Foods you can't eat while taking Coumadin
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Coumadin diet
Coumadin is a medicine prescribed for people at increased risk of forming blood clots. It reduces the formation of blood clots by blocking the formation of certain clotting factors. It is used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots in veins and arteries and also used for other medical purposes. Coumadin can prevent harmful blood clots from forming. To help coumadin work effectively, it is important that you keep your Vitamin K as consistent as possible. Sudden increase in vitamin k may decrease the effect of coumadin. On the other hand lowering your intake of vitamin k may increase the effect of coumadin. Monitoring of the Coumadin effect is performed with a blood test. This test is known as the prothrombin time and international normalized ratio. Coumadin is only available by prescription, and should only be taken under the supervision of a physician familiar with its indications and actions. Here are some of the foods you can't eat while taking Coumadin.
List of foods to avoid while taking coumadin:
1. Green leafy vegetables: Some of the green leafy vegetables include kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, beet greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, lettuce, brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, broccoli, green onions, parsley, green peas and asparagus. These vegetables are high in vitamin K and can decrease the action of Coumadin. If you take these vegetables, be sure to eat a consistent amount from week to week. Ask your doctor first if you have a history of blood clots and persons on blood thinning medication. Recommended dietary allowance for vitamin k is 90 micrograms per day for woman ages 19 to 70+ years and 120 micrograms per day for men ages 19 to 70+ years. Try to keep the amount of these foods in your diet about the same from week to week. Generally, the darker green vegetables have a higher vitamin K content.
More foods to avoid while taking Coumadin
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2. Green tea: Another food you should completely avoid while taking coumadin is green tea. Green tea is extremely high in vitamin K and small amounts of green tea can cause complications. If you drink tea, you can take black tea because it is not high in Vitamin K. An example of black tea is orange pekoe tea.
3. Grapefruit and cranberries: Avoid grapefruit, cranberries and its products. Cranberry products and grapefruit products may either increase or decrease the effect of coumadin or warfarin.
4. Herbal teas and supplements: Do not take herbal teas and supplements while taking coumadin. Avoid herbal teas such as chamomile, tonka beans, melitot and sweet woodruff.
5. Fruits: Fruits high in vitamin k include blueberries, kiwi, canned pumpkin and canned pumpkin. Avoid these fruits while taking coumadin.
6. Meats: Some of the meats to avoid include beef, liver and pork liver. These meats contain varying amounts of vitamin K.
7. Smoking and alcohol: Smoking and alcohol should be completely avoided with coumadin. Smoking has very sporadic effects on effectiveness of Coumadin and should be completely avoided.Alcohol is another beverage that can enhance warfarin's effects, prolonging bleeding times.
8. Other foods: Other foods avoid while taking coumadin include cashews, mayonnaise, canola oil, soybean oil, cilantro, garlic, dried thyme, ginger, gingko biloba, feverfew, fish oil, okra and turmeric. Mayonnaise, canola oil and soybean oil have high amounts of vitamin k. Another non-food that needs to be avoided is aspirin, as it also causes blood-thinning effects
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It is unfortunate the title of this article is wrong. As a veteran of warfarin (Coumadin) for over 20 years and having developed the world's largest single site for vitamin K products - the standard counseling for patients is: consistency and communication. Patients avoiding foods in vitamin K run the risk of bone density issues. Vitamin K plays an important role in our body. Clinicians can move the dose of Coumadin around a consistent vitamin K diet provided the patient remains relatively consistent and communicates significant changes in diet. PTINR.com will provide patients and familes a no-cost, no login resource to help make healthy choices while on warfarin. "Not Eat" should be replaced with "Eat consistent amounts, communicate your desires and keep your scheduled INR tests". Home INR testing has been proven to help stabilize blood test results while allowing 'normal' healthy diets. Email me with any additional questions. Gary
I have been on coumadin for 5 years an no one wants to tell u what not to eat until i found this site Dr's put u on it an u r on ur own thanks again for helping me know more about what to eat an not .i couldnt never get my doseage rite, an this medicine u dont mess around with thanks again so much. Shirley Rabon
I have been on coumadin for 3 months now and they seem to not be able to get my dosage right. Today my INR is 4.5 and that's a scary elevation. I really haven't changed my diet or added anything to it. What am I suppose to do now? Please help!
Controling your INR is a very difficult maze to get through. But I just survived a scary spike of 11.9 with the ER's doctors asking what kind of life saving measures I wanted. I don't eat red meat and have avoided all green vetgetables. The doctors say sometimes this may happen for no reason. Good Luck to everyone out there.
I hate this medicine...what in the hell are you supposed to eat...this is assinine...who ever invented this drug is wacko....
