coumadin (warfarin)

[camel675]

I have been prescribed Coumadin and have been reading about this drug on the internet and every site I've visited says a medical alert bracelet is essential. Unfortunately, in the country in which I'm currently living, pharmacists seem to think it's completely unnescessary. Who's right?

[twinbee]

As soon as I was put on coumadin my EP told me that I needed to get a medical alert bracelet. It took me a couple of months to find one I liked and everytime I saw my EP the first thing she asked me was "did you get your alert bracelet yet?"

[camel675]

Thanks for contacting me. I've already ordered a bracelet. I've just mentioned all of this to a friend of mine who happens to be a doctor and he said it's simply not the 'norm' around
here. I'd better avoid accidents.

[dolfnlvr]

Let's go with it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to wear a medic alert bracelet indicating that you take coumadin.  Being a blood thinner, it puts you at risk of serious bleeding due to relatively minor injuries.  If you were in an accident and unable to talk, what a medic might think is a minor cut could lead to slower triage.  However, if that medic knew that you were on coumadin, you would be a priority to stop the bleeding ASAP.