help please!!!!!!!!!! nervous wreck !!!!

[chinita]

Hi to all,

please ease my nerves, i just accidentally took doble my regular dose of coumadin..... what to do?!?!?!?
and also took three advil b/c i have a killing wisdom tooth ache please tell me I'm not going to bleed to death, I'm so worried, I will call my dr. first thing tomorrow and just thought someone could make me feel better about the stupidy I did ........

 

[Philip B]

Bleed to Death?

Bleed to Death?

Bleed to death...you're kidding right?

Sure an accidental double dose may temporarily elevate your INR, but your body should process your accidental double dose without causing major problems. Of course, if you've got complicating issues involving bleeding, it would be a good idea to visit with your doctor about your overdose.

Take a deep breath, unless you have some kind of complicating condition, odds are pretty good that you'll be okay despite your mistake.

-Philip

 

[Freddie]

To my knowledge, your double dose won't be totally in your system for 3 to 4 days. Half your dose for tomorrow then resume your regular dosage - someone will correct me if I'm wrong about this.
But for the Advil.........I know some members take it, but I for shy away from it. See your dentist and try taking Tylenol for the pain.

 

[Blanche]

My dear, Chinita:

The first thing you have to do is realize that what you have done has been done by hundreds of us who take anticoagulation. I actually took three doses in one day...I was in the grip of the grape, which is not your circumstance....None the less, I am still here.

Perhaps you could think of your double dose as a challenge to deal with an INR that is higher than usual...something that has happened to me and mine more than several times. First of all, we drink lots of water. Why? Because our doc said so. Keeping hydrated is a good thing, in my mind. Then what we have done is revel in the vegetables that we have been worried about. When my INR was 6.0, I ate an entire pound of spinach in a salad. I do eat spinach, but never a whole pound. It was great!!---lots of nuts, a few carrots and onions, and tons of sloppy dressing...Yum. I also made the best kale soup of my lifetime. Sadly, I probably will not ever have it again in the amount that I enjoyed.

The bottom like here, is, to my mind to make beautiful and lovely dishes out of those things that could be difficult in other times. Instead of seeing this as a problem to be solved, perhaps you might think of it as an opportunity to enjoy, in big portions, foods that you like but might otherwise pass up, or merely dine on a few.

Chinita, you know that we all mess up from time to time....and I can do that better than most!!! ( If you don't believe me, ask Ross!!!) But most screw ups result in good lessons, not in grave difficulties

Plese try to get your own INR monitor. Having a monitor does releave a whole bunch of anxiety, for the most part.

Kindest regards,
Blanche

 

[Ross]

chinita relax. We've all done this at one time or another. Simply skip todays dose and resume your normal schedule. Not a big deal.

Now if you took a whole bottle of it, then I might get a bit worried, but double dose is nothing. Doctors are still doing it to this day to some new patients.

 

[lance]

Hi Chinita
Take a deep breath, promise yourself to be more careful in the future
AND
take a half dose for 2 days and then resume your normal dose.
Try to not run with scissors or play with a chain saw--you'll be just fine.

 

[Dennis S]

I am not an expert on Warfarin. For some reason, it has always been easy for me to stay in range, and this has kept me from doing a lot of research. One think I would wonder about--how soon do you plan on having something done about your tooth? Should the double dosage have any implications as to how soon you might schedule oral surgery? I have no idea, just a question to consider.

 

[Ross]

I am not an expert on Warfarin. For some reason, it has always been easy for me to stay in range, and this has kept me from doing a lot of research. One think I would wonder about--how soon do you plan on having something done about your tooth? Should the double dosage have any implications as to how soon you might schedule oral surgery? I have no idea, just a question to consider.

A single tooth doesn't require anyone to come off Coumadin and unless she's having it done in the next 3 days and even then, it's highly unlikely to be a problem.

 

[chinita]

THANK YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

You guys make me feel better about it, as I still haven't heard back from my Dr.. I did leave her a message early today though.........

Blanche: great idea about eating greens I heart spinach too, and love greens ....so on to eating greens for the next couple days .....lol

Ross: Thank you

Phillip: yup I was just kiddin , but I was nervous

I made an appt to see the oral surgeon at his first available......? Two weeks ouch , but from now on I would just take tylenol for pain, and hope someone cancels him so he can see me sooner .

 

[Ross]

If Tylenol doesn't phase the pain, ask for some prescription Darvocet N 100.

I lived on the stuff for 2 months while my HMO jerked around about covering my hospitalization to have all my teeth removed. I had 4 infected teeth at the time.

 

[Bina]

This seems like an opportune moment to remind people to buy a little weekly pill box. Seven little compartments make it hard to double dose.
Of course, sometimes we do forget what day it is......

 

[Jkm7]

I always use a seven day pill box but that was not a help to me when I was on coumadin.
I take pills in the morning and pills at bedtime but while I was on coumadin, I took only that at dinnertime.
I had to find creative ways to remember to take it then as I was unaccustomed to dinnertime pills.

 

[chinita]

This seems like an opportune moment to remind people to buy a little weekly pill box. Seven little compartments make it hard to double dose.
Of course, sometimes we do forget what day it is......

Yes I did that for a while, and then I guess I quit doing it and just took it right from the bottle, but I am so bummed because this is the very first time this happens to me in twenty years !!!!!

 

[Ross]

I won't tell you how many times I've done it or forgot to take mine.

 

[Bina]

Yes I did that for a while, and then I guess I quit doing it and just took it right from the bottle, but I am so bummed because this is the very first time this happens to me in twenty years !!!!!

If I took the pills right from the bottle I would be screwing it up at least once a week. My short term memory is kind of crappy.
The last time that I had to take several treatments a day at staggered hours for a messed up eyeball, I had to make up a chart with tick off areas and leave it on the table with all the bottles of meds. Good thing that I am a home-body lately.

 

[catwoman]

Buy a new 7-day pillbox.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

YES indeed, 7 day pill boxes help to prevent Double Dosing (as long as you are cognizant of what day it is ;-)

I also made a monthly data sheet, numbered 1 to 31, with the name of each medicaiton at the top of each column.

With this system I've been able to keep my 'oversights' down to 2 or 3 per year, AND, catch my mistakes within one day.

 

[chinita]

OK THIS ONE IS NEW!!!!!!!!!

Do you guys think that the three advils caused me some type of ulcer.....? ugh I have very bad pain in my upper stomach and it feels like an emptiness -hunger sensation with pain

 

[njean]

Honestly, I don't know how I'd keep myself straight if I didn't have pill boxes! I have a 7-day pill box for my morning meds & a 7-day pill box for my evening meds. Works great for me!

And as for the Advil, I have always been warned by my doctors, NOT to take it so I always rely on Tylenol. Good luck to you & I hope you get your tooth issue resolved soon!

 

[chinita]

ouch.... the stomach pain is still there .... didnt sleep on bit last nite and I cant wait for it to be 9 am so I can call my dr., I really hope I get something for this. It really hurts