Warfarin is the main oral anticoagulant used in the UK
and anticoagulant means a medicine which reduces blood clotting
and if you already knew that then let's move on to the next part
I see many patients on warfarin every day and they're very knowledgeable about their medicine
which is fantastic
but here's some information about warfarin which you may find useful
and if you can tell the strength of this warfarin tablet just from its colour
then leave a comment below and I'll let you know if you're right
I wont be going into super detail about warfarin in this video as it'll be over an hour long
but what I will do is give you the main points and I'll also leave some information in the description below
with some great links or just speak to your amazing pharmacist
okay so warfarin works against vitamin K in the liver
which is essential for the production of clotting factors
and without clotting factors it takes the blood longer to clot
and that was a super simplified version of how it works
which I wish it was that simple at university
so why do we need anticoagulants? well they're very useful for patients with conditions
caused by clots like strokes, heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms
they're also useful for patients who are at risk of having a clot
so let's say you've got atrial fibrillation, you've had a mechanical valve fitted or you've just had surgery
now let's move on to blood tests
with warfarin it's really important that you attend your regular appointments at your anticoagulation clinic
so they can check your INR and make sure your dose is correct
INR stands for international normalised ratio it's a value that determines how fast your blood clots
a high value means it takes longer for blood to clot and a low value means it clots faster
someone who's not on warfarin or any anticoagulant like me will have an INR of 1
but if you're on warfarin your doctor will maintain your INR at the therapeutic range
now it's really important to have your INR monitored regularly
because if it's too high you're at risk of a bleed and if it's too low you're at risk of a clot
and many things can affect your INR
such as certain medication, certain foods, drinking too much alcohol, herbal medication and even supplements
so with any medicines, herbal medicines and even supplements
always check with your pharmacist, GP or staff at the anticoagulant clinic before you take them
as it might interact with your warfarin
and with food there are many foods which contain high levels of vitamin K
so theoretically it works against warfarin like green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale
as well as vegetable oils and cereal grains
but it's important to remember that you don't need to eliminate these foods from your diet
instead keep your diet consistent
so if you're used to having a kale salad every day have a kale salad every day
but what you don't want to do is have loads of vitamin k rich foods one day
and then non the other few days because that will affect how warfarin works
so keep your diet consistent and if you're thinking of making any significant changes to it
then speak to the healthcare professional that's responsible for your care
I've also left a link in the description below which gives you all the foods and drinks that interact with warfarin
and it also explains about cranberry juice and why you should avoid it whilst taking warfarin
okay so the yellow warfarin book
everyone in the UK who's on warfarin will have one of these books
and it's got loads of great information about warfarin in there, your dose and your INR
and it's really important to carry this little card with you at all times and fill it out
in case of an emergency that way the healthcare professional who's treating you
will know that you're on warfarin
the yellow book also has some great information on side effects, missed doses
and when to seek medical attention
now unfortunately we've run out of time to talk about all of these
but I've left some great links in the description below
and I've also left a link to an online version of the yellow book for you to read
so definitely check it out
and that's it you now know more about warfarin, how it works, INR and its interactions
and don't forget to leave me a comment if you know the strength of this warfarin tablet
and with all medicines always read the information leaflet
hey guys thanks for watching this week's video
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so with any medicines (CREAKING SOUND OF DOOR) so with any medicines (LAUGHTER)
right the yellow warfarin, I don't know why I looked there, just then (LAUGHTER)