? about Coumadin and antibiotics

[alicia]

Please help give me some advise. My dentist put me on Penicillin and Vicodin for dental pain (he hit a nerve doing a filling). My last INR was 3.5 so how does the penicillin affect the INR/PT? Does it make the level go up or down? Im due to have it checked next week since Im leaving town tomorrow night and wont be back until next week. I know eating excessive amounts of green veges will lower the INR/PT but what raises it? I asked my family Dr today about this since I was in his office for a follow up visit and he gave me no clear definitive answer. He said I should be fine until I get it checked next Thursday (that scares me a little).
Thoughts?

Alicia

 

[bvdr]

Hi Alicia,

You might check this site:

http://neuro-oas.mgh.harvard.edu/stopstroke/coumadin5.html

By the way....how did your Duke follow-up visit go? I hope you are doing well.

 

[Ross]

Penicillin shouldn't do anything to your INR unless you have severe diarrhea while taking it. Mycin and Sulfa based antibiotics on the other hand, will cause your INR to increase.

 

[alicia]

Thanks Ross for the information. Betty, My appointment at Duke went very well. My echo was great. My EF is normal (above 55%) chest xray was clear and ekg was normal. Dr Bayshore was very pleased with the test results and said my heart is functioning much better now and he was so pleased with my weight loss. If I can just get this Coumadin managed I will be fine. Its a battle for me. If it gets too high I get intestinal pains and nosebleeds. Sorry for the whining. Hope you are well and faired well from the storm.

Alicia