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Vitamin K Cream & Warfarin

Warfarin is a blood thinner that can have drastic and detrimental effects if taken in conjunction with high doses of vitamin K. Warfarin and vitamin K actually counteract each other. Therefore if you have been prescribed Warfarin, a diet high in Vitamin K will make regulating the proper dosage of your blood thinner nearly impossible. There are a number of ways warfarin and vitamin K interact.

  1. Usages

    • Monitoring the intake of vitamin K is important for those taking the blood-thinning drug warfarin (Coumadin). Since warfarin is designed to treat and prevent blood clots and vitamin K is processed by the liver to create blood-clotting proteins, the two agents are not always compatible. In fact, their relationship can be downright tricky.

    Diet

    • A diet high in vitamin K can lessen the effectiveness of warfarin. However, removing vitamin K entirely from your diet could adversely affect the management of your medication. Foods rich in vitamin K include dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, as well as soybeans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, asparagus and liver.

    How to Combat Interactions

    • So, what changes should you make concerning your intake of vitamin K while taking warfarin? None, unless your intake exceeds the recommended daily allowance, which is 90 micrograms (mcg) for adult women and 120 mcg for adult males. The most important thing to remember regarding warfarin and vitamin K is to keep your intake of the latter as constant as possible.

    Recommended Dietary Changes

    • Say, for example, you stop eating foods rich in vitamin K the day you begin your first dose of warfarin and then, a month later, you eat a small serving of kale. Your levels of vitamin K will double and hinder progress. Dietary fluctuations make it more difficult to regulate your medication. Instead, keep eating your weekly spinach salad or side of cauliflower. Just do not eat more or less than usual.

    Further Monitoring

    • There is also a "Coumadin Cookbook" that provides guidelines for stabilizing daily vitamin K intake to patients on warfarin. If you have any thoughts about changing your diet, it is best to consult your physician.

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