Slight increases in INR, two main culprits?

[zee112]

So I've begun to consume a lot more 100% natural peanut butter and almond milk. I've read that Vitamin E is a natural blood thinner. Two weeks on and this has increased my INR from 2.5 to 2.9. Not a dangerous increase, still within range, but interesting nonetheless.

Do you guys think the vitamin E content in the peanut butter and Almond milk is contributing to the increase in my INR? - Quite fascinating.

 

[pellicle]

Do you guys think the vitamin E content in the peanut butter and Almond milk is contributing to the increase in my INR? - Quite fascinating.

hard to be sure ... its not what is called a "clinically significant change" and (to me) well within the variations I see when I've kept my diet ROCK SOLID for weeks (god wasn't that boring)

here in Finland I eat pretty simmilarly and if you take a peek at my 2016 results (last 3 months were here) its got a few ups and downs.

I presonally reckon its "normal" ... the more you monitor the more you'll get a feel of your trends

 

[dick0236]

To me, a variance between tests of 2.5 to a 2.9 would be quite normal. I test every Wednesday @ +/- 9AM and have included my last six tests.....all at 37 mg warfarin/weekly.
3,2
2.4
3.3
3.4
2.5
2.8

My range is 2.5-3.5 and you see that I've had had a swing between 2.4 to 3.4 during this time......and, for me, that's a pretty normal swing over a few weeks. Why I have any swings at all is beyond me as my diet, activity, etc is relatively stable.......but so long as I stay in, or close to, my range, it's OK.

 

[ashadds]

To me, a variance between tests of 2.5 to a 2.9 would be quite normal. I test every Wednesday @ +/- 9AM and have included my last six tests.....all at 37 mg warfarin/weekly.
3,2
2.4
3.3
3.4
2.5
2.8

My range is 2.5-3.5 and you see that I've had had a swing between 2.4 to 3.4 during this time......and, for me, that's a pretty normal swing over a few weeks. Why I have any swings at all is beyond me as my diet, activity, etc is relatively stable.......but so long as I stay in, or close to, my range, it's OK.

can you explain stable ? Do you eat the same thing everyday ? As an example right now I may eat different cuisines every day ..chinese one day , pizza the next and indian food the third day....would this create INR instability

 

[dick0236]

can you explain stable ? Do you eat the same thing everyday ? As an example right now I may eat different cuisines every day ..chinese one day , pizza the next and indian food the third day....would this create INR instability

I guess I mean my life is pretty routine from day to day. I am 81 and fully retired. My daily diet includes pork, beef, fish or chicken (in that order) with a starch (potatoes, pasta) and a vegetable or salad, preferably green. Usually home cooked or at local eateries.....seldom exotic. I usually eat only one full meal per day.....and have done this most of my life. I have an afternoon snack, usually popcorn and another snack in evening.....plus a couple cups of coffee in the morning. Most think my diet is crazy but it works for me and I've never had to diet......and my weight has changed from 145 lbs in high school to 170 now. I don't think diet has a lot to do with INR unless you make a significant long term change......altho maybe we can "tweak" our INR a little by adding or deleting a little vit K from time to time. Eat what you like and adjust your warfarin to that diet. You will find that, over time, you will develop a routine that works for you.

 

[pellicle]

can you explain stable ? Do you eat the same thing everyday ? As an example right now I may eat different cuisines every day ..chinese one day , pizza the next and indian food the third day....would this create INR instability

well anyone worth his salt will attempt to answer these questions for themselves if they can, rather than simply rely on what someone else tells them. (Hey, I've got this great investment, send me $500,000 to my swiss account and I promise you it will return 25% per anum ...)

Back in 2014 I had a bunch of strips that were going to run out of date before I used them up at my weekly testing rate. So I planned an experiment. I took my INR at first every 2nd day and then spaced every third (which seemed to well cover the rate of change of INR).

I spent a month eating nothing more than plain yoghurt (unsweetened) and oats for breakfast, meat and potatoes for all other meals. No spices, no greens no booze (dam!).
Then I spent the next month eating heaps of greens on days, steaks, lots of curries (that I made myself with plenty of chilli, tumeric and cumin) and pizza (frozen augmented with extra bacon and salami) and stuff like that.

When comparing the readings of the two months I could see nothing which suggested that either was more "disturbing" or "calming" in my INR.

People make the mistake of thinking that the body is a simple balance ... it is FAR from simple and has many methods of correcting inbalances. As I've published here many times the amount of Vitamin K needed to have a clnically significant influence on INR is large. To obtain that from food you need to eat something like a kilogram of fresh spinach in one day. Then keep that up every day to drive your INR down.

INR has a fluctuation, if you plot it you will see over time that rythms appear. Everyone is (potentially) different, so the best thing to do is to do it yourself and know thyself.

I encourage you to not just swallow what ever anyone says (but hey, do send that 500,000 to my swiss account cos that's a sure winner) and to do the research yourself on yourself. Engage in discussions about that and decide if your experimental design was wrong if you don't agree with the results. I mean you're on this drug for life, you may as well understand it right?


Best Wishes

 

[Jamey T]

I agree with both Dick and pellicle. Those variances looked like normal tests to me. My range is 2.5 to 3.5, and I am more comfortable at 4.0 than at 2.0. This stuff isn't as bad as people make it seem when they haven't been on it. My life hasn't changed since my surgery, except I never took any medicines before.