Inr

[dick0236]

Now if @dick0236 can post his pics that'd be grand ;-

Sorry Pel, I can't.......don't know how and to old to learn how to post pics, but I'll describe.

Warfarin is filled in pharmacy bottles locally from a larger container. Both the 1mg and 5mg are manufactured by TARO. My Rx for the 5mg is for 90 pills and the 1mg is 30 pills (I only take a couple 1mg per week). Both are written with 5 refills at a time then pharmacy must call to extend for another 5 refills. Currently my cost is -0- per Rx......100% paid by Medicare Advantage Plan.

 

[Keithl]

I just fired my GP over this.
I've been struggling trying to get him to understand this concept and he couldn't get his head around it. My INR was at 3.4 (range 2.5-3.5) he kept telling me to stop for a day and then drop my repetitive dose from 10mg to alternating 5 and 7.5. I KNOW if I did this I'd be in the 1. something range.
He threatened to stop writing scripts for warfarin. I'd had enough.
Now I'm going to a walk in clinic to a doc who "seems" to understand what's going on and he has no problems writing up the scripts.
Sorry for the rant. The doc was harder to manage than my INR!

I need to chat with my GP and see if she will write my scripts. My cardio is associated with a hospital chain that refuses to do self managed INR and needs me to be with a service. I showed my charts and notes, they thought it was great, but they are forbidden from supporting self management.

 

[Warrick]

I get 450 1mg, 180 3mg, and 90 5mg tabs all in one go, $5 per script so $15 the lot, plus the $45 to see the gp for them to write it, play solitare and check my blood pressure.

 

[Protimenow]

At this time of year it makes a change from people's holiday pics!

And interesting how prescribing policies vary so much. Comparatively restricted quantities here in the UK, though 90% of people get free prescriptions (at the point of supply), but Protimenow can get hundreds at a time (but presumably has to pay?)

Yes, Pellicle. I DO pay. $1.25 per prescription of warfarin.

 

[user 16827]

Hi L

Hi Leadville,I’ve just got back off holiday last night . I must admit I’ve tested everyday since Monday and took 5mg a day instead of my normal 8.5mg as I was still enjoying my holiday if you know what I mean .It came down gradually till Thursday the day we set off home and because I’ve not had a beer since Wednesday night its dropped quite quick today to 3.0 from 4.1 yesterday. I’m going back to my normal dose tonight . I make myself sound like I drink a lot but I normally only have a few beers at weekends. I will have to stop going on all these holidays

This endorses self testing & self dosing IMO, being able to pick up on high/low INR and rectify the problem
quickly and efficiently .

You tested high on holiday, adjusted the dose and were able to monitor your INR daily

 

[pellicle]

You tested high on holiday, adjusted the dose and were able to monitor your INR daily

and keep enjoying the holiday AND the beer ;-)

 

[pellicle]

I just wanted to add a bit more here:

This endorses self testing & self dosing IMO, being able to pick up on high/low INR and rectify the problem
quickly and efficiently .

You tested high on holiday, adjusted the dose and were able to monitor your INR daily

I was enabled to leave Australia and travel to FInland with essentially no issues at all BECAUSE of self testing. It enabled me to be free to go where I wished as I had done BEFORE surgery. I was not shackled to a clinic by having a mechanical valve and in all likelihood will never be shackled to ongoing surgeries either.

I have constantly advocated for self testing and self administration because it has enabled me to live my life as I had before I got a mechanical valve. Stuff I put on my blog (such as this post) comes from everything I learned from everything that I was able to do because I was self testing.

Self testing has allowed me to learn as much as I have and enabled me to be a better advocate of my own health matters (as outlined in that post AS WELL AS solve the daily issues which come up in my INR (such as this one which occurred while I was in Finland). But as I was already an experienced manager of myself it just wasn't an issue.

If you are over 60 and living a routine life in the same place and have very regular habits and don't travel then perhaps its ok to relinquish more and more control over your life to a system ... but for me, no.

Best Wishes

 

[Paul1972]

Couldn’t agree with you more Pellicle