Help!!!

[twinmaker]

I just tested and my INR is 5.3. It hasn't been this high in a long time. According to the dosing schedule I have, it says to hold a dose for 1-2 days and then decrease the dose by 5-15% and retest in 2-8 days. Does this sound right? I'm new at adjusting my own dose, and I'm trying not to panic. Any help would be appreciated. LINDA

 

[jeffp]

If I were at 5.3 and skipped one dose, I'd be down close to 2.0. My INR drops like a rock. It depends on how much you take; the more you're on the faster it falls. If you've been doing fine on your current dose, the way I handle a 5-6 is 1/2 dose one day then back on normal afterwards. Sometimes just a big spinach salad and a bit more exercise and no dose change gets me right from that range. I think a 2 day hold and a 15% drop is going to send you bouncing up and down for a while.
Is this just a one time thing from a fairly normal level, or have you been up a while?

 

[geebee]

I would take a half dose tomorrow and then go back on the old dose. Test again in 3-4 days and, if it is still too high, you can adjust then. It could be a fluke test or something you ate. It's not often easy to tell. If you don't feel comfortable not decreasing your dose, then decrease it by 5% and retest in one week.

This is a good time for V-8 juice if you like it or those greens you might otherwise resist.

 

[twinmaker]

Jeff, I kind of bounce around but not much. I could be as low as 2.0 or even 1.9 and then sometimes I go up to 4.0, but that's about it. I'm on 12.5 mg. every day. I'm a fast metabolizer according to my cardiologist. I rarely stay at the same level but I'm usually between my 2.5 and 3.5 levels. LINDA