Dealing With Drug Interactions With Coumadin
Anytime you start or stop taking any medication (prescription or non-prescription) or supplement, be sure to check with your healthcare provider. Extra monitoring may be necessary to see if your
Coumadin dosage needs to be adjusted.
Don't worry about "bothering" your healthcare provider with frequent questions about interactions with
Coumadin. Interactions can lead to life-threatening consequences. Those that decrease the effectiveness of Coumadin increase the risk of blood clots and
strokes, while interactions that increase the anticoagulant properties of Coumadin increase the risk of dangerous internal bleeding. Your healthcare provider will understand and appreciate the seriousness of possible drug interactions.
If you are on Coumadin, it is best to simply get used to the idea (and the process) of checking with your healthcare provider before making any medication changes. Unfortunately, this is one of several inconveniences associated with
Coumadin therapy (it is also one of the reasons why researchers are diligently searching for a better alternative to this drug).
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