Vitamin K/ Iron

[Gemma]

OK, I know this is probably something I should know by now, and I have no idea why I've only just thought about it, but is Vitamin K the SAME as iron or is it just that they're both present in large quantities in the same foods?
Just wondering because I'd never heard of Vitamin K before reading about it here, and it also occurred to me that alcoholic drinks like Guinness are high in iron, even occasionally suggested by doctors for people with mild anaemia because of their iron content - so although alcoholic, if vitamin K and iron are one and the same, it could maybe cause a decrease in INR (?).
We get multi-vitamin and iron tablets in the UK but I'm not sure I've ever seen any which say they have Vitamin K.
Thanks guys!!

Gemma.

 

[Guest]

Vitamin K and iron are not the same.

Vitamin K is an organic substance that has to do with blood clotting.

Iron is in-organic and has to do with oxygen transport.

 

[Gemma]

Thank you Al,
I don't think Jim's doctor, cardiologist, or anti-coagulation practitioner have mentioned vitamin K to him at all (hence the uncertainty), the only advice he really had regarding lifestyle/diet was not to drink too much alcohol. In fact what I think they told him before Christmas was to avoid alcohol, but maybe have a drink on Christmas Day. So much for consistency being the key!
Not so much a case of mis-information as non-information! They have been managing his INR perfectly, but I find it so strange that patients in our particular hospital are not really given any advice as to what warfarin does and doesn't interact with or how it works. One lady at Jim's rehab group, on hearing he was taking 8mg 5 days a week and 9mg 2 days, said "ooh, that's a lot isn't it - I'm alternating 1mg and 2mg - don't worry, they'll get yours down soon". I still haven't quite figured out if it's the patients not wanting to know or the doctors not wanting to spend time explaining that is to blame... Maybe they think it'll confuse people if they get too much information, but you'd think it would be on offer at least. You really have to quiz the medical staff round here to get to the bottom of anything.
Gemma.

 

[Nancy]

Gemma-

Some doctors are still unaware of that aspect of Coumadin, that the dosage is according to the INR results, not the other way around.

Joe's on a high dosage, probably because of his medication Tracleer (for pulmonary hypertension). His dosage always gets a raised eyebrow look, from some of those who ought to know. And I'm always waiting for them to suggest lowering the dosage, then I'll have some "fun" with that. Hasn't happened yet, but I'm waiting.

His Coumadin manager DOES understand these things.

 

[Ross]

Here is all the information along with a drugs interactions list straight from the manufacterer. Tis a tad technical, but I think you can understand it.