Anticoagulant drugs are drugs which are used in order to prevent blood clots or to treat them. These medicines decrease the amount of certain proteins in the blood that lead to blood clotting. Warfarin is one of the drugs from this group and just like it is the case with all the other anticoagulants, the doctor has to prescribe its use, as well as the doses. In order to decide if its use will be effective or not the doctor will make sure to find out all about the patient’s health history and other drugs supplements, minerals, or even vitamins that the patient might be using at the moment, because for this drug to be effective and beneficial, it is necessary to exclude as many situations in which it may cause side effects as possible since some of them might lead to serious and even permanent complications and fatal outcome. In cases in which a person suffers from aneurism brain hemorrhage, infection of the heart, kidney or liver disease or high blood pressure the use of warfarin can have more disadvantages than benefits so such persons should not be prescribed with this medicine. The same goes for the people with certain bleeding disorders or bleeding tendencies allergies and vasculitis, as well as people who are to undergo a surgery or who have recently had a surgery. In women, the ones who plan to stay pregnant in the near future or those who are already pregnant, women who have recently gave a birth and particularly these who have had epidural anesthesia should under no circumstances, use warfarin.
Once prescribed, this drug should be taken according to the prescription and the schedule, because even the slightest changes in the doses can lead to the most dangerous side effects thus putting the patient’s life at stake. Some of such side effects are blood-clotting, stroke, internal bleeding, including the bleeding in the brain. Having in mind the seriousness of possible side effects of warfarin, the patient should report even the symptoms that do not seem to be threatening at all, and they should report them as soon as possible. Pain in the stomach, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea are considered not to be threatening, but do not ignore them if they are persistent. On the other side, react immediately if you experience headaches unusual bleeding and even nosebleeds or bleeding of the gums, purple toes, or any signs that might indicate allergy.
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