They might want to check the numbers again~ 2 people in my family, on Warfarin for years, came back with dangerously thin blood tests within a week of each other, just this month~ something's not right...If you are on Coumadin or Warfarin & haven't had your labs done lately, please do so straight away.

Just so everyone is clear, warfarin is rat poison and is used to cause rats to internally bleed to death; same stuff; different dose

I was on this rat poison for six years until one day I almost bled to death within four hours. After surviving that episode, I made it clear I wanted positive proof as to why I needed that medicine threatening a law suit against all five doctors involved. Their answer to me is that they merely suggested thinning my blood with this poison and that it may not have been needed at all. That was ten years ago, and I have used a daily aspirin regime ever since and I have never needed anything else. To make my point, I am 65 and walk an average of six miles a day, keep my weight under control and my last check proved my heart and blood seemed like that of a 40 year old.

My brother has an artificial heart valve and has been on the stuff for years. Hope for his sake they are checking to be sure all of their pills are right.

i am glad I take a generic version. My cardiologist insists that I have a blood test done once a month every month. If I wait too long they give me a telephone call to remind me.

If you take Coumadin or warfarin make sure you get your blood tested. A long time ago medications like warfarin or digitoxin would have a warning on the pharmacy bottle "Poison" with a skull and crossbones.

Both these drugs are poisons. Warfarin was in a 1958 farm magazine with a cartoon of a rat with the words, "Kill 'em with warfarin". Lanoxin or digoxin is from the foxglove plant which is poisonous.

A Pharmacist

Joel - it's not commonly used for that anymore. But you *imply* (I mean, why else would you state it?) it's bad because of that use - because we all know - if it feels wrong, it just MUST be wrong! Despite the fact it's saved thousands of lives. Just so you're clear.

Blame British Petroleum, Toyota, China...anybody...This cannot be American-made..

Really quickly, make sure you do research on the medicines you're taking. Don't take your advice from one person who had a bad reaction to something or people who think there's a conspiracy going on.

There are several studies showing the efficacy of Coumadin for things like blood clots, atrial fibrillation, mechanical valves. The benefits outweigh the risks. And guess what Joe - your risk of a bleed on aspirin is increased relative to those who don't take aspirin. Everything is about risks and benefits. Always ask your doctors why you are being put on something. If there is good data to show you are more likely to benefit from something than to come to harm from it, take it.

I've been on 8-10 mg coumadin daily for almost ten years and cannot go off it due to a auto-immune disease. It's best if on it long term to eat healthy vegetables that contain K daily and balance the drug accordingly. Eliminating these foods are not healthy but people get in trouble when they eat them only occasionally. Also you must be aware of what interacts with it, such as cranberry & grapefruit. Red wine is a natural blood thinner and be careful with canola oil. Until they come up with something better, this "rat poison" keeps many people alive.

My father had a serious stroke about 15 years ago and the doctors put him on this stuff, which he adamantly did not want to take, but negotiated with his doctor to only be on the stuff for 6 months and then he was able to abandon ship. He knew it was low dose rat poison. He's fine now, recovered completely and quickly and is nearing 79 years old this fall, rides his bicycle every day and walks on his treadmill daily too. He doesn't take any medication at all. I try to encourage him to take a 1/4 aspirin a day, but he won't even do that. What can I say? Anyway, it's interesting to me that so many of our senior citizens are living lives with kitchen cabinets full of prescription bottles, their own private home pharmacies. There are just WAY TOO MANY prescribed drugs in this country and that's a whole different kind of drug abuse problem. God Bless Jack LaLanne, Betty White, Bob Barker and even Andy Rooney for setting the bar high and showing us that life goes on well into the 80's and 90's and that it's possible to still be strong and vibrant at those ages. Especially if you tell your doctor who is really the one in charge of your health.... YOU ARE! Avoid those prescription drug addictions! Our church choir director is also nearing the 80 mark and has been playing the keyboard for the services for more than 50 years now. She's going strong too. I think regular attendance at church or having a good spiritual relationship with God is also important for lowering stress and living a longer, healthier life.

Let's leave the rat poison to the rats, the pharmaceutical companies and the corrupt politicians who approve those FDA patents on such things. I'm not all that sure that Dad taking that stuff did any better than a simple aspirin regimen would have done. I know it was a hell of a lot more expensive than aspirin though.

Coumadin, like any anticoagulant, is NOT a 'blood thinner.' Blood viscosity doesn't change when taking this drug. Coagulation is inhibited because the drug interferes with vitamin K in the liver, and certain factors needed in the coagulation process are inhibited. It would be nice if people were a bit more precise with their reporting and terminology.

For further data in a quick read on the efficacy of coumadin versus aspirin in atrial fibrillation in a metaanalysis (combination of all high yield studies on the subject), refer to the following: http://www.annals.org/content/146/12/857.abstract

It's idiotic to call warfarin a "poison" simply because it was developed to kill rats by causing internal bleeding. The therapeutic dosages used to regulate blood clotting in humans are thousands of times smaller than those that are fatal to rats.

Almost any substance you can think of will kill a person if they ingest too much, even water. Does that make water "poison"?

Warfarin doesn't harm the body at such low dosages. I take 4 to 6 milligrams a day (four to six thousandths of a gram), and it enables me to live a completely normal life with the mechanical heart valve that saved me from a slow and horrible death from congestive heart failure. Now I can do whatever I want to.

Things are what they are, and then we attach labels to them. The "poison" label doesn't fit.

I have an artifical valve and I have taken coumadin for over 20 years I have had no problems, but I have to go get my blood tested once a month and my kidneys. I thank God that there is something that is able to help. Yes there are thing that you can eat that can interfer with it as with anything. You just have to be informed.

Everything is not all about benefit and risk. This is the mantra of Big Pharma. This is exactly what they would have you believe, and you've been sucked in. There are countless non pharma cures...yes, cures, that they don't want to tell you about. Nattokinase, Serapeptase, garlic, cayenne pepper to name a few that all work better than rat poison without nasty effects. All work better than drugs. As far as side effects? Yes, they have them, all good!!!! there are many other positive effects they have, for free. Big Pharma have controlling interest in most large media firms, that's why you don't hear about any of the good things.

Western medicine physicians only have about 5% of their curriculum based on nutrition. How in hell can you ever prevent chronic disease with numbers like that? You can't....but there's just enough to skim the surface to make you think they actually know anything about nutrition. Most don't, they all push the Canada food guide don't they? Not much healthy about that....other than all the meat and dairy profits. You're probably sucked in to that one too? Most are. But there prescription pads aren't far from their side are they? And if they don't have it, they feel emasculated.

Ideally, medicine should be preventative and nutritionally based. Western medicine should play a part in trauma and pain control, no question. But they have no business in preventative health care.

How do I back these statements up? It is a fact that "properly" prescribed medicine is the 4th largest cause of death in North America. Most people are under the impression that Heart Disease and Cancer and the 1st and 2nd causes of death. Well, that would be true if you didn't combine properly prescribed drugs AND drug interactions with physician mistakes and improperly prescribed drugs. If you do that, then physicians and western medical pharmaceuticals are the NUMBER 1 cause of death in North America. This is also a fact. But if you rely on main stream news and news papers you will never ever find this out.

So, carry on North America. Keep your love affair with your doctor and their prescription pad and your unhealthy ways. You're getting exactly what they (Big Pharma) wants. A sick person they can sell more drugs to.

Oh...one other thing. People in the east go to see doctors to stay healthy. Doctors there get in trouble if their patients get sick, and could have their license revoked. This is true. We go to doctors after we get sick. Are you getting it yet?????