RE: Help! INR is 5.9

[Guest guest]

Cranberries and (I believe) grapefruit enhances the effect of coumadin. The

week after Thanksgiving my INR was slightly over 3 and I had eaten

cranberries on thanksgiving and with leftovers. I am taking the same dose as

before

and it is back where it belongs. I suggest you research the drug on a web site

like WebMD or the Mayo Clinic.

Guy

[Guest guest]

I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after a small

stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and all of a sudden

it spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a few days. From

yall's experience, what does this mean? She relys on me to find out

information for her healthcare, and I want to be as informed as I can be.

Any advice or information would be so helpful. Thank you.

INR levels do fluctuate in the older generation. It is really not an exact

science. Saying that my levels were pretty constant but I know of patients

that had to have weekly blood tests and wafarin changes to keep there INR

levels constant. Diet and meds do affect the drug. Really we are all waiting

for a new better treatments to be available but at this moment in time we

have nothing available to us.

I would not worry too much and wait for the next bloods.

C Uk

[Guest guest]

My INRs sometimes fluctuate for no reason at all that we can discern, especially

if I take warfarin instead of the brand name Coumadin. My INR once went up to 6

and I had to have a Vitamin K shot, but I didn't suffer any real problems. I

would suggest that your mother take special care not to hit her head or fall--no

sense in tempting fate re her ability to clot when she needs to!

Good luck,

Brenta

Help! INR is 5.9

I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after a small

stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and all of a sudden it

spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a few days. From yall's

experience, what does this mean? She relys on me to find out information for

her healthcare, and I want to be as informed as I can be. Any advice or

information would be so helpful. Thank you.

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

I find that sometimes - especially in the beginning of blood thinning therapy -

the docs get a little over exhuberant and give too high a dose.. takes a full 7

days, if I recall correctly, for a dose change to be recognized fully in the INR

values, so it's possible that what you are seeing is simply a delay in the INR

reading. This can also be affected by diet, however, so the one thing that is

important is to stay consistent in diet once the INR is relatively stable. If

your mom was eating greens or salads daily in the hospital, and then stopped

once she left, that could certainly make the INR elevate.

And the longer she's on it, the more she will learn what foods can throw it

off. She will also be able to recognize times when perhaps she should have it

checked a bit more frequently... change in diet... lengthy illness.. anything

that changes food habits will require more frequently monitoring until things

settle out.

Hope this helps.

Stef

Stanford ilovetosail0211@...> wrote:

I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after a small

stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and all of a sudden it

spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a few days. From yall's

experience, what does this mean? She relys on me to find out information for

her healthcare, and I want to be as informed as I can be. Any advice or

information would be so helpful. Thank you.

---------------------------------

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Photo Books. You design it and we’ll bind it!

[Guest guest]

>

> I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after

a small stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and all

of a sudden it spiked to 5.9. snip...>

>..................................

I am a senior citizen who went on coumadin 5 years ago and my cardo's

office had great trouble controlling my levels and had levels of 5.9 or

1.5,high or too low. It has taken a while but my levels are usually

good, between 2 and 3 and they are checked every 3 to 4 weeks. In the

file section of this site you will find a good item on the vitimin K

levels of different foods if you doctor hasn't already given you such a

list. Also be sure she is not taking any drug with aspirin contained in

it as when I first begain I didn't realized the drug I was taking for

migraines had aspirin in it>

I think we would all tell you it is hard to control, at least at first.

BARB IN PA

> ---------------------------------

> Yahoo! Photos – Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover

> Photo Books. You design it and we'll bind it!

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after

a small stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and

all of a sudden it spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a

few days. From yall's experience, what does this mean? She relys on

me to find out information for her healthcare, and I want to be as

informed as I can be. Any advice or information would be so helpful.

Thank you.

>

Medications can affect IRN levels greatly. Particularly antibiotics,

aspirin or ibuprofen, etc., can have an effect. I had a big change

even from my flu shot. Yor mother may be on continually shifting

medication levels and each of those could affect her INR.

While a 5.9 is certainly not good, it's not that uncommon. I think

you'll find that as her medications and diet stabalize so will her INR.

Gordon

[Guest guest]

I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after

a small stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and

> all of a sudden it spiked to 5.9.snip...............

