Warfarin prevents clots from forming or from growing larger by stopping the formation of substances that cause clots. Because warfarin thins your blood, it's important to stop taking it before any surgical procedures. Check with your doctor regarding his recommendations before your surgery.
Recently, there has been discussion that some beverages may inhibit the blood thinning properties of warfarin. The beverages in question include cranberry juice, grape juice and tea.
The theory was that the beverages inhibited the human enzyme upon which warfarin works to prevent the formation of clots. This led patients to wonder if it was safe to consume these beverages while taking warfarin and similar drugs.
Similar concerns were raised for patients who might be taking an anti-fungal such as fluconazole; the drug commonly prescribed to treat yeast infections.
A study was conducted to measure the effects of these three beverages on the effectiveness of warfarin. To conduct the study, researchers performed experiments both in vitro and on human participants, using flurbiprofen, a common anti-inflammatory drug.
The flurbiprofen mimics warfarin's action in the body, so it was thought to be a safer alternative for the participants.
The human participants were given grape juice, cranberry juice, brewed tea, or a placebo cranberry juice for control. The patients were also given either flurbiprofen to determine any interactions.
In addition, the patients were given fluconazole along with flubiprofen to study its possible interaction, too.
The study used 14 healthy volunteers and studied them weekly over a 5 week period. At each visit, the volunteer would receive a different combination, so that each combination could be compared on each participant.
In addition to using human participants, researchers also studied the reactions created by these various combinations in the lab. Under these conditions, scientists can more closely monitor exactly how the substances might affect each other.
The studies concluded that the beverages in question did not inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in terms of its ability to thin the blood in the human studies. However, the in vitro trials showed a slight inhibition when the flurbiprofen was combined with tea or grape juice -but this finding was not replicated in the human studies.
What the studies did find, however, was that fluconazole did appear to inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in both human trials and in vitro tests.
So, this study concluded that those who drink juices and tea need not worry that their beverages will interfere with the drug's ability to do its job. You should speak to your doctor, however, if you are prescribed fluconazole while taking warfarin, as the interaction may cause warfarin to be less effective.
But, you can feel safe drinking your usual beverages without fear that you'll have an interaction. And, in fact, if your beverage of choice is green tea, you may actually be working your way out of taking that warfarin in the future.
Green tea's potent anti-oxidants have been shown to help improve blood pressure and lower cholesterol. An improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol can mean a significant improvement in any cardiovascular disease that you might have.
Abnormally high blood pressure puts pressure on the arterial walls, which often causes them to have little nicks. Blood clots are formed as your body attempts to repair these little nicks.
But, if the blood clots grow too large or break off, they can block an artery to the heart, causing a heart attack. Or, if they block an artery that supplies the brain, they can cause a stroke.
Warfarin is prescribed to help prevent these clots from forming, but if blood pressure and cholesterol are lowered naturally, the need for a blood thinner can sometimes be eliminated.
Of course, you should never discontinue any medication without consulting your doctor, but wouldn't it be nice to be able to manage your blood pressure naturally?
In general, adding green tea to your diet is a healthy idea. It has been shown in study after study to help prevent premature aging and a whole host of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers. It may also help you keep your weight under control, which also helps keep you healthy and strong.
Try adding two to three cups of green tea per day to your diet to start seeing the healthy benefits. You'll find green tea available in a wide variety of flavors, in both loose form and tea bag form. You can drink it hot or iced - and add milk if you wish. Any way you drink it, you can be sure you're doing something healthy - and that won't interfere with medications you're already taking.
