coumadin therapy?

Question

how long must someone take coumadin,i had atrail fib, doctor said i must remain on coumadin for the rest of my life

Answer 1

You will probably need to be on it for the rest of your life if you have Afib. When you have Afib, your atria doesn't contract completely, it just kinda wiggles (this is the medical term of course). This causes the blood in the atria to not move as much. When blood stands still, it tends to clot. If a clot form in your atrium, it gets pumped out through the ventricle and goes straight to your brain, causing a stroke. This is a very real, very dangerous possibility. This only way to prevent this is by taking coumadin so the blood doesn't clot.
There are other reasons for taking coumadin (knee replacement, hip replacement, etc) that only require temporary coumadin use. Unfortunately, Afib requires life-long therapy. Just be happy that there is a drug that can help you, otherwise you would have a one-way ticket to strokeville.

Answer 2

I threw a clot about 15 yrs. ago and they put me on coumadin for the normal 6 weeks (or was it 6 months) of thereapy. Upon stopping it I threw another clot in a few weeks. I will remain on it the rest of my life so I dont develop another.
Not a problem. MUST get protime (clotting test) to check meds at least once a month. More often when just starting coumadin therapy. Once it is regulated, blod work is not as often. This MUST be done as too little will be of no val;ue in protecting you and too much will cause yu to bleed to death.
Did you know coumadin is RAT POISON. Same thing as D-Con.
Warfarin Sodium. The rat eats it and hemmorrages to death.

Answer 3

I had open heart surgery in 2001 and have been on it ever since. The docs assure me that I will be on it the rest of my life. Isn't that a joyous thought? I take 7mg daily after months of having bloodwork done every other day or so. It's been relatively steady for about a year now.