Hello: Your mother should have a consistent amount of vitamin K

veggies in her daily diet.....Vitamin K is necessary to maintain

proper nutrition, helps to improve blood viscosity and plays a role

in preventing osteoporosis....

The less vitamin K in her diet the higher her INR will be. The

following will also AFFECT her INR: ginger, garlic and gingko biloba

as well as vitamin E. Of course, foods like cranberries or

cranberry juice may pose some problem during this phase but not

later, but should be consumed in great moderation.

If your mother is eating a lot of salmon or getting lots of fish

oil...that too may affect the INR and thus make it higher.....

The most important thing she can do right now is to eat green leafy

veggies daily with a little olive oil on it....(the fat helps to

absorb the vitamin K) The need for vitamin K is small about 65 to

85mcg per day for women but, since only a little bit is absorbed I

usually eat more than is required. Vitamin K is fat soluble vitamin

but acts like a water soluble vitamin in that it must be consumed

daily.

Portion size for example: 5 brussel sprouts is considered a portion

(I eat about 8) Romaine lettuce, spinach, cabbage and beet,

collard, turnip greens are all excellent sources of vitamin K......

1/2 to 3/4 cup is a portion...I usually eat a cup of raw veggies or

a little more than 1/2 cup when cooked.....

I hope your mother's INR will be regulated soon.

Isabelle

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

My first couple of months on Coumadin, my INR numbers were all over the

place. This is normal, until your mother's body regulates its levels. Her

doctor did the right thing in taking her off it for a few days. It sounds

like he knows what he's doing.

Hope this has helped.

Help! INR is 5.9

I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after a small

stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and all of a sudden

it spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a few days. From

yall's experience, what does this mean? She relys on me to find out

information for her healthcare, and I want to be as informed as I can be.

Any advice or information would be so helpful. Thank you.

---------------------------------

Yahoo! Photos - Showcase holiday pictures in hardcover

Photo Books. You design it and we'll bind it!

[Guest guest]

Stanford wrote:

>

Her INR level was 2.3 and all of a sudden it spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her

off of it for

a few days.

I'll just confirm the experience of others. I took one painkiller, Tylenol I

think, and my INR

went from mid 2's to 5.9, my highest ever. I had my levels checked the morning

after I

took the painkiller. If my test had been days later it probably would have been

back to

normal and I wouldn't have known about the spike. It's a matter of timing and

knowing

what might raise or lower INR.

Helena

[Guest guest]

>

> I am brand new to this furum. My mother was put on coumadin after

a small stroke and 1 week hospital stay. Her INR level was 2.3 and

all of a sudden it spiked to 5.9. The doctor took her off of it for a

few days. From yall's experience, what does this mean? She relys on

me to find out information for her healthcare, and I want to be as

informed as I can be. Any advice or information would be so helpful.

Thank you.

Hi

I have had a similar problem. In my case my INR had been stable around

2.5, until I went on holiday and my diet changed, my INR then peaked

at 5.8. I am a non drinker, don't care so much for green veggies, but

am very fond of milk in my own country, but I don't drink milk much on

holiday. I think that's what threw the INR. After two days without

coumadin (warferin in my case) my results had returned to normal - and

I continue to take my normal dose. I now get my INR tested at the

local clinic, while I'm on holiday, just half an hour and 9.50 euros.

I think the most important point, is to try to keep her diet as

constant as possible. (Perhaps make a list of those things that affect

INR eg Vitamin K broad leaf vegetables, milk etc (alcohol also affects

INR) not to cut them out, nor to increase them - just to try to

maintain them at a relatively constant level.

Then let the Doc work around the INR problem created by diferent meds

with one of the variables (food) removed from the equasion.

When my INR was so high, I felt anxious, couldn't feel like eating and

was generally " out of sorts " - I don't think I would rely on

recognising it again, I think a quick test is more reliable.

Hope you get it sorted

[Guest guest]

i was told yesterday that mine was 5.9 which is too thin,they took me off

of coumidin for 3 days.said it was suspose to be 2.3 also warned me not to get

cut .also,they have decided to change my pacemaker from a 1 lead pm defib to

a 2 lead pm with 2 defibs.this was made on the recomendations of the dr at

cleveland clinic.i go tomorrow to find out where when and how..

robyn

children from broken homes should not have to live broken lives.even if my

mother and father abondon me GOD will hold me close