coumadin & calcium

[LeoLillac]

Hi everyone , does anyone know if coumadin calcium/magnessium are safe to take . My nurse practiner says
no bu tdid not really explain why
Thanks Dara ( new york city )
Dr Fuster ( my angel )
Dr Griepp Surgeon
Tricuspid valve St JUde
Feb 9th 2001

 

[cookie]

Hi There!
I am taking all 3 supplements with the permission of my anti-coagulation clinic. Have not noticed any affect on my INR levels.

 

[Christina]

To Dara....

To Dara....

Hi Dara,

I personally have not had any interaction with Coumadin and Calcium. Have been taking it for years and continued after my surgeries.
Instead of taking a hand full of pills every day I switched to Seasilver (liquid) last October and it didn't make any difference in my INR. I do my own testing.
You must remember that nurses and doctor's don't learn much about nutrition in college. They get about 5-6 credit hours, if that!
The female body (after age 25) needs the additional calcium/magnesium as our soil/foods simply don't supply us with the necessary nutrients anymore.
Make sure you chose a calcium that is readily absorbed by the body like Calcium citrate or Calcium Lactate. I spoke to a clinical nutritionist last weekend when I was in Calfornia and she told me she preferred the Calcium Lactate over the Calcium Citrate.
Hope this helps!

Christina


_____________
AVR's 8/7/00 & 8/18/00
TMC, Tucson, AZ
Dr. Gulshan Sethi (Surgeon)
Dr. Lou Lancero (Cardiologist)

 

[Lynne S]

For the first few weeks after surgery I had some trouble getting my INR up to theraputic level and maintaining it. I talked to a nutritionist and she said that calcium can sometimes interact with coumadin. She suggested that I take the calcium at least 4 hours after taking coumadin.
Eventually the INR stabilized and I have continued to take calcium later in the day or in the evening and coumadin in the morning.

 

[Blanche]

Eighteen months ago, they discovered from a bone density test that Al has osteoporosis. He has been taking calcium three times a day since. His recent bone density scan showed great improvement. He has never had any difficulty with INR that can be traced to calcium. Frankly, I think that everyone who is taking coumadin/warfarin consider taking calcium...my opinion, not a medical one.
Blanche

 

[Guest]

I think that some people get confused because calcium is a factor in blood clotting but it is not one of the factors that affects, or is affected by, warfarin.

 

[Blanche]

Yet another variable to consider

Yet another variable to consider

From the Associated Press, January 29,2003 (Arizona Republic)

"Vitamin A can interfere with cells that produce new bone, stimulate cells that breakdown old bone and interfere with Vitamin D, which helps the body maintain normal CALCIUM levels."

Title of Article:"Vitamin A May Hike Bone Risk

"Taking Vitamin A supplements can weaken the bones and increase the risk of fractures up to seven times, according to a large Sweedish study.

The Research, conducted on men, confirms three earlier studies in women showing that high intake of vitamin A raises the risk of broken hips and wark bones. The latest study is the first to measure levels of the vitamin in blood, rather than just asking about diet, and supplement use.

The three-decade studyand other evidence suggest that daily vitamin A consumption of more than 1.5 milligrams can be dangerous and that most people should NOT take vitamin A supplements.

Current diatry recommendations call for only 0.7 mg of vitamin A for women and 0.9 mg for men a day. That is easily supplied by a healthy diet. But many popular multivitamins contain 0.75mg to 1.5 mg of vitamin A, generally listed on labels as 2,500 international units and 5.000 IUs, respectively.

"Vitamin A is potentially harmful," said Dr. Donald Louria, chairman emeritus of preventive medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. "Unless there is a known medical reason like certain diseases of the eye, people should not be taking vitamin A supplements."

The study by doctors at the University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, was reported in today's "New England Journal of Medicine." It involved 2,322 men."

This study certainly has implications for people, like us, who have osteopenia, osteoporosis, or for those people who are concerned about their calcium intake.

 

[Sunshine susan]

I have been on coumadin for just about 4 years now. Due to a diagnosis of osterporosis a few months ago, I was put on a new med called Actonel and "mega" calcium. I use calcium citrate only. I have not noticed any coumadin interaction nor was I advised it would be any problem. I get INR tested regularly. Hope this helps.........Susan

 

[Freddie]

I'm refreshing this thread for a special member.

 

[marie]

I take mega doses of calcium citrate, did before I was on coumadin and still take it. Drs, coumadin clinic all know about that.

 

[Guest]

This was just published last week

This was just published last week

Does Prolonged Warfarin Exposure Potentiate Coronary Calcification in Humans? Results of the Warfarin and Coronary Calcification Study.Villines TC, O'Malley PG, Feuerstein IM, Thomas S, Taylor AJ.
Cardiology Service, Department of Medicine, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Building 2, Room 4A, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20307, USA, [email protected].

Warfarin has been shown to accelerate vascular calcification in experimental animals, and possibly humans, through inhibition of the vitamin K-dependent protein matrix gla protein, a potent inhibitor of tissue calcification. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients without coronary heart disease, currently taking or referred for warfarin therapy. The primary end point was severity of CAC measured by electron beam computed tomography attributed to duration of warfarin use, after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Seventy patients (46 men, mean age 68 +/- 13 years) were enrolled from three groups of warfarin use duration: (1) <6 months (n = 31, mean duration 1 +/- 1 months), (2) 6-24 months (n = 11), and (3) >24 months (n = 28, mean 67 +/- 40 months). Overall, the mean total CAC score (Agatston) was 293 +/- 560: group 1 (175 +/- 285), group 2 (289 +/- 382), and group 3 (426 +/- 789). In univariate analysis, there was a nonsignificant trend to increased CAC with increasing warfarin exposure (P = 0.18). Bivariate analysis revealed no correlation between warfarin duration and CAC score (r = 0.075, P = 0.537). Linear regression for the independent variable coronary calcium score controlling for warfarin treatment duration and intensity (duration of warfarin use months x mean INR), Framingham risk score, and creatinine clearance showed that only the Framingham risk score was associated with CAC (P = 0.001). Among patients without known coronary heart disease, duration of warfarin exposure was not associated with extent of coronary calcification.