![]() ![]() Warfarin works by blocking the effect of vitamin K. Most of the time this is related to how much vitamin K is in your diet. This can lead to a buildup of warfarin in your system and a high INR.ĭiet: Many foods can affect your INR level. Changes to your other daily medications can affect the way your body processes warfarin. Medications: Lots of medications can affect the INR. Here are some reasons your INR level may increase:Ĭhanges in dose: A higher dose may lead to a higher-than-expected INR. This is one of the reasons people need to repeatedly measure their INR when they’re taking warfarin. This is because there are a lot of factors - beyond your warfarin dose- that can increase the INR level. Sometimes it’s hard to keep your INR level within the target range. If you need to skip doses, check with your provider to see if you should restart your medication as soon as you take your test or if you should wait until your results come back. Sometimes, your healthcare provider will ask you to skip one or more doses of your warfarin (Coumadin) before your PT/INR test. You may not need to do anything to prepare for your PT/INR test. Once your INR levels are within your target range, you will need this test less often. You may need a PT/INR test every few days or weeks until your levels reach your goal INR. If your level is too high, you may need to lower your medication dose. If your level is too low, you may need to increase your medication dose. If you’re taking medication that affects how your blood clots, your INR will be higher than 1.1.Ī PT/INR test measures how well you’re responding to warfarin (Coumadin) or another blood thinner. A normal INR value is between 0.8 and 1.1. The INR gives information about how quickly your blood clots when compared to blood that clots normally. International normalized ratio (INR): This number is calculated from your PT. If you’re taking warfarin (Coumadin) or other medications that affects how your blood clots, your PT will be longer than 13.5 seconds. A normal PT value is between 11 and 13.5 seconds. Prothrombin time (PT): Thismeasures how many seconds it takes for your blood to clot. These two values measure how quickly your blood clots: What is a PT/INR test?Ī PT/INR test is a blood test. We’ll explain why this happens, what to do if it happens to you, and ways to prevent it. And this can put you at risk for dangerous bleeding. But that number often rises over the target range - even without any changes to your dosage. For most people who take warfarin, the target INR is between 2 and 3, or 2.5 to 3.5, depending on the indication. People who take warfarin have higher INR levels because the medication slows the time it takes blood to clot. A “normal” INR is between 0.8 and 1.1 if you’re not taking any medications that prevent your blood from clotting (sometimes called “blood thinners”). The higher the INR number, the longer it takes the blood to clot (or the “thinner” the blood). This test indicates how long it takes your blood to clot. And if you’re one of these people, you know that you need to get frequent blood tests to check your international normalized ratio (INR). Warfarin (Coumadin) is a common medication that people take to prevent their blood from clotting. ![]()
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