Thank you for the info. Dr.'s do not go over this enough. It seems everyone, I know, that starts this medication is confused about what not to eat and what to eat. No one tells you it has to do with vitamin K. That consistency is the key word and to always meet your scheduled testing. This medication is life saving and my Mother would have died years earlier without it. So we had more precious time with her. Thank you again. very informative. Thanks for your comment Gliska!
I wish the doc would figure out how too control my inr its either high or really low I endend up getting a dvt in left arm was put on coumadin and levonox shots in hospital in Aug 2010 now just taking coumadin I really hate being on this now I have 2 more clots that popped up while being on the meds. Help
ER doctors just found multiple clots in my lungs and I am in my 5th day of coumadin and Levonox shots. Doctors told me to avoid or be consistant with Vit K ie leafy green veggies but in no way was I told just how extensive the food and herb list was! Not even the warning which came with my Rx disclosed it! My levels have only gone from 1.1 to 1.4. I now have a good idea on just how long and complicated this regiment may be. DARN!!!Thank you for the info and the postings.
FYI
I've been taking coumadin for nine years now. I recently discovered that One-A-Day-Essential vitamins have NO vitamin K.
that is a fussy medicine my son takes it and his inr went up to 6.5 so what they did was Monday-Thursday whole pill rest of the day 1/2 pill it so far so good its like 2.5 it took a while hopefully it will stay here he was eating Gallic and that kept it high
I've been on this for 2 yrs. and seeing others comments makes me thankful for my doctors. They did tell me what to eat and how to eat. We also have a coumadin clinic that all the doctors send patients to in our area. I call it the "coumadin club" . I thought the clinic was a crazy idea, but maybe not. My inr has been consistent until the last month or two. Trying to figure out why mine is changing since I haven't changed meds. or diet.
After reading your comments, I thank God that I live in Canada. I'm 2.5 yrs post surgery to replace my aortic valve and aorta; part of the recovery is 3 months of going to a Heart Health Clinic with classes in exercise, diet and nutrition as well as support from nurses, specialists in diet and exercise. The cost of all of this? $0.00 (and the total bill for my surgery was $10.00 for pre-surgical cleansing pads. Boy have you guys missed the boat on health care!
I have been taking coumadin since 2000. I had pulmonary emboli and was in hosp for two weeks. Have been on med ever since. A test determined I will be taking it for the rest of my life. My INR hasn't been higher that 4.8 in all those years. I do not eat dark green leafy vegetables, I do eat peas, light or red cabbage and asparagus occasionally and I eat iceberg lettuse about once a week. I think concistancy is the key and the fact that I have never liked many dark green leafy vegetables.
I HAVE BEEN TAKING WAFARIN FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS,I HAVEN'T
THE SLIGHEST IDEAL WHAT IS GOING ON!I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO EAT THATS SAFE.IM STELL BEING A JUSTED
HELP!
Am on warfin Just started 2 days ago. Please tell me what to eat and not to eat. Am so confused from other peoples Oh my god help
After almost eight years on Wafarin and a steady PTINR, the PTINR went WACKO; sometimes high, sometimes low. No change in diet. Following a month long battle to keep regulated, I finished taking that bottle of wafarin. Now, a new perscription...same dosage...PTINR is staying regulated. I decided the culprite was an inconsistant dosage in each pill of Wafarin from the previous perscription. It's as if the medicine in the bottle was an in-between batches? or an in-between quality control check? I do not know. I do believe it was the level of wafarin in each pill that was 'off'.
Bottom line...eat a healthful diet, be consistant in maintaining that diet, and obtain regular PTINR checks.
CAN I EAT HONEY WHEIL ON COUMADIN
You must drink plenty of water to prevent additional clots while on warfarin/coumadin.
I hate this megication.My mother has been on this crap for 16 years and they have NEVER been able to get it regulated. She watches her diet closer than anybody I know and still its not regulated. She has horrible bruses on her body and her Dr still says her blood is to thick.I worry that she is going to start bleeding one of these days and not stop.This is a bad medication and because of what I see her go through I will never allow a Dr to put me on this crap.
Hello I'm a patient that has been on wafarin for quite a while now and I'm pretty young in age. I'm currently taking 10mgs. every night and sometimes I get phone calls from my doctor stating to take higher or lower dosages and I'm really fed up with the whole situation because it seem like I'll be taking this medication for the rest of my LIFE!
