Blood Clots?
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Answers:
then let's go the back to the reason why you were placed on warfarin (Coumadin) in the first place.
1) is it because of a previous blood clot inside your heart secondary to heart disease?
2) is it because you had a deep venous thrombosis in your deep veins in your lower extremities?
3) is it because you were diagnosed with a hypercoaguable state?
4) is it because you had your heart valves replaced with mechanical ones?
if your answer to number 1 and 4 is yes, then you still have to continue with Coumadin as the underlying reason for developing blood clots is still present
for number 2, anticoagulation with Coumadin usually takes at least 3 months for low risk patients. for high risk patients (e.g. those with recurrent thrombosis, those with underlying hypercoaguable states) you have to take it for life
for number 3, it usually depends on the underlying cause of the hypercoaguable state (e.g. factor V Leiden, protein C/S deficiency, antiphospholipid syndrome, cryoglobulinemia, etc) but in most cases you still have to continue taking Coumadin.
if you stopped Coumadin, there is a high chance of the blood clot recurring.
of course, Coumadin is not an innocuous drug. you have to monitor your prothrombin time INR (international normalized ration) regularly (about every week for the 1st month) and keep it between 2.0.3.0 to maintain therapeutic levels. side effects is primarily due to bleeding
consult the doctor who intially maintained you on coumadin
don't know. Either read the paperwork that came with the script or give the pharmacy a call. The pharmacist will be more than happy to answer your questions. I like their answers better than the ones I get from the doc.
the other poster is correct in saying the pharmacist is more knowledgeable in the medication than the doctor, however, the doctor is more knowledgeable in WHY you are taking the medication in the first place. the variables are ..where the clot was, how big it was, how long it was there, your family hx and your odds on getting it back. coumadin is not something you just stop taking.your risk factors are as individual as you are. PLEASE talk to your doctor. blood clots can travel to your lung and cause instant death.even in young people.
Where was the blood clot and why did you get it? If you have a chronic rhythm issue that causes clots then you shouldn't stop taking blood thinners. If the clot was from an injury then stopping coumadin is less dangerous. If you have a chronic condition that causes clots to form then you could die without the medication.
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