Anticoagulation Management Specialist

What are anticoagulants?

Anticoagulant medications prevent blood clots from forming or growing larger. They’re prescribed to prevent or treat clots associated with conditions such as:

• Atrial fibrillation
• Valvular disease
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Heart attack
• Stroke

Why is anticoagulation management important?

Anticoagulants require ongoing monitoring to be sure you have the right dose. Management is also important to keep an eye on your health; with some types of anticoagulants, you may need blood tests to be sure your kidneys continue to work properly.

If you take warfarin, anticoagulation management ensures that you have the precise dose needed to prevent dangerous blood clots in your arteries and veins.

What happens when you start warfarin therapy?

When you begin taking warfarin, frequent blood tests are needed to determine the medication’s impact on blood clotting time. After clotting time stabilizes in the desired range, you’ll still need blood tests at regular but less frequent intervals.

As long as you’re on warfarin, you’ll continue to have routine anticoagulation management appointments to be sure that the dose is still optimal and you haven’t made other medication or lifestyle changes that affect warfarin’s impact.

Do you need to be careful with medications and diet while taking warfarin?

Numerous prescription medications affect warfarin’s effectiveness, so it’s important to tell Dr. Jindal when your other physicians change or prescribe new medications. You also need to be careful about over-the-counter medications. For example, you should avoid aspirin unless it’s prescribed by Dr. Jindal, because it’s also an anticoagulant.

Warfarin works by blocking vitamin K, which is essential for the blood clotting process. When you’re on warfarin, you have to monitor the vitamin K-containing foods in your diet.

You should continue to eat foods that are good sources of vitamin K, like leafy green vegetables, broccoli, and peas, but keep your diet steady. Suddenly increasing vitamin K consumption lowers the effect of warfarin, while eating less than normal increases its impact.

When should you contact your physician?

Call Dr. Jindal right away if any of the following signs of bleeding occur:

• Unexplained or continuous bleeding
• Red or dark brown urine
• Red or black, tarry stool
• Vomiting or coughing up blood
• Bad headaches or stomachaches
• Bruising for unknown reasons
• Nosebleeds or bleeding gums
• Any bleeding that’s heavy or doesn’t stop