The accidental overdose of actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins is one of about 1.5 million medical mistakes made in the U.S. every year.And, according to a United States Pharmacopeia study released in March 2007, children are almost three times as likely as adults to be harmed by medical mistakes.The Quaid twins, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, were given 1,000 times the normal concentration of Heparin, a blood thinner used to prevent clots, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on November 19, 2007. The twins were born November 8, 2007.The Quaids filed a lawsuit on December 4, 2007, in Cook County, Illinois, Circuit Court against the makers of Heparin claiming Baxter Healthcare Corp. was negligent in packaging different doses of the drug in similar vials with blue backgrounds. (click here to view lawsuit: http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/1204_dennis_quaid_wm.pdf) Sadly, the massive overdose to the Quaid twins is but one of thousands of mistakes made by doctors and medical staff every day. If the life of the Quaid twins can be put in peril by a massive overdose at such a renowned hospital, we must wonder how safe are the more anonymous babies lying in hospital nurseries less reputable than Cedars Sinai.My experience in private practice includes several instances of parents coming to me because their babies had been harmed while under hospital care. To protect the child's economic future, and to provide lifetime care, I have advised parents to bring legal action. There also are times when the purpose of a lawsuit is to prevent future harm happening to other babies and that was the motive of the Quaid's lawsuit against the manufacturers of Heparin.The results of some of the lawsuits in which I was lead attorney include a $15.8 million verdict, the largest in Michigan for 2006, for a medical error to a baby causing Cerebral Palsy, recovery of $1.2 million on behalf of a baby born with Spina Bifida, and recovery of $900,000 for the parents of a baby born with Downs Syndrome.The Institute for Safe Medication Practices lists anti-coagulants, including Heparin, as high-alert medications, because they have "a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm" when used in error." The Quaid twins survived the massive overdose and are now doing well, according to a family spokesman, but too many similar victims are not as fortunate.Last year, three babies died at an Indianapolis hospital after a pharmacy technician stocked a medicine cabinet with vials containing Heparin with a concentration 1,000 times stronger than what was normally kept there. Nurses didn't check the label and administered the wrong dosage. The Quaid lawsuit filed Dec. 4 says Baxter Healthcare should have recalled the large-dosage vials after the Indianapolis deaths.Baxter Healthcare Corp. had been aware of the potential overdose problem with Herapin long before the overdose to the Quaid twins was administered. On February 6, 2007, Baxter sent a Safety Alert to its healthcare provider network about a potential life threatening medication error of its two Heparin products; the Heparin Sodium injection with 10,000 units per milligram and the HEP-LOCK U/P injection with 10 units per milligram.In that alert Baxter admitted it was "aware of fatal medication errors that have occurred when two Heparin products with shades of blue labeling were mistaken for each other." The alert made mention of three infant deaths that had occurred because the higher dose was "inadvertently administered." Baxter issued a reminder to healthcare professionals which could have avoided the totally unnecessary overdose to the Quaid twins and which also contains some sound general procedures to follow before administering other medications. The reminder noted: "Never rely on color as a sole indicator to differentiate product identity." "Always carefully read the product label to verify that the correct product name and strength have been selected." "Always carefully review both the drug name and dose on the label before dispensing and administering these products." Double-check your inventory as soon as possible, to ensure that there is no mix-up of the products. Notify all staff of the potential for errors in dispensing and administering these products. It is advised that you provide color photographs to staff to assist in their understanding of the product similarities.Given the existence of this clearly worded Safety Alert from Baxter, the Quaids attorney (Susan E. Loggans & Associates, P.C.) rightly asserts that Baxter is negligent because it failed to recall and failed to repackage products it knew were life-threatening. Baxter's failure to recall or repackage may seem incredible to many but, unfortunately, this behavior is repeated far too often by pharmaceuticals whose hunger for profits prevents them from spending money to recall or repackage products known to be potentially life-threatening. For that and other reasons, healthcare consumers will continue to need the services of medical malpractice legal specialists who will advocate for them and protect them from unthinking and careless hospitals and healthcare professionals.Most people do not realize that more than 700,000 Americans die each year because of medical mistakes. Victims need an attorney to uncover the truth because most medical malpractice mistakes are covered up by doctors and hospitals. As an attorney and Registered Nurse my knowledge and insight of the operating room as well as the courtroom has proved beneficial in bringing well-deserved justice to victims of tragic medical mistakes.
Both Marcus Stout & Lynn Foley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Marcus Stout has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food and Drink, Vitamins and Types of Cancer. Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about ,. Marcus Stout's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Lynn Foley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Asthma, Medicine and Fitness. Lynn M. Foley is a medical malpractice attorney in Cochran,Foley & Associates, of Livonia, Michigan. Foley is also a RegisteredNurse. Call: 866-642-4529 or visit www.cochranfoley.com.. Lynn Foley's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.