hot weather, inr goes down

[Gail in Ca]

Well, I remembered why my INR was so low, at 1.9 2 wks ago, we had a hot spell of 90* plus for a few days. The weather is now a nice high 70's and my INR was back in range at 2.4.
So, if this affects some of us, should we be taking more coumadin when it's going to be hot for a few days, or just risk the low INR? This has happened to me in FL, too, when I visited my sis, my INR was 1.7, when normally it was always in range at home in cooler weather.
Just wondering...

 

[Bina]

I've never needed to adjust for weather conditions, just stay hydrated and test often as necessary.

 

[dick0236]

After a long time on warfarin, I'm not sure how, or if, weather affects my INR. Here in Kentucky, we have had a few weeks of very hot, humid weather, well above 90F, and my INR went from 2.8 to 3.5 in the last two weeks.....so mine went up in hot weather. But I am not sure that is always true. In the last two years, my INR has ranged from 2.4 to 3.9(normal range 2.5-3.5) without any dosage changes (dose has been 5mg since May, 2008). That's thru at least eight different seasons. In your case, weather changes may be something you need to keep in mind.

 

[Philip B]

Heat & INR

Heat & INR

I've not noticed that heat has had any affect on lowering my INR since moving to Arizona. Mine's been on the high end of my range since my arrival. Temps have been in 100+ range. It may be interesting to see if warmer weather has an affect on my metabolic rate over time. Of course, it might be hard to distinguish whether it changes because of weather or the increased activities I can do year around.

-Philip

 

[Ross]

Most often, you'll find it's the food sources that are cause for INR changes during summer. Produce and such comes from all over the country and world, so you have different nutrient values in the foods

 

[Lily]

Wondering if it could be related to the heat combined with humidity? And subsequent sweating?

Maybe reactions could be different in regard to whatever valve we have that is defective, the cause of the valve malfunction, and any subsequent related cardio issues? I was thinking about the labile hypertension that I've read can be common within the bicuspid disorder. I had or have that and have also always become unusually swollen and puffy in the heat and humidty, perspiring profusely. My minerals seem to be unstable also. Whether that might be related to my hypertensive meds, I don't know.

 

[nngbwh]

Very interesting. I will keep my eyes open during the hot summer.

 

[lisou]

I agree with Ross, I'm not a pro here, but I think it has to do with what we eat when it's hot out there.

 

[Cris N]

I've had a number of instances where my INR goes up, not down in very hot weather. There's some anecdotal evidence supporting this: http://www.ptinr.com/data/templates/article.aspx?a=265&z=1

Apparently hot weather can trigger a rise or fall - google hot weather and inr

 

[Ross]

Just to give you an idea, I've been steady at 2.9 for weeks, then suddenly, I'm 3.6. It's been hot and humid here and the only thing different that I can identify is where the local produce is coming from. Usually, it's all local produce, but lately, most is from Mexico.

 

[Freddie]

This is interesting.
From April 29 to June 10 I've been on 39mg/wk. Weather during that time was cool and raining (even had to put the furnace back on during that time) and my range varied from 3.0 to 2.7.
The last 2 weeks the weather has greatly improved and I've been doing some yard alternations in the warm/hot humid weather and have noticed my INR slowly dropping. Granted, technically I'm still in range but would like to be around the 3.0 mark, today I'm 2.4. Nothing in my diet has changed except on having the one beer on the weekends.
My personal conclusion: activity + heat = lower INR

 

[Ross]

Mines gone up. Time to bring on the extra portions of good green things.