Side affects of warfarin

Answer 1

The most common side effects associated with anticoagulant therapy are itching, rashes, easy bruising, increased bleeding from injuries and purplish spots on the skin. Purplish skin spots are caused by small amounts of bleeding under the skin. Bruising tends to be more severe when taking anticoagulants, and bleeding from wounds can be difficult to stop.

Side effects caused by taking anticoagulants can be dangerous. This is especially true if your gastrointestinal system begins to bleed while you are on anticoagulant therapy. For example, a stomach ulcer that would normally bleed only tiny amounts may begin to bleed heavily, causing you to vomit up a material that resembles coffee grounds. This material is actually partially digested blood and indicates potentially dangerous blood loss. Other side effects that require prompt medical attention include black, tarry stool, blood in the urine and uncontrollable bleeding from an injury.

Answer 2

For those who do not know, Warfarin is an anticoagulant. It was initially marketed as a pesticide against rats and mice, and is still popular for this purpose, although more potent poisons such as brodifacoum have since been developed. A few years after its introduction, warfarin was found to be effective and relatively safe for preventing thrombosis and embolism (abnormal formation and migration of blood clots) in many disorders. Serious side effects of warfarin are rare, however the most common ones are listed here.

Hemorrhage

The only common side effect of warfarin is hemorrhage (bleeding). The risk of severe bleeding is small but definite and any benefit needs to outweigh this risk when warfarin is considered as a therapeutic measure. Risk of bleeding is augmented if the INR is out of range (due to accidental or deliberate overdose or due to interactions), and may cause hemoptysis (coughing up blood), excessive bruising, bleeding from nose or gums, or blood in urine or stool. The risks of bleeding is increased when warfarin is combined with antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel, aspirin, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The risk may also be increased in elderly patients and in patients on hemodialysis.

Necrosis

A rare but serious complication resulting from treatment with warfarin is warfarin necrosis, which occurs more frequently shortly after commencing treatment in patients with a deficiency of protein C. Protein C is an innate anticoagulant that, like the procoagulant factors that warfarin inhibits, requires vitamin K-dependent carboxylation for its activity. Since warfarin initially decreases protein C levels faster than the coagulation factors, it can paradoxically increase the blood's tendency to coagulate when treatment is first begun (many patients when starting on warfarin are given heparin in parallel to combat this), leading to massive thrombosis with skin necrosis and gangrene of limbs. Its natural counterpart, purpura fulminans, occurs in children who are homozygous for certain protein C mutations.

Osteoporosis

After initial reports that warfarin could reduce bone mineral density, several studies have demonstrated a link between warfarin use and osteoporosis-related fracture. The mechanism was thought to be either reduced intake of vitamin K, which is necessary for bone health, or interaction by warfarin with carboxylation of certain bone proteins.

Purple toe syndrome

Another rare complication that may occur early during warfarin treatment (usually within 3 to 8 weeks) is purple toe syndrome. This condition is thought to result from small deposits of cholesterol breaking loose and flowing into the blood vessels in the skin of the feet, which causes a blueish purple color and may be painful. It is typically thought to affect the big toe, but it affects other parts of the feet as well, including the bottom of the foot (plantar surface). The occurrence of purple toe syndrome may require discontinuation of warfarin.

Answer 3

The most common minor side effects are bloating or gas. These problems usually go away as the body adjusts to the drug and do not require medical treatment.

Answer 4

You're dumb. Child please