Warfarin and antibiotic

[Nan1]

Good morning, has anyone out there on Warfarin taken Nitrofurantoin. If so did you experience any problem. I am very anxious as to the risk of a bleed.

[etheral]

I was unable to find any reaction between warfarin and nitrofurantoin in the Merck manual or PDR. In my personal experience I have never witnessed increased bleeding. As always, you should confirm this with your doctor and pharmacist.

[Jalia]

Yes I took this a few months ago. I'm on Warfarin (17 years) and had no problem. You will doubtless be asked to have your INR checked again at some point, sooner rather than later. I self test with Coaguchek kit so kept close watch on my levels and there was no drastic difference.

[Nan1 in reply to Jalia]

Thanks so much for replying. That’s just what I wanted to hear. Encouraging.

[jonno207]

Hi there,

When ever I take ANY additional medication it really affects my INR levels. About 8 months after my valve replacement I took some paracetamol as I wasn't feeling very well... a few days later I collapsed and my INR was nearly 10, my LFT was 900+ and I had fluid all around my heart. The Drs were slightly baffled why this had happened but a pharmacist I spoke to in the hospital seemed to think I had drug induced meningitis. He explained that as my body was focused on breaking down the warfarin so any other drug was causing me to prioritise the break down of that and so the warfarin effectively built up.

I was really worried after that about taking any other medication and now I just stick to anything that is prescribed to me.

You'll be fine taking antibiotics but I would suggest regular INR checks for the course of the Nitrofurantoin. That's just my opinion anyway.

I hope all is well and take care.

[Nan1 in reply to jonno207]

That was an awful experience for you. Thank you for replying and keep well. I have a test on Monday so hope all will be well