !!
Coumadin is usually prescribed for folks that have a high platelet count or develop blood clots easilty. Discuss your concerns with her doctor. If she is having frequent nosebleeds, they may need to adjust her dosage. I'm sure (or would hope) that her doctor decided that the benefits of taking it outweighs the risks. He may be concerned about blood clots which can form anywhere in the circulatory system. Get one in the head, and have a stroke. Get one in the heart and have a heart attack. Blood clots in the legs are very common and very painful, could end up loosing a limb, etc. You must be very careful that she not cut herself. If she's ever in an accident, make sure to tell EMS that she is on this drug. Any hospital visits or doctor's appt, make sure they know. You can ask about Plavix, but it really doesn't thin the blood, it works in the same way that aspirin does, it makes the platelets not as sticky so they don't stick together. Just a little bit of advise. Michelle
Yes, Carol, I am right there with you with the constant dr. appt., tests, meds, etc.,,,,,it's a never ending job, almost like having another child to over see and tend to. Thank God we get to do it, though, huh? And thank God, or rather thank the US for passing the Medicare RX program. We were paying almost 1K a month for all the meds before for one mom, and 800 for another. Now it's a tiny portion of that with the supplemental coverage.
Hang in there, Sweetie!
Carol,
It takes awhile to get the dosage normalized. They should be really watching her INR and you need to pay attention to her symptoms.

Also, things to consider:
other meds: anything that would think blood she should not be taking or her doctor needs to know. things like aspirin, nsaids - ibuprofen, allieve, etc., antacids, laxatives, large amts of vitamin C or E or even vitamin K.

Diet:
avoid grapefruit, and cranberry products,

Also,
avoid supplements like garlic, gingko, ginseng, fish oil, chondrotin sulfate, ginger and fish oil, and even green tea! All those things can cause thinning of blood.

I have to watch blood thinners so that's why I know what to avoid. There's probably more. If she is taking OTC stuff or supplements check with her doc just to make sure. It's has to be taken really consistently and takes a bit to get regulated. So be patient and hang in there.

It will be cheaper than many of the "new" trendy blood thinners if she is headed into the donut with Medicare. Just an fyi. It's an old drug used for thinning the blood for heart patients, transplant patients, and more.

amy
Thank you all for the replies. Last night she had bright red urine so I took her to ER. They said she had too high a dose in her and to skip a dose that evening and lower it until a test Tues. Also to take iron as she is anemic (sp) and had a UTI. Wow always something going on. Poor mom kept saying are you mad at me and I just felt so bad for her. I am like why would I be mad. Better to know right now where she is on the coumadin than to keep taking a ovrdose for a few days until her Dr is back in.

Carol
My husband has been on it for about 8 years following a stroke he had in 2000. They have to take regular test each month to make sure his blood stays as it should like not to thick or not to thin.. You have to be careful if she is having nose bleeds out of nowhere ect.. then she should contact her dr. immediately.. other signs are unexpected bleeding from other parts like bleeding under the skin etc.. it may mean she is on too high a dose, he has to inform all his dr.s that he is on it... If he was to go in and have surgery he has to come off of them for at least 5 days to make sure his blood is thickened up so he will not bleed to death..If he has to have emergency surgery then they would have to give him something to thicken up his blood before hand, I am not trying to scare you but she should not be having nose bleeds out of nowhere and you need to call her dr.. to high of a dose can be very dangerous, if her blood is to thin it can be very dangerous.. There are other signs to look for, but you should make sure her doctor knows she is having problems.. right away...
they did lower the dose and we get it tested today. she has alot of those under the skin red things, she always has had that, just more lately. what really bites is my intense dislike for this dr. i always had a feeling with this chump, my mom loves him for 12 yrs now. however after a malpractice search he has had three cases in 3 yrs and one resulted in death. he looks at me with daggars becuz i totally question everything he does. i am like the devil to him becuz he knows i am not 80 and helpless and let him try to even start some crap. I am 100 percent legally, morally and emotionally here for my mom. he gave hr indocin the other day which even the pharamcist says it reacts badly with coumadin. so we didn't take it. it was for gout. i jut feel like i should not have to babysit this dr. we now have a home rn once a week who will mediate with the dr. thanks for your replies