My Mother's INR

[esron]

Hi everyone,

I know I can get some answer here. My mom had her protime this morning and her INR is 5.1. She was taking 5mg Saturday thru Wed. and 2.5mg thursday and friday. Now that her INR went up her doctor told her today, that she need to hold today and tomorrow. She would take 2.5mg starting saturday until her next protime test on Dec. 19.

Is that ok not to take coumadin for two days? This is bothering me. Please help.


Thank you,

Estrella

 

[Ross]

It's hard to say because we all metabolize the Coumadin differently. Speaking for myself when I was 5.2, I held one dose and resumed normal schedule minus 10% over the week. I tested 2.4 on the next test a week later.

If I hold one dose, I tend to bottom out rather quickly. Your mom may or may not be the same way. If you do as they suggest, she should be way below range when she's tested again. There telling her to hold 2 days and cut her dose by nearly 50%. While I don't know your moms case, I would find this to be dangerous.

Is she bleeding at all?

 

[Georgia]

whoa - he's having her hold two days and then reducing her to 2.5 mgs. per day when she's been taking 5.0 5 days per week? That's an awfully big decrease.

I really don't hold - I prefer to take 1/2 dose for two days than hold for one. And I think Ross is right - decrease the dose over the week by 10 - 15 %.

You might want to give her a glass of V8 or serving of broccoli or spinach - it'll help get it down.

 

[esron]

Hi Ross;

Thank you for the quick reply.
Her test supposed to be next friday and I called her doctor that I'm not her next friday so she let us in today. If we didn't took her in today she would continue her doseage everyday until next friday. She probably end up bleeding. She ate a little bit of green beans for lunch today... that might lower her INR a little bit? I will feel better if she continue 2.5mg a day than not take at all.

Estrella

 

[Guest]

It appears that the lower the dose someone takes, the longer it is safe to hold warfarin. The reason they take the small dose is because they metabolize it slowly.

But dropping from 35 mg/wk to 17.5 mg/wk is probably too much.
For an INR of 5.1 I would probably take the dose down to 30 mg/wk.
Sun = 5 mg
Mon = 2.5 mg
Tue = 5
Wed = 5
Thur = 5
Fri = 2.5
Sat = 5

Then I would re-test after 1 week on the new dose.