Vitamins

[charley1953]

Hi, can anyone recommend the best vitamins to take that don't interfere with Warfarin. I know K is a no-no. I just feel i should be taking something. Thanks.

[mav7]

Best to consult with your doctor on the need for vitamin supplements. Blood test may be prescribed to see if you are deficient in any area. And a healthy diet.

With all due respect, don't be mislead by the commercial advertising of supplements. Easy to do, I know.

That said, ask your doctor his recommendation for magnesium supplement based on your level from a blood test. There is much discussion on the benefit of magnesium for afib.

[charley1953 in reply to mav7]

Thank you for your reply. Good idea, i will chat to Dr on my next appointment.

[Jonathan_C in reply to charley1953]

Good advice above from Charley, also consider Co-Enzyme Q10.

[ObiDyer]

Hi Charley Vitamin K does counter the anticoagulation effects of warfarin but is present in many foods esp green vegetables however providing your intake is at a generally consistent level the INR test will adjust the requirement for warfarin. Consequently should your chosen supplement contain Vit K its effects should be counteracted by an appropriate tweak to your warfarin dose. Having said that many supplements do not contain K (I take Wellman70+ plus banana for potassium and peanuts for magnesium) and the contents are generally well defined on the websites

[charley1953 in reply to ObiDyer]

I did look at Wellwoman 70+ as a possible 1 to take but didn't know about peanuts for magnesium. Thanks for that 🙂

[ObiDyer in reply to charley1953]

I simply asked Vitabiotics about Vit K and they replied with:

In our Wellman range, we can confirm that the following products do not contain vitamin K:

Wellman Original

Wellman Plus

Wellman Max

Wellman Skin

Wellman Conception

Wellman Prostace

Wellman 50+

Wellman 70+

Wellman Sport

Wellman Gummies

Wellman Vitamin Drink

Wellman Energy

Please be informed that on our products containing vitamin K, we do have a warning on our carton packaging and website that the product contains vitamin K and that those taking anticoagulants (blood thinners) should not take the product except on the advice of a doctor.

I'm pretty sure other manufacturers follow suit (inc 'own brands' from supermarkets) and I am not paid by Viabiotics!!

[charley1953 in reply to ObiDyer]

Oh thanks brilliant, thank you

[secondtry]

Vit D I understand is most effective when taken with K2, the latter I have read is not the same as K1 which is a clotting issue. Do check this first but I am not sure your GP will be able to help. I also take a magnesium compound and CoQ10.

[CDreamer]

Your nutritional requirement can only be assessed with testing and consulting a knowledgeable dual trained doctor or nutritionist in my opinion.

My GP tests for B12 (I’ve seen that leap up since I started supplementing), VitD, all the iron tests on a regular basis.

I take CoQ10 - VitD, K2, VitC, B Complex, Supplement for bone health as I have osteoporosis, Resveratrol for inflammation, Glucosamine for arthritis and plant sterols.

Know that there are various forms of VitK

Vitamin K deficiency is rare in adults because many of the foods we eat contain adequate amounts of K1, and because the body makes K2 on its own. Plus, the body is good at recycling its existing supply of vitamin K. However, certain conditions and some drugs can interfere with vitamin K absorption and creation, making it possible to become deficient.

The role of VitK is being carefully studied in osteoporosis because it is thought that you need VitK for effective VitD absorption.

When you starting digging into Vitamins it gets quite complex - hence the need for guidance.

[charley1953 in reply to CDreamer]

I have osteoarthritis which has resulted in 5 total hip replacements and a knee. Since being on Warfarin there seems to be many things that interfere with it. I will only take paracetamol if I'm desperate. I will look more into it, thanks

[CDreamer in reply to charley1953]

I’m not on Wafarin so have no problems or interactions with Apixaban.

[Ppiman]

Hi - I am not taking warfarin, but two friends do and they have been told that vitamin supplements are perfectly safe except - as with foodstuffs - they contain vitamin K.

That said, unless you've been prescribed extra vitamins because of a known deficiency, the evidence is that they won't do anything to help your health. A low dose of vitamin D taken during the winter months, or regularly if you avoid the sunshine, however, is recommended as it seems we are all deficient in it without the sun on our skins.

It's worth knowing that vitamins that occur naturally in food exist alongside a huge range of other health-giving enzymes and such like, all of which enter the body not in a purified form, but inside the cell walls of the plant or food that our digestion must break down before they can be absorbed. Vitamins that are made in factories are chemicals that have none of that and are released and absorbed quite unnaturally. Whether that matters, I don't know, but it's brought me to focus not on the bottles on the "health food" shop or pharmacy shelves but on having a healthy diet with fibre, fish, fruit, nuts and vegetables!

Steve

[charley1953 in reply to Ppiman]

Maybe i should try to eat more healthier, i do have fibre, fruit and veg but i could probably eat more. Thanks

[MarkS]

Vitamin K is fine as a supplement for warfarin users provided it is taken consistently. I have been on warfarin for 12 years and taken a daily tablet of 90 of 100 mcg of K2. The K2 has helped even out my INR as well as being an essential nutrient. My INR has been in range (2-3) for 98% of that time.

Have a look at this article (Low-Dose Vitamin K to Augment Anticoagulation Control): medscape.com/viewarticle/51...

Vitamin K2 is the more easily absorbed version of Vit K. So instead of being a no-no, Vit K2 is essential for warfarin users. You can safely ignore old fashioned advice that you should minimise Vit K!

[charley1953 in reply to MarkS]

I never realised that, I've always tried to steer clear of it. I will have a read of that.thanks

[Palpman]

If you take vitamins without being diagnosed as deficient then you have very expensive pee.