Why I Use the Sagely Smart Weekly Pill Organizer

Please note, I have been given a Sagely Smart Weekly Pill Organizer by the Sagely company to review. Although this product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own, and I was in no way influenced by the company.

For as long as I can remember, I have taken a pill. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid disorder early in my life, and I started taking medication to treat my condition at that time. My parents were really good at teaching me that it was important to take my medication like the doctor instructed, and I carried that knowledge into my adult life. Periodically, I also took other medications, vitamins and supplements, based on various needs or problems as they arose. It was never difficult or problematic to manage two or three medications. I just took my pills out of the container they came in first thing in the morning.

Now, as a patient who must take a blood thinner every day, medication remains important to my daily routine, perhaps now more than ever. When people ask me how I feel about depending on a pill to keep me safe – if not alive – I don’t know how to answer because I have always had to take a pill to stay healthy. What I wasn’t expecting was to take pills multiple times a day and feel like I am years and years older than I am. I wasn’t expecting to get excited by pill containers or medication management systems – maybe because I never thought pills would require managing – yet I do. Currently, I take between six and eight pills total, two times a day.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed I often share medication management systems because if you take blood thinners, as with all medications, it’s important to make sure you take them and take them at the right time. I have found that a pill box or container is the easiest way for me to know if I have taken my medication or not. Since I take multiple pills, taking them right our of the prescription bottle is no longer a good solution for me. It makes it hard to remember if and when I took my medication.

I’ve used many different types of pill containers over the last few years and although I have a few I like, lately I have been searching for the perfect one. I need something that has enough space for all of my pills, is easy to use and fits within my budget. I began using the Sagely Smart Weekly Pill Organizer, which is revolutionary in its design and definitely unlike anything I have used before.

Below, I am sharing my thoughts about the Sagely Smart Weekly Pill Organizer. Watch my video to hear what I have to say, or read on for my review.

Sagely Smart Weekly Pill Organizer Review

What I like about this pill container:

  • Each day is a separate box (or Pod) with two distinct compartments.
  • The Sagely system allows you to count out your pills on top of the Pod – so you can see which pills you have already distributed – before pushing them through the lid into the Pod itself (you don’t have to open the Pod at all until you are ready to take them). Watch this video to see how it works.
  • The Pod lids are made of soft, food-grade safe material and are very easy to open if you have pain or swelling in your hands.
  • Each Pod sits on a magnetic base, so if you are traveling, you can grab the days you need and go.
  • The Pods are very deep and can hold multiple pills and capsules.
  • It is a very attractive, contemporary design and is nice to look at.
  • There is an accompanying App to help manage your medication.

What I don’t like about this pill container:

  • The base is long (about 12 inches) and takes up a lot of space on a counter or dresser.
  • The Pods are divided into two compartments which are distinguished by color, but do not have AM or PM printed on them, so I can get easily confused about which is which when I am filling the Pods. This problem is resolved once I make up my mind which color to use for which time of day.
  • The lids close like a Tupperware container, and I find I have to double check to make sure they are closed after I take my pills.
  • This pill container is expensive, but it is worth the cost if you are looking for an extensive or unique medication management, with multiple features.

Average Price: $29.95 – $39.95

Where to purchase: Sagely gifted me this product to share my thoughts with all of you, but you can purchase it on Sagely’s website here, or through my Amazon Influencer Shop.

My bottom line: I am currently using the Sagely to manage my medication, and I really like it. My favorite features are the push-through system for putting pills in the containers, how easy it is to open the containers, and the ability to travel with as many days as I need without the days that I don’t.

Are you purchasing a pill container? Get my buyer’s quick tips:
  1. Pick a pill box that suites your medication schedule. There are a variety of containers, including one day, three day, weekly, AM/PM, and even three or four times a day options.
  2. Pick a pill box that is easy for you to use (e.g. opening, closing, portability, etc.)
  3. Pick a pill box that is within your budget. If cost is prohibitive for you and you need more space, sometimes you can purchase two separate containers (e.g. one for morning and one for evening) that suites your needs.

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

 

 


Reader Writes In: How do you manage your medication? Do you have a favorite system or pill container? Share your thoughts in the comments.


Do you take warfarin and need to keep track of your INR? Get the OATBook App for iPhone to help make it easier. *Once again available for download*


Do you struggle to remember if you took your pills? Get my tips to help you stop asking, “Did I take my medication?”

Surviving Myself by Don

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Hello, my name is Don.  I am writing you to share my story and to express my sincere appreciation for your efforts with public awareness of clotting disorders.  I am a Paramedic employed with a Non-Profit medevac helicopter organization. We transport high acuity patients on a regular basis.  These patients range on a very broad spectrum, from multi-system trauma to acute medical emergencies including stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism.  Education and clinical experience has informed me of specific manifestations to assess for, when differentiating acute pulmonary embolism (APE) as the causative culprit.  A classic text book description of pulmonary embolism is “atypical” chest pain, among many other descriptors.  Atypical meaning APE manifests in  a way inconsistent from other chest pain causing conditions, hindering diagnosis and impacting prognosis.  In my career I have cared for and treated many patients impacted by acute pulmonary embolism.

