warferin

[Slobojoe1]

been on warfarin for 20 years. Fed up of keep going to clinic. Thinking of buying my own testing machine .any advice I would be happy with. Joe

[Kabalino]

I've been using a CoaguChek® XS system for 13 years. I am on my second machine now (newer generation). I test once a week at home and once a month at the lab. CoaguChek® XS system is a convenient, portable and user-friendly instrument for monitoring warfarin therapy. It determines the INR value (International Normalized Ratio) from a drop of capillary whole blood –simple, precise and reliable. I taken it on my many world travels, really great.

I hope this helps, best wishes from SW France.

[bikebabe]

I found having my own machine a game changer but it cost £300. If you’re living in uk, i was advised to check if your primary care /GP will issue you with supplies of testing strips and lancets as those are quite expensive for long term use.

[moo196]

Have you asked if it might be suitable to swap to an alternative to warfarin that doesn't require regular tests?

[Threecats]

I’ve recently purchased my own machine for self-testing, the CoaguChek INRange . It’s the updated version of the XS designed for self-testers. The £300 price tag is a bit eye-watering but the convenience it provides makes up for it. As bikebabe says, worth checking whether your GP will provide test strips and lancets on prescription, as they could prove expensive otherwise, depending on how stable you are on Warfarin and how often you need to test.

[Mydvt]

I have been self testing for about 15 years and have been using the Coaguchek X's monitor which is still working ok. My routine is to test at home once a week and then phone in one result a month to the DVT clinic just by leaving a message on their prerecorded message for home testers with can be done at any time to suit yourself. Then I go into the DVT clinic every 6 months so that I can calibrate my monitor with theirs just to ensure that mine is still working ok. My advice would be to talk to your DVT nurse about home testing as they need to be set up for it. They will also be able to help you in getting the strips for the monitor on prescription from your GP. I think that you can get the lancets on prescription but I just buy mine off Amazon as they are cheap and I was never set up to get them when I started as at that time it was a battle with the GP just to get the strips, but things have changed over the years. I have never regretted going onto self testing.