I’m 3 months post surgery INR range 2 - 3, for approx 10 days I have been hovering on the low end 1.9 - 2.1 both home and lab tested, the INR clinic has not increased my dose 6mg intending to lower my range to 1.5 - 2.0. I intend to remain at 2.0 - 3.0 so after today’s lab test 1.9 I took 6.5mg and plan to take 6mg tomorrow and alternate and home test to monitor. No time like the present to take the leap!
First attempt at self dosing
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Keep monitoring and use small adjustments. Good luck!
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
Hi
great to see someone taking it into their own hands ...
great to see someone taking it into their own hands ...
that's great, and these small sorts of increments are good ... make sure you document and you'll be able to see trends.
Jeff Lebowski
Well-known member
I did the same this week. My weekly dosage of warfarin for the last three weeks is as follows:
7.5 mg 5 days a week, 5 mg two days a week.
In contrast, my inr values have been rising steadily over the last three weeks
10 May : 2,35
16 May :2,76
20 May: 2,91
According to this table, although I told my cardiologist that I thought that my inr value would rise above 3 as long as I continued the current dosage, he said that there was no need to change the dose. According to him, my body is in the process of getting used to Warfarin. By the way, there are no Coumadin clinics in Turkey like in the United States, so you have to go to cardiologists. Anyway, as of this Monday I have adjusted the dosage as follows: 7.5 mg four days a week, 5 mg three days a week.
I will follow my results by measuring at home.
7.5 mg 5 days a week, 5 mg two days a week.
In contrast, my inr values have been rising steadily over the last three weeks
10 May : 2,35
16 May :2,76
20 May: 2,91
According to this table, although I told my cardiologist that I thought that my inr value would rise above 3 as long as I continued the current dosage, he said that there was no need to change the dose. According to him, my body is in the process of getting used to Warfarin. By the way, there are no Coumadin clinics in Turkey like in the United States, so you have to go to cardiologists. Anyway, as of this Monday I have adjusted the dosage as follows: 7.5 mg four days a week, 5 mg three days a week.
I will follow my results by measuring at home.
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Glad to hear you self monitoring and self testing. I’m curious why you would not just dose 6mg per day, rather than go 7.5mg 4 days and 5mg some days. That would be about the same weekly as you’re doing now. If you needed to, you could adjust by 0.5mg either up or down a couple of days per week.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
same here, but I'm like a stuck record on that ... so I didn't ask this time.
@Jeff Lebowski as much as you can, keep the doses consistent.
Jeff Lebowski
Well-known member
Because ı dont have a 1 mg Warfarin tablets. I have a 8 box 5 mg Warfarin.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
make it a priority to get 1, 3 and 5mg and start administering better titrated doses.
what do you mean an 8 box?
Are you not using something like this:
which is 50 tablets
While its not perfect you can do this:
5 split into halves = 2.5mg
2.5mg splint into halves is approximately 1.25mg
5 + ¼ 5 = 6.25mg
adding this together will not be perfect but where one may be 1.24 the other portion will likely be 1.26 ... this will be less variation than alternating as you are doing.
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Understood. But, can’t your cardiologist write you a prescription for 1mg tablets?
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
or even his GP?
Today was the handoff from the INR clinic to my family doctor, it went exceptionally well both my Doctor and I agreed that a range of 1.5 to 2 is too low, she wants me to be 2.5 - 3.5 range.
She was happy to see that I have a coagucheck meter and also was impressed with the spread sheet that pellicle set me up with. Thank you to pellicle for the spread sheet and your patient tutoring.
She was happy to see that I have a coagucheck meter and also was impressed with the spread sheet that pellicle set me up with. Thank you to pellicle for the spread sheet and your patient tutoring.
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
really glad that all went well ... keep up the good work, you're a fast learner!!
totally nothing wrong with the 2.5 ~ 3.5 range, its statistically the safest
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I'm glad to hear that your doctor did not fall for the marketing about the low INR range for the On-x. We continue to hear more and more about cardiologists and doctors rejecting this low range. In our relatively small sample size here on the boards we've heard of some bad outcomes from the low range. It makes one wonder if cardiologists are observing bad outcomes with the low INR range and shifting their patients back to more proven safer targets.
I didn't know that they made an 8. For a while, I was using 7.5 - it was easy to break and get a 3.75 out of - and I occasionally took advantage of that .25 mg dose.
My GP has recently prescribed 0.5mg (white) tablets to add to my already prescribed, 1mg, 3mg and 5mg.
The colors are different in the USA.
This particular chart came from: https://health.ucsd.edu/for-health-...on-guidelines/warfarin/tablet-identification/
This is important for anyone travelling! What is the standard in other countries?
| Tablet Strength | Tablet Color |
|---|---|
| 1 mg | Pink |
| 2 mg | Lavender (light purple) |
| 2.5 mg | Green |
| 3 mg | Tan |
| 4 mg | Blue |
| 5 mg | Peach (light orange) |
| 6 mg | Teal (blue-green) |
| 7.5 mg | Yellow |
| 10 mg | White |
This particular chart came from: https://health.ucsd.edu/for-health-...on-guidelines/warfarin/tablet-identification/
This is important for anyone travelling! What is the standard in other countries?
pellicle
Professional Dingbat, Guru and Merkintologist
I try to stay with one manufacturer so I am comfortable that I'm putting the right pill into my 7 day pill container.
Well, this caused me to wonder, so I looked at Drugs.com. https://www.drugs.com/imprints.php?drugname=warfarin&maxrows=18
I will try to follow Protimenow's suggestion and stick with 1 manufacturer. A particular "color" gets implemented in various ways be various manufacturers. Plus they vary the labeling and the shape.
