How long did it take your warfarin dose to stabilise post OHS?

[Bina]

I got signed off to do home testing last week, which is such a relief. The warfarin nurse said that normally they expect home testers to be in range at least 50% of the time. I have only been in range for 20% of the time, but she said I could use my meter anyway, because I'm a lifer.

At my warfarin clinic they use a finger stick test, so we do get the result straight away, but there is normally an hour of queuing and parking is nearly impossible because it is at a local hospital.

Congrats on doing your own home testing. Most of us can stay in range by not reacting to every little blip that
comes along and also by not overdoing changes in dosing. Mark your daily dose on your calendar and see how
it affects your INR.

 

[pnarciso]

Mine stabilized in about 3 months, increasing a little after I started getting more active, but increasing the activity level after a given point does not seem to alter it anymore (I run today longer and more often today than when I stabilized, and the dose did not change). I started with 17.5 mg a week, and I am on 22.5 mg a week now (low compared to others here), self dosing and monitoring from week 3 (no ACT clinics in Brazil, where I live), for a 2.0-3.0 range (usually 2.4 is what I get). It seems I have a slow metabolism of coumadin. The occasional times when I drink more than 3 beers, they bring my INR up.

 

[Protimenow]

In addition to marking your daily dosing and keeping a record of dosing, it's a good idea to keep a record of your test results --- when you tested, what your dosage was, and anything that may have caused a change in INR. I've been recording these values since I first started testing - and it's useful for convincing an M.D. that you're able to keep on top of your INR, and, if you choose to self manage (as I do), that you know what you're doing.