Coumadin and dieting
 

Is anyone on Coumadin/Warfarin/Jantoven and trying to lose weight? I had open heart surgery in March to replace my Aortic Valve and now have to take Coumadin for life. One of the big issues with this drug is you need to stay away from foods with high to moderate levels of vitamin K. This translates into almost every green vegetable on the planet and a lot of other veggies as well. How are supposed to lose weight without eating green veggies!!!:mad:

Any help would be appreciated....:?:

Hi! I am a nurse practitioner, and have several patients in your situation. Of course I can not offer medical advice, but I can give you a few suggestions. Call your local hospital. Most have a nutritionist/dietician on staff who can give dietary counseling (free at our hospital) one on one to people with challenges such as yours. I have sent many of my patients on anticoagulants or with other health issues to ours.

Kenda

Thank you I will!

I was on Coumadin for 6 months following DVTs in leg.
I was told I could eat high vitamin K foods in moderation, as long as I ate the same amount each day. This sounds strange but it worked.

I was on warfarin after a DVT for 6 months.

You've had a certain amount of bad advice. When you are on lifetime coumadin routine you definitely can't avoid eating vitamin K. That would be very unhealthy for you.

Instead, what you need to do is eat a *consistent* level of vitamin K. Which means, really, that it would be better for you to go to a professional dietitian and get them to draw up a diet plan if you want to lose weight while maintaining your INR at a consistent level.

BTW, it is more complex than just controlling vitamin K, as exercise and dehydration can affect INR in complicated ways as well.

Home monitoring helps a great deal. There are machines that your doctor can offer that allow you to do INR tests at home, more frequently than going to the doctors surgery.

In the worst case scenario where you really can't diet and be on warfarin there are other drugs that your doctor can prescribe that do the same job but aren't affected by vitamine K and exercise.

I also was on coumadin for a DVT and was able to continue eating lots of green leafy veggies and other high K items - the key is keeping your levels consistent, as others have said.