Foods and Warfarin

[Knavesmire27]

Hi, I am fairly new to Warfarin and have the list of foods from the NHS that should be avoided but then I read articles that mention other foods. For example I love Thai Green Curry but one website says this should be avoided. Then there are things like Red Leicester Cheese - some websites say this is a mature cheese and should be avoided. I am so confused. Anyone got any tips on where I can find a comprehensive list. Thank you

[DodgyTickerMum]

Have you spoken to your Anti-coagulation Nurses? They will be able to advise you specifically. Most foods they can dose around in moderation. Some are a definite ’No’. They were very helpful to me, in the early days.

[PadThaiNoodles]

I avoid absolutely nothing. Even the evidence for cranberry and grapefruit appears to be iffy, so I did my own test. Drank a bunch of grapefruit juice before my INR test. Made no difference at all.

I do try to keep my vitamin K intake consistent -- but I do that by having at least one large source each day. The idea is that it will swamp out all the other minor variations in the rest of my diet.

I also keep my alcohol intake consistent. (That's fairly easy for me as more than 1 unit gives me a headache anyway.)

After the initial bouncing around, my INR has been between 2.3 and 2.5 on every measurement (my target range is 2.0 to 3.0).

[Jetcat in reply to PadThaiNoodles]

I once drank a litre of cranberry juice over a 4 hour period anat work and slowly started feeling awful and ended up in A+E. Doctor was not amused with me when he noticed I was on warfarin.!!

He gave me a telling off and asked why I was drinking it.? I told him it was reduced in the supermarket and so I bought it because it was cheap.! He told me not to drink a large amount again whilst taking warfarin so Iv not touched it since even though I’m on a different anticoagulant 👍

[Still_Breathing]

What works for one may not work for the other.......What i have found is try to be consistent in your intake and avoid excess of anything on 'the list' and they will adjust the dosage.

[Art-99]

My experience has been very similar to PadThaiNoodles, consistency seems to be the key and I have been taking warfarin for almost six years. I need to keep my INR between 2-3 and manage this without really thinking about it. Good luck !

[Anon2023]

hi. I've been on warfarin for nearly 3 years now and my inr hasn't been stable for any significant period of time. Warfarin is terribly sensitive to other meds, food, drink, hormones, exercise etc. I avoid cranberry and I don't drink alcohol. I used to stress about what I ate but the inr team told me that unless I ate the same thing everyday I was one of those people for whom warfarin was always going to be a bit unstable. Their advice was to let warfarin work around my diet and they adjust dosages as my inr went up or down. I do have more regular testing and I have my own coaguchek machine but I've got to the stage where I know myself which foods are going to increase my warfarin so when my inr is taken it's not a shock if it's up slightly. My inr team are amazing and I've got to know them well, they are the best source of information and support. Good luck and try not to stress about it. X

[DilatedAortaRunner]

as per Anon2023 - my anti-coag nurses have told me to maintain my current diet and they will dose / work around it. I have only been on it for 5 weeks (since my aorta op inc valve replacement) and haven’t touched any alcohol since then but they’ve advised it’s fine in moderation and that as I exercise more and start to run again this will also impact it so to not worry too much about the fluctuations as it can be incredibly sensitive. The only 2 things I’ll avoid are grapefruit juice and cranberry juice and I’ve never liked grapefruit and only used to have cranberry as a mixer with vodka or in cosmopolitans !

Hope all goes well for you.

[Eltonfan]

Hi there. I have been on Warfarin for two years. And been stable 90% and I love my food. Avoid cranberry juice, Mango juice never drink, orange juice small amounts. Vitamin K rich items like all your vegetable greens and apples eat in small quantities. You will be ok and find your way. I am on a INR OF2-3 and have fluctuated in that range. Once you are stable in joy what you eat. I have curry and all types of foods. But again we are all different. Talk to your anticoagulants nurse who checks your INR they will also give you advice 👍

[dubsta]

oh I do feel for you. I have been in warfarin for over 2.5 years and was extremely nervous in the beginning. To be honest I think its taken me over a year to be OK with trying different foods. I was told to be consistent with my diet, but that does get boring, I like to experiment with different meals. I avoid cranberry juice but to be honest, nothing else. I have alcohol when I fancy some but Im not a big drinker. My advise would be to speak to your anti coagulation clinic and then if they allow you to try foods, try them but dont go and have huge amounts of one food. I moved area and my new clinic has a very different approach to my first and thats why its taken me a house move to get comfortable. I hope you find a way that makes you feel comfortable trying foods, that is safe for you.

[Hidden]

I would agree wholeheartedly with the others , I have been on warfarin for 12 months now( I have a mechanical aortic valve)

I have not altered my diet at all. I had have INR checked on average as he 4 weekly and speak to anti coagulation nurse or pharmacist if I have any worries about diet or medicines.

I’m a firm believer that we need to eat a healthy balanced diet and the anti coagulation team will dose accordingly . I don’t drink much alcohol snd cranberries I think are the only food I don’t like, so I avoid those anyway.

Talk to the team caring for you , they’re a wonderful source of information.

Good luck

[timelucky]

In the begining it certainly feels a bit daunting but it's turned out not to be. I have been on Warfarin for 35 years & my target INR is 3.5 - 4.0, which makes me a real outlier for statistics.

I learned from the nurse right then that I did not need to change my diet, either liquid or solid, but I just needed to use common sense and keep some consistency. (I'm sure she took pity on me because I was a young bloke in his prime!)

By doing so I've never had a problem of being either too thick or too thin.

Slight wobbles have been adjusted by smal,l short term changes in dosing. The same for surgery where typically I have dropped down to the low 2s prior and back up post.

The NHS system in place may appear a bit cumbersome but it's world class & it just works....I am living proof..

Cheers

[Classof1988 in reply to timelucky]

You are not a lone outlier! I have been on Warfarin for 36 years (37 in around six weeks time) and have only gone seriously out of range a couple of times. My alcohol intake is pretty well zero but half a grapefruit is a regular part of my breakfast. I am in the fine tuning phase now for INR but have had sustained periods of tests every 8-10 weeks. Even when my INR went temporarily above 4.0 I had no side effects and no problems. Everything in moderation was what I was advised at rehab though it was suggested that chips could be every six months.

[timelucky in reply to Classof1988]

Chips? I got a home test thingy from eBay a few years back so I test as and when instructed. Occasionally I go to clinic to check calibration of the meter

[Patdanlis]

Hello knavesmire, I’ve been on warfarin now for 11 years and from my own personal experience I’ve found that I can eat or drink anything in moderation ( including the occasional pint) . My inr range has varied over the years but always within my prescribed range

[fishonabike]

After my heart incident the only advice I got at all was from the very helpful Anticoagulant clinic nurse. I queried the dietary advice because my diet was largely plant based with pulses and leafy greens at its core - she told me that the important thing was to avoid eating a lot more or less of these foods than I usually did - so I did that and all went well for the 6 months of my warfarin therapy - ask the specialist staff