Walking and my INR

[COLLEEN S]

Does walking increase the INR? I have started, every morning, walking about a mile around the neighborhood. Do any of you think this will increase my INR that much?

 

[geebee]

If anything increased activity usually lowers your INR.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

INR is tricky, and different in different people, but Gina's right, if anything, it usually lowers the INR because exercise speeds up your metabolism. I haven't found that exercise affects my INR.

 

[MarkU]

I exercise a lot and it has never had any noticable effect in my INR. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Mark

 

[Eva]

Interesting...exercise's effect has different effect on INR. In my case, the more I exercise the more Warfarin I need to take, since it is metabolized quicker in my case.

 

[jeff]

i walk and cycle a lot when i can and found it does alter my INR usually lowering it . the same as with diet alters mine as well

 

[Cooker]

When I was walking everyday ... I notice very little or no change ... but as said above everyone is different

 

[COLLEEN S]

Thanks for the replies. I havent tested since I started walking. I feel pretty good.

 

[COLLEEN S]

Here we go. It is down to 2.3...ugh. Roller coaster here I come...

 

[tommy]

I agree that exercise may tend to reduce INR due to faster absorption. I think that diet plays a larger role. Are you eating the same as you pick-up more exercise?

 

[afraidofsurgery]

Actually exercise may decrease your INR due to increased metabolism, not absorption.
http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2146.html

 

[Bill B]

Don't confuse burning calories with drug metabolism. They are unrelated metabolic processes. There is very little informaton on the influence of exercise on drug metabolism (or absorption) of any kind and I know of no information on the effects of exercise on warfarin. See reference linked below.

Warfarin is metabolized in the liver. Exercise actually reduces liver blood flow and can reduce the metabolism of SOME drugs there, but warfarin is not one of the types of drugs that is likely to be effected. Drugs that are rapidly cleared by the liver are affected (so called flow limited metabolism). Warfarin is much more slowly cleared by the liver, converted to inactive alcohol derivaties there that are finally excreted in the urine. Warfarin is not known to be effected in any way by exercise.

Here's a reference that will give you a feel for how messy the subject is.

http://www.ualberta.ca/~csps/JPPS3(3)/T.Khazaeinia/Exercise-Khazaeinia.pdf

Enjoy your walking!

Bill Ball, Pharm.D. (doctor of pharmacy)