There's also a section for you to write down and keep a record of your warfarin dose. It's a good idea to take your yellow book with you to all your warfarin appointments. You'll also be given an anticoagulant alert card. Carry this with you all the time.
It tells healthcare professionals that you're taking an anticoagulant. This can be useful for them to know in case of a medical emergency. If you need any medical or dental treatment, show your anticoagulant alert card to the nurse, doctor or dentist beforehand.
This includes before you have vaccinations and routine sessions with the dental hygienist. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking warfarin or reduce your dose for a short time before your treatment. If you have lost your alert card or were not given one, ask your doctor or anticoagulant clinic. It's not a problem if you occasionally forget to take a dose at the correct time. But if you forget often, your blood could be affected — it might become thicker and put you at risk of having a blood clot.
If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and take your normal dose at the usual time. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine. If you take an extra dose of warfarin, call your anticoagulant clinic straight away. If you take more than 1 extra dose of warfarin, you're at risk of serious bleeding. If you need to go to hospital, take the warfarin packet or leaflet inside it, plus any remaining medicine, with you.
If you have a yellow book, take that too. While warfarin has enormous benefits, the downside is that it can make you bleed more than normal. This is because while you're taking warfarin, your blood will not clot as easily.
You're more likely to get bleeding problems in the first few weeks of starting warfarin treatment and when you're unwell - for instance, if you have flu, are being sick vomiting or have diarrhoea.
Apart from the risk of bleeding, warfarin is a very safe medicine. It's safe to take for a long time, even many years. It's usual to bleed more easily than normal while you're taking warfarin. If it happens, keep taking the warfarin, but tell your doctor if the bleeding bothers you or does not stop.
While you're taking warfarin, be careful when you do activities that might cause an injury or a cut or bruising. Like all medicines, warfarin can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. These side effects are usually mild, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these symptoms bother you or do not go away:. Call a doctor straight away if you develop any of these serious side effects:. In rare cases, warfarin can cause a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis.
These are not all the side effects of warfarin. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. It's very important to keep your diet stable. This means your dose of warfarin is more likely to stay the same. Any big changes in what you eat or drink can change how your body responds to warfarin. Speak to your doctor or nurse before changing what you eat - for example, before you go on a diet to lose weight.
Foods containing a lot of vitamin K can interfere with how warfarin works. It's important that you eat foods containing vitamin K, so rather than leaving them out of your diet, make sure you eat similar amounts of them regularly. This will mean the level of vitamin K in your blood stays fairly constant and makes it more likely that your INR level stays stable.
Do not drink cranberry juice, grapefruit juice or pomegranate juice while you're taking warfarin. It can increase the blood-thinning effect of your medicine. It can be harmful to the baby, particularly during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Many medicines and supplements can interfere with warfarin. This can make you more likely to have bleeding. You might need a blood test to check the other medicine is not affecting how your blood clots. If you're taking warfarin, tell your doctor before starting to take these medicines:.
It's safe to take paracetamol while you're on warfarin. But take a lower dose of 1 tablet mg at a time. Do not take more than 4 tablets 4 x mg over a hour period.
Taking more paracetamol than this may make your blood slower at clotting. This puts you at risk of bleeding. If you're still in pain after taking paracetamol for 3 or 4 days, speak to your pharmacist or doctor. Do not take aspirin and ibuprofen while you're taking warfarin unless a doctor has said it's OK to. They increase the chance of bleeding. Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're taking warfarin.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Warfarin is a type of medicine known as an anticoagulant. The most common side effect is bleeding. To lower your chance of bleeding, your INR should be in the range set for you. If you have any of the side effects listed below, tell your health-care provider right away.
You may need to change your dose. Medical Review: E. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Warfarin and Vitamin K. Top of the page. Topic Overview Warfarin is a pill that you take regularly to help prevent blood clots or to keep a clot from getting bigger. Vitamin K normally helps your blood clot so wounds don't bleed too much. Warfarin works against vitamin K, making your blood clot more slowly.
Interactions with other medications, food and alcohol are common with warfarin. These interactions are less so with other blood-thinning medications. However, any interactions may decrease the effectiveness of your blood thinner, making you more likely to develop blood clots.
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