Heparin Questions

[katiewintle]

Hi all, I hope you will be able to help me. My husband and myself will be trying for a baby in the not too distant future and I will need to go on Heparin twice a day. I have a couple of questions, which I hope someone will be able to answer for me or give me advice.

1) I know I will have to inject myself with Heparin twice a day but what time is best to do it? I am on warfarin at the moment and take that at 6pm each night.

2) How often will my INR be checked and how do I go about the dosing? I am on 8mg warfarin Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun and 9mg Mon and Thurs.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Katie
xxx

 

[ALCapshaw2]

FYI, Heparin works on a different part of the Clotting function than Warfarin and does NOT affect INR so there is NO INR testing with Heparin Injections. Low Molecular Weight Heparin (Lovenox) Injection Dose is based on Body Weight - 100 mg for 220 lbs (1mg / Kilogram of body weight if I remember correctly - be sure to verify that!)

The 2 injections should be spaced by 12 hours +/- 1?

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Cris N]

Hi Katie,
Actually, it isn't 'just' Heparin - that is used by IV in the hospital. You will be using the injections of enoxaparin - brand name is Lovenox. There's a generic available. It's a replacement, sort of, for warfarin. It works in a different way to prevent clots so it isn't detected by INR testing. The dosage is done based on the person's body weight.

The ideal time for injection is at 12 hour intervals... for example, 6am & 6pm.

The injections are known to produce large bruises in the abdomen (that's where the injections go) but there are some techniques to reduce or eliminate the bruising. Search the forum for Lovenox and you'll get that info.

Obviously your medical team will give you the details. I hope you have prescription insurance - even with the generic it's still quite expensive - especially if you're looking at a minimum of 3 months.

 

[normofthenorth]

You two must have posted at virtually the same time -- and with virtually the same info, too!

Cris, I think you just tipped me off about where a couple of little mystery marks and maybe bleeding spots on the left side of my gut came from, post-op. I remembered the two monster drainage tubes, and the two spots where the pacemaker wires came out, but I'd forgotten where I'd been stabbed for the Low Molecular Weight Heparin (Lovenox) Injections, while they were waiting for the Warfarin to build up my INR. Thanks for that!

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Hey Katie,
I've replied on the GUCH bored, but i'll post here too
Im on heparin full time now as me and warfarin don't get along lol, but i only have one dose a day (at the moment im on 0.6ml's)

I have a community nurse who comes and puts an insuflon canular in my arm one a week as my cardiologist and heamatologist didn't wanting me have "X" ammount of bruises from the injections everyday, so i just get one big one every week lol, but if my canular comes out early then i just inject into my stomache; which is probably what you'll be doing.

I have my injection at around 5:30 every night, and i have my factor 10 (the blood test that is done to ensure you are on the right dose of heprin) done every 4 weeks, i was told with the heparin as long as youtake it at the same time everyday it doesn't matter what time you take it, my friend has his at 9:00 in the morning, so it just depend when you know a time where you can take it at that time everyday.

I don't understand about the question RE the INR testing cause i don't do INR anymore as i've said it's the factor 10 blood test that gets the heprin levels,
Hope i've helped a bit
Good luck,
Luv Sarah xx

 

[Sarah_Louise]

Hi Katie,
Actually, it isn't 'just' Heparin - that is used by IV in the hospital. You will be using the injections of enoxaparin - brand name is Lovenox. There's a generic available. It's a replacement, sort of, for warfarin. It works in a different way to prevent clots so it isn't detected by INR testing. The dosage is done based on the person's body weight.

The ideal time for injection is at 12 hour intervals... for example, 6am & 6pm.

The injections are known to produce large bruises in the abdomen (that's where the injections go) but there are some techniques to reduce or eliminate the bruising. Search the forum for Lovenox and you'll get that info.

Obviously your medical team will give you the details. I hope you have prescription insurance - even with the generic it's still quite expensive - especially if you're looking at a minimum of 3 months.

Hey...
As i said before im on heparin full time and im on "innohep tinzaparin heprin sodium" to give it it's full tittle
When i've asked in the future, i've been told it different to enoxaparin, what your talking about :/...

Also regarding the bruises, when i have to inject in my stomache i find i don't bruise as much if i pinch the skin a little where its going to go, and go in horizontally, NOT diagonally as i was told to go diagonally and some of the bruises i got weren't nice, so i go in horizonatally,
Luv Sarah xx