Warfrin & Alcohol

[magimix]

Worried about a friend who is on a high dose of Warfrin for blood clots on lungs, having read the side effects of this drug it is not advisable to consume alcohol, but they do, not regularly though. Is it best to avoid alcohol altogether as it is only a few weeks since they have been taking the drug and each week the hospital has increased their dosage. I am very worried about my friend and want to give them the best advice possible, any help would be appreciated.

Alcohol potentiates the effect of the warfarin, but that isn't really a problem. The key is consistancy - a small to moderate amount is fine, but it should be the same amount every week - then the dose of warfarin can be calculated to cope with the whole diet IYSWIM.

Your friend will have received counselling before starting on warfarin and will have some written information. She will be very closely monitored for the first few weeks. It is normal to change the dose of warfarin until the INR is therapeutic (the correct level to prevent the clot getting any worse).

My dad has been on Warfarin for 20 years. He was advised that it's best not to drink, or if you must, to drink a little, regularly. Binge drinking is a no no.

Also - don't worry about the dose - it isn't really relevant. Everybody needs a dose that is right for them - some people need only 1 mg per day to achieve an INR of 2.5, others need 12 - 15mg per day. That is why the monitoring of the blood test results is so important.

I have been on Warfarin 17 years (I'm 34) My GP / Heamotoligist(sp?) have always said be consistent, never binge drink... It has to be said I've personally never had a problem but each person is different, if after drinking your friend notices unusual bruising / blood in urine etc then it would need to be checked out asap.

As 3frogs said, don't worry about dosage, my INR has never been stable, it's just the way it is with some people.

thankyou for everyones help, really useful advice.