When I get drugs poisoning (prescribe medicine but not warfarin), my platelets dropped out of the normal range.
I haven't noticed a mosquito die on my arm unless it was from being splatted... they can't build up an immunity for that. But I have noticed, with aging (warfarin or not) that mosquito bites itch more than they used to.
I was "tongue in cheek" on the rat poison immunity, but do remember a plot in a story many years ago where a person used a slow build up of immunity to rat poison by eating some each day, then increasing the amount until they were able to eat a fatal dose. Then they used rat poison in a meal that the ate right along with the person they wanted to kill... this was enough to make them very sick, but not enough to kill them as they had built up an immunity. The bottom line: they got away with murder, no one suspected them of putting poison in the meal they ate along with the victim.
I don't know if this would work, but I do know the body can build up a resistance, it can develop defenses when exposed to a foreign substance/environment.
In any case, joke aside, my INR runs very close to 2.5 every time it I get my blood checked, need to do it today I think, and I think that is thick enough to help stop unwanted bleeding. I don't take any special precautions against cuts... but it does cross my mind when I start up my radial arm saw, table say, chain saw... or ride fast downhill on my bike. I'm sure that are injuries I can sustain and survive if I were not on warfarin, and not survive because I am. But, QOL says to me: be careful not fearful.
I immagine if the body has built in poisoning, it can poison the cancer cell too! It also can be poisoning the good cells and the bad cells. Did you notice any mosquito bite? Would the mosquito get poisoning and die?
Meds are like software. Never buy the 1.0 release.
Warfarin has been around since the 1950s. If it hasn't been yanked off the market by now, it's pretty safe.
When I used to work in an ER, I could tell just by the blood when someone was on warfarin. It was sometimes as thin as cool aide. When they came in with nasty cuts, we'd try to stop the bleeding but sometimes they had to have it cauterized to stem the bleeding.
LOL @ Jerry and the rat poison. good one :-)
My cardiologist has never expressed any concern about long term use of any AFib drugs, I'm on - and I have asked. I take 5 mg Warfarin and 100 mg (or more) of Metoprolol SR every day.
I may have already built an immunity to Rat poisoning - a side benefit :)
Would you get toxication if you're on Warfarin for a long period of time?
The Plavix is widely advertised and available in the USA. I have discussed with my cardiologist in past years. He said, no way is it a substitute fo warfarin... but again I tolerate warfarin well. But too, I've never had any severe cuts while on warfarin.
I use to take Plavix (Clopidogrel as clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate). It likes the blood thinner as you described above. No need blood test and it won't cause excessive bleeding. It has been approved in Australia for a while. It comes with clopidogrel 75mg 28 tablets in a box. Cost AUD $82.79 for no medicare patient.
I have been diagnosed TIA. I also have a history of low platelets (ITP) so I can't take Warfarin nor Aspirin. The neurologist prescribed this Plavix for me. Although it mentioned won't cause excessive bleeding but it did't guarantee. It still make me bleed and lost a fair bit of blood. Now I stopped it, my platelets even fall lower than during I took the Plavix. The goodies is "no bleeding". Heamoglobin is climbing up.
I think fish oil and/or garlic will thin the blood more effective than Plavix.
My understanding is that the benefits are more around the lack of need for frequent INR testing but I don't know much more as I'm not on Coumadin or Warfarin at this time anyway.
Thanks, I did find some helpful information on wikipedia, and that was on "Dabigatran".
I do get by reasonably well on Warfarin, and it isn't expensive. So, it may not be the "silver bullet" for me as far as an improved QoL. I do have insurance, so the cast may not be real high, given I always hit my deductible early in the year. Up to that point the cost is high for everything (except Warfarin which is under $5 a month anyway).
I was just reading up on it. I think I found thr right one, it's called Exanta or dabigatran. One study said that folks that are on warfarin and have excellent INR might not benefit from switching.
More info here
http://www.theheart.org/article/995769.do
My doctor told me about it last week .All he said was that is being use over there and that it is a real breakthrough , but that the cost is really high.He thought it would be here soon.