Warfarin

I had a bad fall 3 years ago banging my head on the edge of the open door and resulting in a very bad black eye which spread right down my face onto my neck over the following few days. I'm on Rivaroxaban for AF. My husband did take me to A&E but as it was Christmas day and my family were there from down south I chose to go home rather than sit there for hours waiting to be seen. I had also cut my finger at the same time which wouldn't stop bleeding. The next day another family member persuaded me to call in at a different hospital on the way home and the doctor told me I should have called an ambulance - head injuries on blood thinners can cause internal bleeding. I have never been told to stop taking the medication so this does sound a little odd.

I only have routine blood tests annually.

I self-test for Warfarin but if I have any queries the local clinic is very good. I cannot take any of the newer anti-coagulants as I reacted badly.

I was recently diagnosed with AF and prescribed Eliquis (Apixiban). I was told that unlike Warfarin there was no need for frequent blood tests. I got the impression that Apixiban is taking over from warfarin as anticoagulant of choice (though it's very expensive if you have to pay for it!)

Thanks for this

My question is how much blood is taken for INR testing.
Sally As we have been debating on an earlier thread, for all matters health/medical, * talk to your GP! *
Anecdotal info. might be interesting to read, but you can never act on it.
FWIW; I was on Warfarin for years because of A/F; ( blood tests 2ml every one to four weeks depending on previous INR result, which varied up or down from the target 2.5 for no apparent reason!)
I'm now on "Eliquis", one tiny tablet twice daily and no more need for blood tests, ever. I still get dark bruises whenever I knock my arms against anything solid such as a door and I still swear the same, but the GP says that's all normal and proves that it's working!
Good Luck and Good Health.

Inr testing I used to do my own and it's a pin prick amount onto a test strip, it's pretty painless.

Much less than for a blood test! A pin prick amount.

My son who at the time was aged 18 had endocarditis suddenly out of the blue. He was very ill and one of his heart valves had to be replaced using a pig valve. He will have to have this replaced at some point with a metal one and will then need to be on warfarin. My question is how much blood is taken for INR testing. Is it a similar amount to that taken for a blood test, or less? This may seem an off question, but I like to be prepared and informed to offset any questions he may have.

Needless to say this was traumatic for all concerned. He has now turned 30 and seems very healthy, as well as being a lovely young man who is now the proud dad to a year old daughter.

Jane10 - same for me. I was fine on warfarin for a few years, inr tests in a similar place. For no reason anyone could identify, my inr results became irregular and I was back to weekly testing. My cardiologist recommended I change to Apixaban - bloods every 8 weeks now (which I suspect is largely down to the other meds I take)

My DH was taken off Warfarin and having frequent blood tests. He was changed to Apixaban which seems much more satisfactory.

Hi Hollyange what happened about your Warfarin?

How very strange to just stop your Warfarin and not give you any back up medication. As you say normally Heparin injections would be given.
Can you get an emergency appointment or telephone appt with another doctor in the Practice, maybe tomorrow? Say you've had time to think about the possible implications of stopping your Warfarin which you find worrying, and what would they advise.
At the end of the day it's your health and you have every right to protect yourself with a second opinion.

As FlexibleFriend says, has your inr been tested? Is this appointment the first one you had after the fall?
I had a bad fall a couple of years ago, cut my head and bled profusely. Our GP cleaned me up and sent me to A and E where I had a brain scan to make sure no internal bleeding.
The doc you saw seems very laid back in the circumstances. In your situation, I'd be getting inr tested and discussing the docs advice with your specialist nurse. Good luck

Do you have an anticoagulation nurse who tests your Inr?