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Avatar universal

Vitamin K?

I am in week 8 triple therapy with Incivek and had a cbc on Friday. Just got an email from the np that said she had talked to the doctor and wants to put me on Vitamin k 10 mg daily. I gave her the pharmacy number and asked her to send me the lab results. Still waiting to hear back. Have any of you had to do this before? What is the Vitamin k used for? Thanks!
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Avatar universal

Hi  taccs4,
Your INR of 1.16 is normal (or at least it was normal 2 weeks ago), so it's not clear to me why they would start you on VK.  On the other hand, there is little harm from starting it, maybe they just want to make sure that if your platelets fall further, and if your liver function slides, you will have the least chance of coagulopathy/bleeding.  Let's hope that your INR stays good and that your platelets don't fall any lower!
T
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Avatar universal
Vitamin K is also used to counter the effects of Coumadin in an emergency bleed situation.
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Avatar universal
I checked and my last INR two weeks ago was 1.16. Thanks for the answers everyone. I still have not gotten the latest numbers but hopefully I will hear from them soon and that will help explain things.
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Avatar universal

Possibly they are concerned about  clotting  factors and bleeding aside from  and as well as low platletts..
Will


Hepatitis C Cirrhosis; Vitamin K Deficiencies
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The liver needs vitamin K to make factors that regulate blood clotting
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Vitamin K deficiency is extremely rare in healthy people. It can, however, occur in individuals who have significant liver damage or disease disorders that interfere with the absorption of nutrients from the intestine.
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Liver disease (cirrhosis) causes a decrease in bile salt synthesis, leading to impaired absorption and Vitamin K deficiency. The liver makes a number of coagulation (clotting) factors including prothrombin and fibrinogen. Most of these require the presence of vitamin K to function normally. Vitamin K, as a fat-soluble vitamin, in turn requires bile salts to be absorbed properly by the body. If the liver is impaired and does not produce enough bile this will have an effect on the capacity to clot blood; increasing the risk of bleeding.


..,. 1-Vitamin K is necessary for the formation of prothrombin and other blood-clotting factors in the liver, and it also plays a role in bone metabolism.

.,2-A form of the vitamin is produced by bacteria in the colon and can be utilized to some degree.

http://hepatitiscnewdrugs.blogspot.com/2011/03/hepatitis-c-cirrhosis-vitamin-k.html
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Avatar universal
I do have cirrhosis and my platelets two weeks ago were at 33,000. They did check my INR two weeks ago and I want to say it was 1.6 but I will need to check and those results are at home. I am pretty sure all the lab slip had checked this time was CBC w/ diff. Hopefully she will send me these results soon so I can see what these numbers are. I suspected this might be a low platelet issue, but I was suprised at the mention of vitamin k. She mentioned procrit before but never vitamin k.  
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Avatar universal

Hi taccs4,
Vitamin K helps the liver synthesize some of the factors that your blood uses to form clots.  These factors are different from platelets, they are actually proteins that have been modified by an enzymatic process requiring Vitamin K.
Do you have cirrhosis that is compromising your liver's ability to synthesize clotting factors?  If so, that would explain your MD starting Vitamin K.  However, you said you had a "CBC on Friday", and a CBC would not measure the function of clotting factors, it would only tell you how many platelets there are.  Perhaps they also measured your PT/PTT/INR, which are indications of the levels of clotting factors.  Or, are you on coumadin or some other anticoagulant?
Tappy
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Avatar universal

you have problems with platlets probably, vit k is for blood clotting and has no toxicity.some forms are approved for liver cancer treatment in japan

an hbv member is using it for HCC prevention but it is different from plain vit k and not available in US
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179856 tn?1333547362
Honestly I dont know too much about vitamin K, but also I dont know about transplants either at this point so I would ask them or wait until one of the smart guys sees this post. Hopefully we can keep bumping it up amidst all the 'when should I be UND' questions and someone will see it since it seems rather important to me that someone tell you what is going on.

Can you call the PA and ask in the meantime?  I'm sure they have some good logic, but I'm more of a cheerleader and not one of the 'smartiets' who googles everything.

Wouldn't it just be nice if they'd tell you stuff without having to obsess over it?  :)
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Avatar universal
This is how the email reads:

I talked with Dr. McGuire and he agrees we should add Vitamin k 10 mg daily. Please send your pharmacy number.

I am using a hepatologist at a transplant center, so I hope they are giving me the proper treatment. However, I know even the best can make mistakes that is why I was so interested in seeing what others think. What questions do you think I should ask? I don't want to take anything that can be harmful.

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179856 tn?1333547362
I'm surprised because in the 'olden' days doctors told us not to take extra A or K because they were stored in the liver and we did not want too much there; however it is used to help with clotting (I think) is that a problem for you?.  Are you sure she said K? Believe it's carotene........
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