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A great deal has been made of in recent months in the medical community regarding the safe use of anticoagulants (blood thinners) both in the hospital setting and in the community. Hospitals nationwide, including Nason Hospital here in Roaring Spring, have been evaluating their current processes to increase safety when using these types of medications. Anticoagulants are medications used to prevent clotting in the blood, and are used to treat a variety of conditions including blood clots in the legs and lungs, stroke, heart attack, and atrial fibrillation. These particular medications can be difficult to dose and can cause serious side effects if not taken properly. Safe use of anticoagulants requires a joint effort on the part of the patient and his/her caregivers, including the physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.
So what can you do to be safe while using anticoagulant medications? 1. Talk to your health care providers. Keep your doctor and pharmacist informed about your current medications and dietary supplements (including vitamins and herbals), and don’t be afraid to share any problems or concerns you may have about your medication therapy. 2. Be sure not to miss follow-up appointments. Keeping appointments with your doctor for blood testing and dosage adjustments is essential to ensuring that your medication therapy is appropriate and safe. Safe use of anticoagulants, particularly Warfarin, is dependent on regular blood tests to determine the body’s response to a given dose. 3. Be aware of potential drug-drug interactions. Many prescription and over-the-counter medications and herbal products (thyroid drugs, aspirin, ginko biloba, ginseng) can interact with anticoagulants and can increase your risk of bleeding. Always read the warnings on the label prior to using over-the-counter medications. 4. Maintain a consistent diet. In the case of Warfarin, foods that are high in vitamin K can work against the blood thinning action of the medicine and cause your blood to thicken. Other foods have a blood thinning effect and can cause your blood to become too thin. Keeping a consistent diet will allow for less variation in the dosage required to maintain proper blood thinning. 5. Know your medications and why you take them. Medication names can be confusing. Some medications can even have multiple brand names for the same product (Warfarin – Coumadin, Jantoven). If you have trouble remembering, it may be a good idea to have your pharmacist write what the drug is being used for on the label. 6. Know the danger signs. It is not uncommon for patients on anticoagulation to experience slight bruising. However, you should contact your doctor if you have bruises that are getting larger, reddish spots on the skin, bleeding gums, or blood in the stool. These can be signs of more serious problems. If you experience lower leg pain with tenderness and difficulty breathing, a nosebleed that will not stop, or bleeding that continues after 10 minutes of holding pressure, you should go to the ER immediately. Safe use of anticoagulant medications is definitely a team effort. Open communication with your healthcare providers and careful attention to instructions and detail can help to minimize side effects and improve outcomes. For more comprehensive information on the safe use of anticoagulants, contact your physician or pharmacist. |
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