I've been put on warfarin so far I'm now on 6mg a day with INR of 1.3 . They want it between 2-3 . I asked a question regarding the dosage before it becomes dangerous.... but was ignored and made to feel stupid for asking. Since my meds were altered I've felt so off; am going to see the doctor tomorrow in the hopes of finding out if anything can be done. I was on bisoprolol- flechanide and aspirin ...then was put on Tildeum and warfarin , they had to restart the bisoprolol as pulse was racing at over 150 bpm. Have got a list of questions which I need answers to. Has anyone else had problems with getting blood to right level?
Nikki
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Oh yes, I went onto warfarin in the first week of December 2012, didn't balance until the end of February 2013, I was taking the same dose and getting 1.6, 3.2, 2.2 in successive weeks.
But it did settle down, and I am more or less balanced now (apart from today I fell under 2) and it's not been too bad.
Tildeum is diltaziem I think, I take the same, much better than bisoprolol for me, I am nowhere near as tired as I was on Bisoprolol
I think for some of us it just takes a while to balance the warfarin, others seem to have no problems, but it will settle down I promise
AH there is hope then . It's the breathlessness that I hate the most which seems to worsen from afternoon to evening. Didn't feel like this until they changed meds; and it seems to upset my IBS too...all in all guess I feel a little depressed atm.
Nikki, I bounced around for about 2 months before it finally settled in at about 2.4. It's better to take it slow and let it build. They don't want to try to raise it too fast and then have you go way over.
Ian is correct, Tildeum is diltaziem but it is a different type of med than you were taking. It is a calcium channel blocker and you were on a beta blocker and a rhythm control med. It is not intended to stop AF but slow down the heart and make it more tolerable. One of the listed side effects is tiredness as with most heart meds but you may be feeling it more because it is a new med for you.
Also... Just as a side note. I just finished a 36 weeks trial study for IBS. I was taking a new med that they are testing and it really worked great. I was IBS free for the entire period. Now the trail is over and my IBS has returned. Hopefully they will approve this med soon so I can start taking it.
Fay, The name of the manufacturer is Furiex. The new drug worked very weel for me and many others I heard from the testing facility. Here is a link to the drug info from the manufacturers site:
Hi NIkky, I think your question when does warfarin become dangerous is still unanswered so maybe I can do that. We are all different and we all metabolise in different ways. The results of taking warfarin are that the blood clots less easily and is measured by a scale known as INR or International Normalised Ratio. For a patient in AF the therapeutic range will be between INR 2 and 3 . Too low a number means your blood may still form clots and too high a number you may experience bleeding. The actual dose of warfarin is not relevant as some may need to take only 4-5 mgs a day (like me ) whilst others may need to take massive amounts like 14mgs. It is nothing to do with dose, more about how your body breaks it down and again nothing to do with body mass or fitness levels either. I am so glad you are now off aspiring as this is of little or no value in stroke prevention for AF patients yet can still cause internal bleeding. At least on warfarin you will now be under medical control.
I hope this helps, but please visit AFA website where there are fact sheets downloadable ob this and many other subject,
Thank you all for your info and help. Although I've had the " beast "for over 7 years I didn't have the time or space to really deal with it with my husband having terminal cancer. The whole time after I was diagnosed was centred on him and cancer. When he died -which was a blessing ; he'd suffered more than enough- I hoped to deal with me.... but life sometimes throws another spoke in the wheel...the bank lost his will ! That caused 3 more years of stress which is now finally over .
So am now fighting for my health to be the best it can be; the tiredness is annoying but the breathlessness is what stops me from doing more. I want to return to the gym ..not just for the exercise but also to get out a bit. Having osteoarthritis is a darn pain in the rear but moving about will help that too. Here's hoping that we all get much better & that a preventative for this miserable condition .
thanks again
Nikki
Hi Nikki
It took me many weeks to get in range & that was 10 years ago when I first went on warfarin. You will have your dose increased very gradually because this is the way it is done to avoid your INR becoming too elevated. The types of food you are eating will also affect your reading but the thing to remember here is consistency ie you CAN eat green veg ,lettuce etc which are all high in vit K as long as you consume the same amounts regularly as vit K will lower your INR reading. My INR reading has varied from 10 + to currently 5 .As Bob mentioned before , do look at the AFA website where there are some very useful fact sheets. Don't be frightened of Warfarin -- I would hate to come off it now because of it's stroke protection - it's part of my life!
Hi. I have no experience with Warfarin. However if you struggling to get on track you could ask your GP about one of the new anticoagulants. I have been taking Rivaoxaban for 2 months now and have no side effects. My blood test after 1 month came back fine. I have a colleague now using it after three years struggling with his Warfarin. Might be worth having a conversation with your doctor. Good luck. Dee.
Thank you Dee & Yatsura... It does get a little complicated .... and am going to see doctor this afternoon and at local hospital in early May .There are times when living in a rural area can have drawbacks; the local hospital can't deal with AF ...I have to travel 130 miles to see specialist so can be difficult to get continuity of info. I am thinking of asking about the new drugs but cost and whether of course I'm suitable for them will be part of the decision.
Hi all...just to let you know my INR is 2.2 at last .... now have to go once a week for b/test. Hopefully that will be much longer as time goes on. I still get low abdominal grumbles which wake me ; but hopefully the IBS will settle down again & become less intrusive. One of the doctors said it's a small price to pay for preventing a stroke . Not that the price of Pradaxa ( £2.50 per tablet per day ) has anything to do with giving Warfarin ( 12p a shot per 1mg tablet)
But am pleased that now I'm suitably safe * fingers & toes crossed*.
Hi Nikki, I was told to come off the Aspirin when on Warfarin but I had to get my rate up to 2 first so I would ask Doctor, but warfarin thins the blood as Aspirin does so I would certainly ask about it, as every person is different. Suzy
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