I also cannot get my INR between 2-3. It keeps sticking at 1.5 or 6. I feel dreadful on this med. I feel tired all the time and I feel my brain is scrambled. Just can't think clearly and want to sleep all the time. Was in hospital for a few days ob as had thunderous headaches and BP was very low. Nobody seemed concerned about that at all! Trying to avoid greens but i sooo love all the foods you ahouldnt have. But... i will do as the doc says!! Warfarin has to be a life saver so what else can you say. Anyone else feeling so tired permanently and just no energy or suffering blinding headaches?
My PT/INR levels were very inconsistent until I changed to a geriatric doctor with more Coumadin experience than the younger doctor. The first thing he did to avoid my PT/INR fluctuations was to take me off of generic (Warfarin) and put me on label (Coumadin). He explained that the FDA only "requires" generic meds to be 80% of what it needs to be. Therefore, while on generics, I wasn't always getting a consistent amount of medicine. Since I switched to the brand name Coumadin, for the first time my INR levels have been perfect (2.5) for two weeks in a row! Hope this helps! P.S. By the way, to the people that ask if it makes you tired ... it definitely makes me sleepy. The doctors say it's not supposed to.
Does anyone suffer with confusion evry few weeks
I have been taking warfarin for 14 years due to the replacement of an aortic valve. I have never had any bad side effects; I would say tiredness and headaches are due to something else. I do avoid a number of foods, on the advice of my doctor, but have never heard to avoid beef. I don't eat a lot of red meat, however. I had an episode of A-fib, which occurs with valve patients, but take Atenolol, and haven't had an occurrence since. My INR has gone up and down, and no one seems to know why, but I still think warfarin is saving my life, even though it's a pain sometimes.
I've been on Coumadin for 4 years and will forever. In the beginning, it took awhile to regulate but now I go monthly and have been in the low-mid range. I am very frustrated about not being able to eat green veggies but I manage. I'm a cook and when (most) recipes call for a green veggie, I get sad. Once in awhile, I might buy asparagus and eat one or two a couple of times a week and that seems to be ok. I do miss all the green stuff as I was a huge eater of all of them. We just have to hang tough and be creative.
im on warfarin every day due to a massive blood clot i had in my left groan which some broke of and went to my lung but i have had big bleeds on it and when they take my blood me it pours for ever it does scare you t i allso get bad cramps in my tummy and bad headaches to thumping ones
What is in mayonise that effects Coumadin?
are any of you on disability?
Nope, I applied and everything weighs up for applying and receiving disability allowance except the box that says are you in a wheel chair.. I am not, I have a heart condition , battling my life with a 3 chambered heart and no you can not see it but no offense people wheel a wheelchair and get sore arms, why not watch me try wheel a wheel chair go blue pass out convulse and then who is living with the most difficulty. Also there are new drugs being made naturally certified by a board of doctors that does the same thing as warfarin and is not a poison... But then where would they make the money if everyone knew what to do right ..
I've been on coumadin for almost a year now, and I am tired all the time-- I can sleep 10-14 hours a day without stirring. I also used to get stomach cramps for no reason. I talked to my doctor about it but he dismissed it. I'm glad to see I'm not going crazy and that other people are experiencing this too. How sad that doctors won't take us seriously!
I have been on warfarin 5g for the past 5 months still my calf is swilling up.
i have been on coumadin for years and i didnt know about all this food u can not eat while on bloodthinners wow and i have been eating and drinking alot that your not alound to have,and i love mayo and i use alot of it on my sandwishes.
is there a correlation between this medication and the fact that nobody posting here knows how to spell very well? very confused.
I am on warfarin just a little over a month and am so scared as i search the internet each day on what not to eat and what to eat. But i trust God for my healing and that my blood will stop clot and i can come off this drug, but lets eat right and try to live longer
My mother has been on Coumidin for over 35 years now; she's had three valves replaced. The doctors can not get her PTINR levels correct and she has ended up in ICU twice with brain bleeds; luckily she survived both times. She watches her diet very closely and still they can't get it right. I do feel that this medication is not a good med but she has to take it.
Some of this article is correct some is not. Vitamin K that is found is oil, leafy vegetables, chick peas, and some other sources does effect warfarin; however, you can eat those things. Warfarin is a vitamin K agonist. It blocks the effects of vitamin K in the body. If you have more vitamin K you need more warfarin. Consistency is the best route to get this. You can track your vitamin k intake so that you have about the same amount every day - this means you will need about the same amount of warfarin every day. I was on warfarin for one year. It saved my life. I did exactly what I just told you. It meant not having dinner be a giant salad but that I could have a side salad as long as nothing else was vitamin K heavy that day.
I have been on warfarin since January 17th due to a blood clot in my left arm after receiving a ct with infusion thru my iv. Im hoping to get off this crap soon. Its been 4 months and my doctor wants to keep me on it for another month.
