The Coumadin® (Warfarin) Help Book
Anticoagulation Therapy to Prevent and Manage Strokes, Heart Attacks, and Other Vascular Conditions
Diana M. Schneider, Ph.D.
Publication Date: July 2008
Price: $14.95
ISBN 13: 978-0-9793564-2-1
Trade Paperback: 160 pages
Size: 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Includes Charts, Resources
Health & Fitness / Heart Disease / Stroke / Pulmonary Embolism
This essential guide was written for everyone who must take the anticoagulation drug Coumadin® or its generic form warfarin, and who finds the dietary and medication guidelines that need to be followed both confusing and complicated. It explains why these drugs require modifications to the diet and careful monitoring of both prescription and over-the-counter medications, emphasizing that consistency is the key to success. It will help readers to live a normal, healthy life despite the restriction involved in successfully taking this medication; tables containing information about foods and drugs will be referred to constantly. This book provides the information that every person who requires anticoagulation therapy needs to manage their medication and get on with their lives.
The book provides detailed information on:
- How these drugs work to prevent the formation of blood clots;
- What readers should know about the vitamin K content of foods and anticoagulation therapy, and how to regulate their diet to maintain clotting at the optimal level for therapeutic effectiveness;
- Potential side effects, including the risk of bleeding when appropriate levels are not maintained as well as “nuisance” effects such as mild hair loss;
- How both prescription and nonprescription drugs, as well as alcohol, can affect anticoagulant effectiveness, including those that enhance their action and cause excessive blood thinning and life-threatening bleeding; and how to work with your physician to maintain an optimal anticoagulant level while taking needed medications;
- Managing anticoagulation therapy when surgery is needed or new medical conditions are diagnosed, and why these drugs should not be taken during pregnancy; and
- tables provide detailed information on the Vitamin K content of specific foods and supplements, interactions with prescription and nonprescription drugs, and more.
CONTENTS
Introduction. How to Use This Book. General Guidelines for Successfully Managing Coumadin® and Warfarin. SECTION I. THE BASICS: WHY ANTICOAGULATION IS NECESSARY FOR YOU. What is an Anticoagulant, and why is Controlling Blood Clotting So Important?; The Consequences of Abnormal Clot Formation: Stroke, Heart Attacks, and More; Common Conditions that Cause Blood Clots to Form. SECTION II. SUCCESSFUL ANTICOAGULATION MANAGEMENT. How Should I Take Coumadin® or Warfarin?; Monitoring: Maintaining Your Clotting Rate in the Desired Range; Side Effects of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy; Dietary Considerations with Oral Anticoagulant Therapy; How Do Drugs and Supplements Affect Coumadin® or Warfarin Levels?; Anticoagulants and Other Medical Conditions. SECTION III. GENERAL HEALTH CONCERNS. Managing Your General Health; Out and About: Managing Coumadin® or Warfarin When Away From Home. Resources
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Diana M. Schneider, Ph.D. originally trained as a biochemist but has been in medical and health publishing for over 30 years. She founded Demos Medical Publishing in 1985, and is currently President and Publisher of DiaMedica Publishing, whose publications focus on a wide range of health and wellness topics.
Following her own experience with taking Coumadin®, and frustrated by the lack of accessible information, she found that many friends and family members were already taking the drug to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Many of them were having difficulty in managing the drug because they did not understand the way the drug works, why it is important to maintain a diet that is consistent in its intake of foods that contain Vitamin K - a major component in the control of blood clotting, or why many drugs commonly used by millions of people have a major effect on the drug’s effectiveness. She decided to combine her expertise as a biochemist and in publishing books targeted to people with a wide range of medical conditions to provide this guide that will help make it possible for people needing anticoagulation medication to live normal, healthy lives with minimal restrictions.