My Doctor told me today that I had to take Coumadin

Question

My Sister just Passed away this past Saturday and part of her Passing was from takeing this drug-- after reading about this drug and what can happen to you I am going to refuse to take it when I see the heart Doctor tomorrow, he found something wrong with my heart rytham ther must be something he can do beside giveing me more drugs.

Answer 1

Be aware that if you do take coumadin you cannot take aspirin (also an anticoagulant) and have to restrict your intake of certain foods, mostly members of the cruciferaceae family, as they have a high vitamin K content.

Answer 2

All meds including tylonal have killed someone.

Its an anti coagulant.  If your doc gave it to you, I imagine you are at high risk for blood clots, heart attack and stroke.

I guess the alternative would be a different blood thinner, which is going to have the same risks.  Or a complete life style change in what you eat and exercise, maybe surgery depending on if you already have blockages.

Answer 3

The only reason why I have heard of anyone passing away from taking coumadin is because their INR count was too high and they bled to death. Is this what happened to your sister? As long as one stays within the recommended INR range (coumadin's therapeutic range), this medication is actually pretty safe to use. I myself have been taking coumadin for the past 27 years without incident. Chances are you are being placed on it for preventative reasons, to prevent the chances of blood clots from forming, probably due to an atrial fibrillation problem.

Answer 4

I'm guessing your heart rhythm is probably atrial fibrillation, in which case you don't have a safe choice. Coumadin, with all its dangers and the general pain in the rear of keeping the dose right, is statistically safer than the other alternatives. People with atrial fibrillation are at somewhat increased risk for embolic strokes, and you have to balance the risk of that against the risk of the drug. You could, of course, use a combination like aspirin and clopidogrel, but that, too gives you an increased risk of bleeding, and isn't as effective at preventing strokes.