I have been taking Courmadin for 2 yrs. and my doctor has still not got the dose that keeps me between 2-3. I am very sleepy all the time but like the others writing in my doctor dismisses that it may be the courmadin that causes the tiredness.
My little girl who's three has been on coumadin for about 2 weeks now. She developed a clot in her leg after her heart stopped and they had to find a vein big enough to run a line for heart medicine. One of the risks was that she could've developed a clot and she did. This drug is so confusing, they've already got her INR at 2. I'm thankful and the doctors did say that consistency is definitly the key. Stay blessed everyone.
I have been taken Coumadin for a few months now, I had to start out with Lovenox and still have knots in my stomach from that, but I am so tired all the time, all I want to do is sleep, I also have Fibromyalgia, trying to figure out if Coumadin has a reaction to a lot of the meds I'm on with that. My dad was on this stuff and passed away in 09 of a massive brain bleed. Our family is positive for factor 5, I hate this stuff, can't never figure out what is causing symptoms of complete energy loss.
If you are on warfarin due to a pulmonary embolism it may just be that you are healing. My PE had me out for almost 2 years. Were you fatigued on the Lovenox? If not, it may be the coumadin. Coumadin can cause anemia which causes fatigue.
I am sorry your dad didn't make it. Only around 4% of people have life threatening problems with coumadin. If you are able to stay in your therapeutic range that number drops even more. It is true though that older people are at higher risk of a bleed than younger. No clue why that is.
My husband has Hydrocephalis and is scheduled for surgery to place a shunt in his head. He had his last Warfarin dosage last evening. Should he stay off Spinach, Asparagus, etc. the next 5 days, even though he always eats moderate amounts of these foods?
I've been on coumadin for almost a year. I'm tired ALL the time, to the point, that actually after I've slept a good 6-7 hours, I can be up 3 hours, and go BACK to sleep for another 6 hours or so. There was so much alarm about the size of the clot in my left thigh, but after almost a year, nobodoy's bothered to check to see if it's larger(hopefully not) or small. I eat a regular diet, and for a while, my PT test came back at 2.4-2.5, now they're consistantly around 1.8. I also take Gabapentine for neuropathy in my feet. Even the people I talked to at the manufacturer couldn't tell me what it really does, so I think BOTH are just "snake oils" that we're conned into takin', but that's just my opinion. The big drug industry would NEVER rip us off I'm sure! ha
I took Gabapentine for a long time for neuropathy in my hand. It is an anti epilepsy drug that works in neuropathy by calming down nerves - the same thing that it does in epilepsy.
If warfarin is bothering you, ask about trying Lovenox. A lot of commenters on my hubs have switched and had a huge improvement. The down side is that it is an injection and a lot more expensive. Warfarin is cheap. It is made out of a substance similar to that in sweet clover and it has been around forever.
Am on wafarin since january havin mitral and aerotic valve replacement, am taking 3mg daily and my inr is not normal,so please help me with of what to eat on nigerian diet. Thank you
My husband has atrial fibrulation - or irregular heart beat. He's been taking warfarin for several years now. I am concerned for the side effects, including short term memory loss, irritability, lack of concentration, disrupted sleep pattern,joint and muscle pain, stomach cramps and loose stools. He is exhausted most of the time and suffers leg pain when walking any distance. hE STARTED TO LOOSE HIS HAIR. This drug quickly eroded his quality of life from day ONE. He ws a very fit and active man before he started taking it. I have had heart surgery and as a result I take Bisoprolol and one asprin per day to thin the blood. No one has ever mentioned to me any thought of taking warfarin for this purpose. ??? My question is - why is warfarin preferred by most doctors over Bisoprolol and asprin.?????? Can anyone answer thiS
Hi - why don't you jump over to my hubs and read up on warfarin. http://lwelch.hubpages.com/_lew/hub/Blood-Clot-Tre
or
http://lwelch.hubpages.com/_lew/hub/CoumadinQuesti
I am concerned about the side effects I see you listing. I know that hair loss is normal. I had that myself when I first started on warfarin. The rest sound severe and not typical. I know some people on my hubs have switched to Lovenox with good results.
Aspirin and bisoprolol isn't as effective because aspirin doesn't work on the type of clots that form in a-fib. In a-fib blood pools in the heart. When blood pools, the glue in our blood, fibrin, starts to glue platelets together. Warfarin and Lovenox change how fibrin behaves.
Well what the F&%# else is there to eat then??? Rice & Bread. Dead in less than a year...
Life with Sandy 20 months ago
Very informative article. My dad takes Coumadin. I wonder if he is aware of what he should not eat. Sometimes doctors do not give out all the information that should to patients.