Coumadin, INR, and exercise.

[email hidden] (Edgar A Pearlstein) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm taking Coumadin because of atrial fibrillation. My INR is generally
close to 3.
1. Would it be reasonable for me to ask that my dose of Coumadin be
adjusted to have the INR closer to 2? I dislike it when a minor scrape
takes several days to scab over.

That would be empiricaly determined by your doctor.

Quoted message said:

2. I exercise a lot. Would that help protect me from blod-clot
induced strokes, and therefore allow a lower dose of Coumadin?

No, sorry.

God Bless,

Andrew

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Your risk of stroke should be assessed by your doc. If your risk of
stroke is "low", aspirin is the treatment of choice. If your risk of
stroke is not low, continue taking the warfarin. If your jogging
increased clotting time it would already be accounted for in the INR.
Have you had any TIA's? If so, you're at a high stroke risk. The
American Heart Association position is:
"Treating atrial fibrillation is an important way to help prevent
stroke. For this reason, the American Heart Association recommends
aggressive treatment of this heart arrhythmia.

Drugs are also used to help reduce stroke risk in people with AF.
Long-term use of anticoagulants (drugs that help prevent blood from
clotting) in patients with AF and other stroke risk factors can reduce
stroke by 68 percent. Aspirin and warfarin are now used for this
purpose.

Physicians differ on the choice of drugs to prevent embolic stroke --
stroke caused by a blood clot. It's clear that warfarin is more
effective against this type of stroke than aspirin. However, warfarin
has more side effects than aspirin.
Patients at high risk for stroke should probably be treated with
warfarin rather than aspirin unless there are clear reasons not to do
so. Examples include potential bleeding problems or ulcer. Patients
over 75 should be monitored especially carefully.
Aspirin is the standard treatment for patients at low risk for stroke"
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4451

[email hidden] (Edgar A Pearlstein) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm taking Coumadin because of atrial fibrillation. My INR is generally
close to 3.
1. Would it be reasonable for me to ask that my dose of Coumadin be
adjusted to have the INR closer to 2? I dislike it when a minor scrape
takes several days to scab over.
2. I exercise a lot. Would that help protect me from blod-clot
induced strokes, and therefore allow a lower dose of Coumadin?

Bob Cardone said:

How about if you had A-Fib, are placed on Coumadin and Tambocor and
since the Tambocor you now have no episodes of A-Fib at all( at least
2 months ) . Can the Coumadin be discontinued providing there are no
more A-Fib episodes, and restarted if A-Fib reoccurs?

Bob

Yes provided you and your doctor feel certain there have been no episodes of A-Fib for the past two months.

God Bless,

Andrew

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

On 22 Jul 2003 03:43:12 GMT, [email hidden] (Edgar A

Pearlstein) said:

1. Would it be reasonable for me to ask that my dose of Coumadin be
adjusted to have the INR closer to 2? I dislike it when a minor scrape
takes several days to scab over.

My INR went up recently and the local clinic decided it was because I
was taking an extra dose of Omega 3 Fish Oil (2000 mgs) and Celebrex.
I dropped the Celebrex as it was qute useless for arthritic pain
anyway but am sticking to the Omega 3. The clinic said they would work
round my pain problem. So now I take a little less of the Warfarin.
Perhaps you could discuss this with your doctor. Omega 3 fish oil is
a good supplement to take for the heart as well as for joints. Diana

Quoted message said:

On 22 Jul 2003 03:43:12 GMT, [email hidden] (Edgar A

Pearlstein) said:

1. Would it be reasonable for me to ask that my dose of Coumadin be
adjusted to have the INR closer to 2? I dislike it when a minor scrape
takes several days to scab over.

My INR went up recently and the local clinic decided it was because I
was taking an extra dose of Omega 3 Fish Oil (2000 mgs) and Celebrex.
I dropped the Celebrex as it was qute useless for arthritic pain
anyway but am sticking to the Omega 3. The clinic said they would work
round my pain problem. So now I take a little less of the Warfarin.
Perhaps you could discuss this with your doctor. Omega 3 fish oil is
a good supplement to take for the heart as well as for joints. Diana

Another thing that affects your INR is Ginko Biloba. I was on a Multi
Vitamin that had it and when I switched to a Vitamin without it my INR
changed quite a bit in the wrong direction.

Bob