Warfarin

[Curtsmum]

Even thow my son is not yet on warfarin,its not that far off and i still have tons of questions.That keep poping into my head . Somtimes medication can be affected by a upset stomac. So does having the dreaded runs affect taking warfarin and what do you do if it does? Paula x

 

[catwoman]

Paula:

About 1/2 of the vitamin K your body needs for clot formation is produced in your intestinal tract; the rest comes from your food. Anything that throws your intestinal tract off -- vomiting or diarrhea -- will boost the INR (international normalized ratio), in effect causing your blood to be less apt to clot, (many people say "thinner").
Home testers would adjust their warfarin dosage depending on what the INR showed on a test, or just wait it out. It would depend on what is causing the diarrhea, whether it's caused by an antibiotic Rx or from gastroenteritis (a stomach bug).
I have not had encountered this since going on warfarin. Those who have can tell you what they've done.

If I had to take something for diarrhea, I would consult Al Lodwick's booklet on warfarin, his website (www.warfarinfo.com) or the prescribing leaflet for Coumadin.

 

[Georgia]

I asked the cardiologist about this - she said that if true diarrhea lasted more than 2 days to call the doc and get inr tested.

This is particularly important if also vomiting.

 

[Curtsmum]

Thanks for replys, now feel you can never have to much information.