Prior to my grandmother’s passing, some early childhood memories of mine are visiting her during her many hospitalizations for deep vein thrombosis.  Her unfortunate “condition” was passed along to her children, specifically my mother and aunts. All have been plagued with numerous DVT hospitalizations, varicose veins, coumadin life changes, and lovenox shots.  Factor V Leiden has been confirmed as the genetic clotting disorder that has been passed down from generation to generation.

I am a relatively healthy 35 year old male that lives an active life with a beautiful wife and two young amazing children.  I’ve committed my career to helping others in their most worst times of need.  I volunteer a large portion of my free time to our local volunteer fire department and ambulance, serving as the Fire Chief and also a volunteer paramedic.

don and wife

Just about a week ago, I developed pain and discomfort in my right bicep.  The medical side of me dismissed the very “different” pain and discomfort to that of a typical pulled muscle, and life went on.  A few days ago, while tapping maple trees with my brother-in-law, one of our snowmobiles became stuck resulting in strenuous lifting.  The following day I began experiencing “atypical” chest pain.  Yet again, the medical side of me dismissed the chest discomfort and pleuritic pain as that of just another pulled muscle.  After all, what else could it be?  Following a few sleepless nights racked with severe stabbing pain radiating to my right shoulder, I relented and sought evaluation at my local emergency room.

Personally knowing the majority of the staff on hand, including the physicians and mid-level practitioners, still didn’t preclude my assessment to that of a strained muscle, despite my colleagues thinking differently.  During evaluation and initial work up, labs were drawn, and my D- Dimer was found to be elevated.  During my contrast CT scan, I was still convinced that I was experiencing a strained muscle, that is until the results came back.  Multiple acute pulmonary embolism with pleural effusion.  Ultrasound confirmed a large DVT in my right bicep.  Not until that point did my years of training, assessments, and experience finally clear up my personal tunnel vision.  It was all too clear.  Family history of Factor V Leiden, family history of DVT, pain in right bicep, strenuous physical activity and exertion, atypical chest pain and shortness of breath EQUALS pulmonary embolism.

How did I miss this?  The answer is evident among the medical community as a whole.  One out of every three pulmonary embolism patients presenting to the ER are misdiagnosed, according to a recent retrospective observational  study.  Education and awareness to the community, healthcare workers, and first responders is paramount.  This disease is quickly overlooked, and can be so very debilitating or even fatal.  So again, I express my appreciation for your commitment to public awareness and education, which unquestionably will save many lives.  God willing, I will continue my passion and save many more future lives.  If I could ever be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thank you, Don, for sharing your story with the BCRN community. Be sure to connect with Don in the comments below!

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Surviving Two DVT & PE Episodes by Victor Zarate

Vic Survivor Speaks Post Graphic

The first one was in July 2011 after a long car ride from Colorado to Florida.  I drove without circulating and developed a DVT in my right calf.  It was sore for about two weeks (I never go to the doctor), I had no clue what was going on. One night soon after, while going to bed, I hurt my back.  What I didn’t know was that what actually happened is that the clot in my leg moved to my lungs.

I waited a couple of days and one day at work I just didn’t feel right.  So, I called my wife and said that I was going to go to urgent care to get myself checked out.  I went there and everything checked out okay.  The doctor said just in case I should go and get an ultrasound done on my calf the next day.  So, I made the appointment for the following day.  At the appointment the technician said that she couldn’t tell me if I had a clot or not and said that she would just go get the doctor if she found one.  It turned out that I had a clot the full length of my calf.  The doctor said that I should go to the ER right away.  I went there and the doctors begin to give me Lovenox and a Heparin drip via IV.

As the ER doc was leaving my room she said, “By any chance do you have any chest or back pain?”  I said come to think of it, I do have some back pain.  She said let’s take a CT scan just in case.  By the way….I’ve come to hate CT scans with contrast with a passion.  Soon after the CT scan a bunch of people, nurses and doctors came into my room with a sense of urgency.  I was diagnosed with multiple bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms.

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I had no clue what that was and just tried to enjoy my time in the hospital since I was going to be there for awhile.  According to the doctors I had a very serious condition and I was a very atypical PE patient since my O2 sats remained at 99 the entire time.  I stayed three days in the hospital and took two weeks off of work.  I went back to normal life, except the Coumadin therapy of course.  In fact I went back to exercising.  I ran in a few 5K races and even in October 2011 went for a 26 mile hike on the AT while still on Coumadin.  I had no clue how serious that could have been if I were to have an accident.  After six months of Coumadin the doctor said I should be fine to get off the Coumadin and then  have some blood drawn to test for blood clotting disorders.  All the results came back negative.  Great news!  No more Coumadin.

