I am taking cumadin and would like to know what I am not supposed to eat.

[Bev Martin]

What foods am I not supposed to eat since i am taking cumadin?

[zimm]

I have seen lists on the web so scan and you can find something.

I've been slaped down for broccoli, pure genger suppliments, and a lot of other greens.

The main thing is to keep your diet regular, don't benge out on something you are not to take.  That way the dr. can keep you on the right dosage and your protine level will be within range.

[star queen]

Coumadin is a very powerful blood thinner. NEVER double dose.  You need to avoid foods and drugs that are also blood thinners such as asprin, advil, NSAIDs, Aleve, Orudis, and other pain killers.  Only take what your doctor suggests for you to take for pain and nothing else.  You need to reduce Vitamin K because it interveres with the absorbtion of Coumadin.  Don't eat leafy greens like broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, or spinich, etc.  Don't eat liver or other organ meats.  Don't take vitamins or herbal supplements without telling your doctor.  Many of them, such as Vitamin E are blood thinners.  Don't drink alcohol, which will thin your blood, or smoke tobacco products because they effect the oxygen levels in your blood.  Coumadin will cause you to bruise easily, so sports that are physical are not suggested.  Getting hit in sports such as football, gymnastics,etc. even lightly, can cause internal bleeding in some people, which can become a life threatening event. Before having dental work done, inform you dentist of taking this med.  Cleaning teeth can cause severe bleeding.  You will need anti-biotics.

[caregiver222]

You should discuss with your physician alternatives to coumadin. If your physician does not have suggestions in this regard, find another physician that does. The reason you are taking coumadin has not been specified. If you have had heart valve replacement coumadin may be the only medical protocol practicable, however coumadin is overprescribed and because of the side effects and the restrictions on diet, decreases the pleasure in life, as well as making you susceptable to bleeding out in the brain after a slight fall or bump that would otherwise cause no harmful effects.

[alan39]

I have been taking cumadin for quite a while with good results except for being nauseus much of the time.  Any suggestions?

[caregiver222]

Alan. With due respect the term "good results" can have many meanings. It is impossible to assess the damage done by administration of coumadin. Mother nature designed a magical machine where arr systems have a purpose. Clotting has a purpose. Inhibition of clotting time can sometimes be justified, and coumadin is sometimes necessary, however, in my opinion it is overprescribed and there are many alternatives that provide not-quite-as-good protection with far less risk. For a number of reasons, a physician cannot suggest you "go off coumadin" unless you ask him about the alternatives. It is called the "standard of care". Coumadin represents that standard.

[NancyDillon]

If protine levels are high should coumadin be increased or decreased.  I was wondering if my mom was given the wrong dosage.  Her levels were at 6.4 and admitted to the hospital. The ER Dr. said levels should be 2 - 3.  Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[Togolove]

I had a pulmonary embolism Aug 07 and I've been on Cumadin since then, checking my levels every other week now.  They've been steady.
However, I have been suffering from chronic pain, resembling costochondritis since leaving hospital.  I've had it in the past and used Ibuprofen.  It would last a few days.  Now, it's been 7 months and I can't take Ibuprofen with Cumadin.  I've had scans, x rays, blood tests, pain tests, etc.  All negative.  So, the docs think it's muscular.  I live in pain everyday as it wraps around my chest and back and makes breathing difficult.  Wondering if I should ask to go off Cumadin in order to take the Ibuprofen?  Or will all of that complicate things?

[dixter]

I take 1 tablespoon of Carlson lemon flavor fish oil in the AM, 1 teaspoon in the afternoon and  1 tablespoon in the evening.
Coumadin is one of the all-time worst "hangovers" from the "heyday" of patent medications: No matter how many alternatives there are for it, it just won't go away. It certainly thins the blood, but it does so by "poisoning and killing off" the vitamin K in your body. Over enough time, the near-total lack of vitamin K will (not "could" -- WILL) cause osteoporosis, arterial calcification, cognitive malfunction, and many, many other problems.

Unfortunately, clinical studies are expensive ventures, and unless there's a patented substance that has enormous profit potential on the other end of all that pricey research, no one is willing to fork over the money to conduct one. And since vitamins, minerals, and nutrients can't be patented, there just aren't any double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to "prove" how well they can work to replace patent medications (like Coumadin) -- without all the negative side effects associated with those patented substances.

But even without the clinical studies to "back it up," there is a very good alternative to Coumadin  it just so happens to be the same supplement used with such great success for RA in the study mentioned in the article above: Cod liver oil.

Cod liver and other fish oils work by making platelets (the very small element in your blood essential to the clotting process) so slippery that they can't stick together easily to form a clot.

There is a test (called the "platelet aggregation test") that can measure how well your blood is responding to all the natural anti-clotting measures you're already taking, and help you and your doctor determine exactly how much cod liver (or other fish) oil to take. But, unfortunately, it's hard to find and expensive--usually $200-$400 each time. That's why no one taking aspirin as a blood thinner is ever tested to see if the aspirin is actually doing its job. However, over the years, I've run many of these tests and have found that 2 to 3 tablespoonfuls of cod liver oil daily were always enough -- and not too much -- to do the job.

Remember: Whenever you take supplemental oils or essential fatty acids, always take extra vitamin E, as mixed tocopherols, to prevent the oils from oxidizing too rapidly in your body. Take 800-1,000 IU of vitamin E with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cod liver oil each day. And to minimize any gastrointestinal upset, split the cod liver oil into two or three doses. It's not very tasty stuff, so if necessary, you can blend it with rice or almond milk.

Of course, for those readers who may already be taking Coumadin, it's never wise to switch from Coumadin to cod liver oil without the advice of a physician skilled and knowledgeable in nutritional and natural medicine.

[Terri536]

My mom has been taking coumadin for about 2 months now the for the past 4 -5 weeks has been experiencing hallucinations and very bizarre behavior, losing time and very disoriented much of the time.  Has anyone experienced this?