INR levels 1.5

[Ginahen05]

Hi guys this is all new to me. So it all began nearly 3 weeks ago broke my ankle laid up for two weeks over it - went to get cast off to get space boot on more conventional for me , but unfortunately they discovered I've a provoked clot in the leg . My levels were very low started me on innohep and warfarin straight away , 4 days later my levels never moved after taken 4 shot of innohep at 8ml and 4 days of 10mg of warfarin. Was back in hospital again today which is day 5 so the inr have gone to 1.5 now but still apparently low ... On 8mg of warfarin until my first visit to the warfarin clinic ... Not sure what to excpect kinda nervous ... All advice welcomed ...

[Hidden]

Hi Ginahen,

When I first went on warfarin I took 2 weeks to get in INR range at 6mg per day. Bear in mind I only had AF - didn't have all the other stuff going on that you have. They appear to be trying to get you in range quicker with the innohep maybe this will also help minimise the effect of the clot too. The innohep, I think you will find is a bridging anticoagulant that is used over a period of up to 6 days until you get into your warfarin INR range of between 2.0 and 3.0. Ask the medicos what target they are aiming for. It can vary according to a patients condition, in your case it looks like DVT.

Matter of interest, in November 2015 I had a partial knee replacement and I had to stop warfarin before surgery. From the day I stopped warfarin till the day I got back close to my target INR of 2.5 was a total of 29 days. So it does take a time I'm afraid. Almost as soon as I came out of surgery they put me on Fragmin to help get my INR up again.

Good luck.

John

[Ginahen05 in reply to Hidden]

Hi John many thanks for reply - it's very daunting I'm a young mom of two kids - do as I was saying it's all new and I certainly was not expecting this at all. Clots is in the family so extra care being taken - but still nervous

[Hidden in reply to Ginahen05]

I've just edited my original text. Yes, I understand how daunting it can be but try not to let it get to you. Easier said than done I know. You'll be fine.

May the force be with you.

John

[Ginahen05 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much really appreciate it

[jedimasterlincoln]

It took about 3 months for my INR to get into the target range of 2-3 when I was first started on Warfarin....

[Rellim296]

Welcome to our world, though sorry you have had to join us. Perhaps you don't have a dodgy heart rhythm like most of us do.

Warfarin works well for most people although it can be tedious if you have difficulty getting in range (which can take a while) and staying there. If you have trouble with it, there are alternatives called NOACs (which I think means novel oral anti coagulants) which work slightly differently.

[Ginahen05]

Hi Rellim296 thanks for the reply I do have a slight heart issue but it's under control - my consultant done all regular checks last year - I think he said along the lines of irregular heartbeat , but it's good it is tedious to be honest and a dose hate self injecting / on tabs for the next three months so hopefully all be ok - first visit to Warfarin clinic Tuesday not sure what to expect !!

[Rellim296 in reply to Ginahen05]

Good luck for Tuesday!

[Hidden]

Hi Gina, I had a clot in my leg back in 2001 from a long car drive without breaks and found out that I was Factor V Leiden heterogeneous - a genetic condition that makes you clot a bit easier and two of my three children have it plus around 10% of the population generally I think, most not realising.

As my GP missed it, I was diagnosed very late and going on holiday had to take heparin jabs with me and self inject in the stomach daily - not as scary as it sounds as you just do it under the skin. Thereafter, I have walked daily and put the leg up as much as possible to avoid ulcer problems due to the late diagnosis. All went well.

Not a direct answer to your main question I know but I hope something in there helps you and others. Good luck.

[Ginahen05 in reply to Hidden]

Hi orchard worker , it's all new to me so far I had six shots of heparin not sure at all but leaves the tummy bruised big time - I've taken two days of 10mg 1 day of 5mg and 3 days of 8mg of warfarin and levels are still low .. Have my first visit to warfarin clinic Tuesday so kinda like mmmm what do I expect / I know I'm not the only one out there but it's nice to get feed back - I had a b12 deficiency last sept and levels were extremely low then too - just trying to put the jigsaw together ...

[Hidden in reply to Ginahen05]

Persistence is your new goal......it does pay off!

[ILowe in reply to Ginahen05]

Starting Warfarin is an art in its own right. There are two related problems: they have to get the reservoir high enough, and they have to make sure the daily input matches the excretion rate.

One, ??outmoded theory, and proved to be dangerous, is to start high then reduce it. The safer approach is to start somewhere in the middle, say 6mg and monitor, every 2-3 days at the beginning.

If you do increase or decrease the dose, there is little point in checking daily, since it usually takes two days before you notice a difference due to the medicine, and not explainable by natural variation.

[Ginahen05]

Back into hospital again today my INR levels still didn't budge on Tuesday gone which was my first visit to the warfarin clinic . I'm 10 days now on innohep and warfarin I'm hoping to see a change in my test result - I had two drinks yesterday which was my first one since I started my meds - will this alter my readings ?? I don't want to get my hopes up !