seems high dose of warafrin

hello everyone ive not been on here for quite a while as things have been running quite smoothly up to the last few weeks with hubby he has a mechanical mitral valve and a pm ,which he has had nearly 2 yrs now ,well just lately his inr has been all over the place, up and down for some reason, from as low as 1.4 to as high as 6 .2     well his results have just come again and this week they are 2.4 and his dose has changed again to 9 mg 5 days and 10 1/2 mg 2 days to me this seems a high dose, mind you i’m not a medical person. does this dose seem high to anyone else for someone with inr of 2.4?   thank you

6 Comments

my coumadin dose experience

by rjenksba - 2010-11-10 05:11:25

My INR has been bouncing around lately also. I am not a medical professional either. The Doc wanted the result to be between 2.5 & 3.0 for two weeks prior to cardioversion. One week it was 3.9 & I had been alternating 8mg with 9mg. He kept the dose the same (8 & 9) & the next week it was 2.2. In my opinion, it had to do with the dark green lettuce & cabbage I consumed which made the med not as effective. You didn't say what the dose was prior to the 2.4 result.

Fluctuation ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2010-11-11 02:11:54

I was on Warfarin for over two years due to a blood clot. In the beginning after getting my INR numbers to 'settle' down to be between 2.0~3.0, I felt 'better' in my head, even though I knew I was taking rat poisoning. My dosage was 5 mg., except 2.5 on Wednesdays only. This worked well for me, but I watched my vitamin K intake. The Dr. told me not to fluctuate on my eating habits. If I ate a lot of salad, continue, don't stop. If I hate a lot of other same food items, continue, don't stop. Just do not introduce any large amounts/new amounts of Vitamin K, as in spinach, broccoli, cranberry products, etc. I found a great list of food items from high to low in Vitamin K on-line. Some weeks, my INR ck. would be higher/some days lower, we just could not figure out why. Did you know the 'juice' off of Chinese beef/broccoli has 'K'?

Please see my post on General Postings re: Pradaxa. I just posted about this new drug a few minutes ago.

My Dr. told me last yr. a new drug was coming out where I would not have to have any more INR cks & I could eat/drink anything I wanted. When I went for my regular yearly ck-up last week ~ he gave me a prescription for Pradaxa ~ it was my decision to make.
It is like a miracle drug the Dr. said.

Since there is not a generic yet, it is costing me a co-pay with BC/BS of $50.00 for 30 days. See my earlier general posting from a few minutes ago.

I feel 'free' not to have to drive to our nearest town, have a INR ck, watch what I eat/drink, etc. I hope this 'drug' is the one for me. My Dr. said only a 'few' can't take this drug due to affects. My dosage of Pradaxa is 150mg twice daily, with only 30 day refills at a time.

Just for your FYI ~ ~
Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ Have a Great Holiday ~ ~

Diet - Alcohol

by jhull413 - 2010-11-11 10:11:23

There have been several good comments here on leafy green vegetables and vitamin K, all of which lower the INR value. What nobody mentioned so far is that there are some thing which you can ingest that will cause it to rise. Aspirin is one, and alcohol consumtion is another. You can do a google search and find many sites that have lists of thing that affect the INR in both directions. I no longer drink alcohol, but when I did, my INR fluctuated wildly.

Coumadin dose

by TalkinCardio - 2010-11-11 10:11:47

I have had my mechanical mitral valve for 27 yrs so I also have been taking coumadin for 27 yrs and I am on 15 mg everyday. My INR fluctuates all the time and I have just learned to live with it over the years. I also asked my Dr. about the new drug, Pradaxa and he told me it has not been approved or tested on people with mechanical mitral valves. I was bummed about that.

Cathy

warafrin

by thomast - 2010-11-11 12:11:01

You might look into the new drug pradaxa, it is available now. It is to replace warafrin. I checked with my insurance, and they will cover it, but it is still a high copay

Thomas

Try 15mg of Warfarin

by Christmmpace - 2010-11-11 12:11:32

I was on 15mg of warfarin for 2 years. It will change according to your diet. I was a salad guy so they had to keep my on a high dose. Try keeping your diet the same for one month and keep going to doctors for an INR check and see if this helps. I know it's hard but if you keep the diet the same you should be okay.

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