Reversing the effects of the new anti-clotting drugs

The oral anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin) became available for prescription in 1954. This anti-clotting drug commanded national attention when President Dwight Eisenhower received the drug as part of his treatment following a heart attack. No other oral anticoagulant was successfully developed and marketed in the United States until 2010. Warfarin is a dangerous drug. Along with insulin, it is responsible for the most emergency hospitalizations due to adverse drug reactions. Whereas insulin causes low blood sugar, warfarin is notorious for the complication of major bleeding. Warfarin is plagued by hundreds of drug-drug and drug-food interactions. The optimal dose is determined by monitoring the level of anticoagulant in the blood. Standard-intensity anticoagulation with warfarin is usually targeted to achieve prothrombin blood test results, expressed as international normalized ratio (INR), within a range of 2.0 to 3.0. If the INR is greater than 3.0, the warfarin dose is decreased to prevent excessive bleeding. If the INR is lower than 2.0, the warfarin dose is increased to prevent excessive blood clotting. This approach is slow, cumbersome, and frustrating. Even when the INR tests within the desired range, catastrophic bleeding complications, such as bleeding into the brain, can still occur. Patients and health care providers complain about the difficulties and inconveniences of trying to use warfarin properly. Multiple algorithms and even genetic testing have been underta...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Drugs and Supplements Health Heart Health Hypertension and Stroke anti-clotting coumadin deep-vein-thrombosis DVT Source Type: news