Tejay Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hi Slammindor, thanks for sharing your story. I am going to persue the headaches with my GP until I can get some answers. I was very disappointed to hear about the "No loss of weight with NO ALCOHOL!!!" What's that all about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windbob Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 Hi, Its my first time on this forum, I start taking Warfarin to-morrow the 2/1/2012 at about 18.00. When my GP told me I had AF (Atrial Fibrillation) after I had an ECG at the Northern General Hospital I was quite worried. Since then, I have been on web and read a lot about taking Warfarin, and now I am really worried. It seems, you have control the INR with what you eat and drink and be careful with herbal remedies, I think its the thought of having nose bleeds if the INR is to high that upsets me. I asked my GP about Self-Testing and if I could get the test strips on a prescription, but was told that this practice does not support self-testing. I went onto the coaguchek web page, looking for their self testing kit and found out the cost, It usually sells for £399 but between August and December 2011 it was on offer at £299 (£560 on amazon). So I have bought one, You get a DVD with all the instructions on it, and shows you how to set it up and how to do a blood test. With the kit you only get 6 testing strips. To get more, which they sell in 24 and 48 packs cost about £86 for 24 and £127 for 48, the sharps that prick your finger sell for about £12 for 200. The total cost for doing a self test costs about £3.60 each time thats without the cost of the kit. What it means to me, is I can do a test anytime and anywhere, If I get worried about my condition, I will just do a test. I will not act on it. Its up to the Hospital to set my Wafarin dose. Its just not safe to do otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackyjaki Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 as i said in my earlyer post my husband has been on warfrin for three years for afib and has been allright he cant drink much now as allcholl also thins your blood he has a blood test once a month and he has been fine so dont worry as soon as you are at your target they will keep you on the same dose dont take anything with blood thiners in it like ibuprofin or asprin only take paresetamol for pain and you should be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansheff Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I have been on warfarin over 20 years, only once have I ever had problems that was after a week abroad. My INR rarely changes by much just the odd 0.1 or so and have been on the same dose since July, just looked and since May 2008 my dose has dropped by 2 mg a week. I am fortunate the nurse at my GP's does the test with the machine rather than having to go to the RHH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playman Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I too have AF and was diagnosed in july i also have moderate to severe dysfunction of the left ventricle and have to take warfarin as well as beta blockers and blood pressure and water medications, i am currently waiting for a DC Cardioversion but the drugs for that will mess everything else up, plus cause complications with my thyroid problem and another problem which i am trying to get sorted out, i do not have any problem with warfarin and after every blood test done at the hallamshire is followed a day later with my INR and the dosage to take until my next test. I have not had to alter my diet or suffered any nose bleeds or side effects since starting it they like to keep your INR between 2 -3 ideally at 2.5 but anywhere near will do, i started off with weekly tests and now every 3 weeks until my hemithyroidectomy operation is done then i can have it done at my doctors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playman Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Windbob what is your dosage ? i take 5 mg every other day and 4 mg on the other days, the reason for regular blood tests are to make sure you are taking the right dose, have they mentioned any other tests yet like an echocardiogram which is a scan of your heart done like a pregnancy scan, this is what uncovered my ventricle problem and they want to shock me back into a sinus rhythm to give my heart a rest and ease my breathlessness, do not take all you read too seriously the internet is a wonderful source but can be very scary at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windbob Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 My warfarin dose is 2mg per day for two weeks then the NGH will let me know what I have to take for a range of between 2 and 3 with 2.5 target. I have an enlarged heart due to taking neproxen three times a week for over ten years. When there was a big peice in the newspapers about the risk in taking neproxen, I was taken off it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windbob Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I started Warfarin on the 2nd Jan 2012 this is my third week I was on 2mg and my INR was 1.1 for two weeks now I have been put on 5mg. Is there any higher dose? I have only took it one day and my head seems to be floating and I have a really bad head acke. What can I expect, do things get any better the more I take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 My mum is on warfarin for life and she did consider getting a home testing machine, but her target range is between 3.5 and 4.5 so when she goes to the hospital for a test they often struggle to get the needle puncture from the blood test to stop bleeding for up to half an hour so she decided that it's really too risky to deliberately puncture herself at home. If she cuts herself accidentally she often bleeds for days afterwards before her clotting finally gets into gear. Unfortunately, even at such a high INR she still has thromboses on a regular basis and has one in her abdomen that the doctors have failed to get rid of for approaching 10 years. She's on warfarin because she has lupus and has had dozens of DVTs since her 20s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medusa Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I started Warfarin on the 2nd Jan 2012 this is my third week I was on 2mg and my INR was 1.1 for two weeks now I have been put on 5mg. Is there any higher dose? I have only took it one day and my head seems to be floating and I have a really bad head acke. What can I expect, do things get any better the more I take? 5mg is not actually that high. It's a relative thing though- you may need 6mg daily to maintain your INR, but someone else may have a constant result on 2mg or 9mg. If you're at 2.5-3.5 then you're likely to be on a lower dose than someone who's at 3.5-4.5 anyway, but you may also be on a lower (or higher) dose than someone else who has the same INR as you. I don't take warfarin and I hope I don't need to go on it in future (genetically the odds are that I will at some point though) but no matter what the side effects you get from the warfarin, the risks of not taking it are higher, so by all means consult your doctor on the side effects, but please don't stop taking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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