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612551 tn?1450022175

Fish Oil and Coagulation INR

I have been on Warfarin for at least 10 years and am happy to report that my INR is in the 2.0 to 3.0 range 90% of the time.  That said, my INR today came in at 1.8, so I am below the target range.  

I have been (again - I took in the past but stopped for a year or more) taking a low dose level of Omega 3 using Fish Oil capsules.  The recommended dose is 3 capsules a day, I take only one.  Still does anyone know if an Omega 3 supplement may lower the INR (Increase the coagulation ability of blood)?
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1569985 tn?1328247482
Just a thought -- you might want to check what margarine you are using.  I use Benecol or Promise Activ, both of which have the plant sterols that help lower my cholesterol.  I noticed that the main oil used is canola, which is high in vitamin K.  Also, Pam, a spray oil I use in cooking is made from canola oil.  These may be small things, but perhaps cumulative.

I like your reasoning about the relative risk.  I get a little frantic when my numbers don't line up.  I like being right in the middle 2.4 or 2.5, that way I figure if I eat a little too much lettuce or too little of the vitamin k foods, it won't matter.  I once sunk my INR like a rock by eating a large spinach salad -- didn't occur to me until after that it was too much for one sitting.  
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612551 tn?1450022175
COMMUNITY LEADER
Thanks, I don't have any problem with gum bleeding or any bleeding except when I cut my flesh, which happens.  I do bleed more than I recall from years ago, but nothing gushing..for a small cut.  I too take a low dose aspirin, with the 5 mg of Warfarin.  My cardiologist knows I take Fish Oil, he has not expressed any concern.

I may have it all wrong, but I believe AFib increases the chance of a clot, and thus of a stroke (not all clots cause strokes, I believe), but it does not mean that a clot even with normal clotting (INR = 1) is likely, more than a few percent.  I  believe it is still unlikely, but cumulative so if untreated for several years a clot formation becomes much more likely.  So, my ignorant comfort is that an INR of 1.8 means it is very unlikely that a clot will form, only slightly more likely than a person with no AFib and an INR = 1.

I was just surprised to be below range as I recalled not having as much vitamin K intake as usual.  Then I recall I had been on low dose Omega 3 in recent months... I'd guess a couple during which my INR was in range.  I try to get it checked once a month, but forget some months : (
Helpful - 0
1569985 tn?1328247482
I am on Warfarin and also was told to take 81 mg. asprin and that I could take fish oil.  I drop off the asprin if I start to get bleeding problems like nosebleeds or bleeding when i brush my teeth.  I too have been told to keep my INR in the 2-3 range.  I have been at 1.9 and at 3.1 and I believe it's because of diet. I will stay in the proper range for a time then it will gradually go down or up.  I do check my INR at home with a Phillips meter, so I check it once a week.  Medicare will pay for it, or so I'm told.  Checking it more often is supposed to make the chance of a stroke less likely -- according to Phillips.  Hope this is some help.
Helpful - 0
612551 tn?1450022175
COMMUNITY LEADER
Thanks, it seems my INR (which doesn't measure the effects of Omega 3) being low was due to diet or some other trigger.  I hadn't been eating much salad stuff lately and expected the INR would be okay or too high. My INR was 1.8 so near the target range, must still provide some clot protection.  

As stated, I take only about 1/3 the dose of Omega 3 as a just-in-case.  The possibility of more bleeding isn't encouraging.  I live a mostly "normal" life and figure I will somehow get by if I get a bleeding injury.  I don't toss knives in the air to catch, or anything real risky, but I do use power tools and climb ladders.... well that stuff can kill one in any case.  

It is a quality of life issue, and I have concluded I'll try to lead as normal a life as I can and take some chances.

The Fox News doctor who is on the Sunday shows (maybe other, Rosenberg or something like that) is a cardiologist and a big advocate of Omega 3 supplements,  and my son who is a Resident in anesthesiology believes in Omega 3 supplements.  

I don't have any bruising problems.  
Helpful - 0
995271 tn?1463924259
Omega 3s thin you blood and prevent clotting just like warfarin.  They work in different ways but do the same thing.  You can take them together but have to be careful because you could bleed excessively or bruise easily.  
Helpful - 0
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