The second one was much different.  It happened in January 2014.  I again had a sore calf.  This time it was the left side.  I had been exercising and I just thought that I had a sore calf from straining it.  I noticed that I was a little out of breath going up hills and stairs.  So, I decided that I was going to get in better shape.  I was so out of breath that it was hard just to walk home from work up a relatively small hill.  I went to work one day and I noticed that I was having a hard time breathing.  So much so that I couldn’t even finish a complete sentence without having to take a breath.  I knew something was wrong but I didn’t know what.  So, off to the ER again.  I walked into the ER everything was looking good, O2 saturation was good while resting, heart rate perfect and blood pressure a little high.  The doctor said that I might just be having some anxiety but that since I had DVT/PE history they would do a CT scan.  Long story short I was diagnosed with a very large saddle PE with multiple bi-lateral PE and a DVT that was the whole length of my right leg.  This time I was in trouble big time even though I was feeling well.  I had to be flown flight for life to the hospital.  Upon arrival to the hospital, I was informed that I needed to have open heart surgery immediately.

After being there for a couple of hours the doctors came back to me and said that since I was very stable that they should wait to do the surgery until the morning.  Morning came and so did the doctors.  A lot of them.  They all were coming to see the “walking dead”.  I should’ve died they all said.  So, they scheduled the surgery.  I signed all the paper work.  Called my mom and my children, my wonderful wife was by my side, and said prayers.  Soon the doctors came back and they decided that I was a good candidate for interventional radiology.  They said it would be risky but that I was a good candidate because I was so stable.  Praise God the angiogram worked!  The catheters that they put in my heart and lungs broke up and dissolved the clots and after another CT scan, did I mention I hate those, I was all clear.  The saddle PE was nearly gone along with most of the PEs in my lungs.  I spent 10 days in the hospital.  Several weeks in a bed recovering because I was so exhausted from just a walk to the car.

This one hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had none of these problems with my first DVT/PE.  None!  I experienced exhaustion, anxiety, depression and fear.  I couldn’t even talk about or watch something exciting without getting exhausted and anxious.  I did not expect this.  It changed my life.  To this day I still have problems with all the above mentioned conditions.  Thank God not all of them at once.  I will be on blood thinners for life.  However, I will say that I am getting better.  Just the other day I exercised with my son.  I walked a half a mile, did some jump roping, squats and lunges.  However, I did very few of all those activities and it wiped me out.  I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

I write all this to say that you can experience all different types of complications from DVT/PE.  I will say that you have to keep fighting.  Don’t give up.  That fact that you survive these awful problems means that God has some plans for you still.  Listen to your doctors.  Don’t be ashamed of taking medicine to get through the PTSD.  It is God’s grace that we have these medicines to help us.  I hope my story helps someone out there and that we all can have hope that things do get better over time.  It’s the waiting part that is hard but we have to be patient.  I’m speaking to myself as well.

God bless and I hope you all have quick and easy recoveries.

Thank you, Vic, for sharing your story! You can connect with Vic on Facebook

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Did I take my medication?

Did I take my medication

I have never been good at taking – or more like remembering to take – my medications. As you know, it is imperative for individuals receiving anticoagulation therapy to take their blood thinning medication on a daily basis. An anticoagulant helps your body control how fast your blood clots; therefore, it prevents clots from forming inside your arteries, veins, or heart during certain medical conditions. If you have a blood clot, an anticoagulant may prevent the clot from getting larger. It also may prevent a piece of the clot from breaking off and traveling to your lungs, brain, or heart. It is important to note, the anticoagulant medication does not dissolve the blood clot. With time, however, this clot may dissolve on its own. Dosages for warfarin (or Coumadin), a common anticoagulant drug, ordinarily range from 1 mg to 10 mg once daily (Source). The doctor will prescribe one strength and change the dose as needed (your dose may be adjusted with each INR result). Not only is it hard to remember to take medications, especially if you are not used to it, but it can be even more complicated if dosages vary day to day or change periodically. It is no surprise that people taking anticoagulants may often wonder, did I take my medication? Read on to discover my top tips for keeping track of yours.

OatBook
OATBook reminder

Did I take my medication? Not yet!

The OATBook is a mobile phone app that helps you track, monitor, and store your complete INR history in one place; keep your dosage times consistent and never miss a dose, and store your appointments and reminders. It makes managing your warfarin easy! I literally could not manage my INR/medication without it and it has become a crucial part of my Oral Anticoagulation Therapy, as the name OATBook suggests. The OATBook took a little time for me to get used to, but once I did, I quickly found it was essential to managing my warfarin dosages, INR levels and blood draws. Plus, it lets me know via an alarm when to take my medication daily (11:32 p.m.) and will continue to go off until I check that I have done it. It also reminds me of when I need to get a prescription refill. It costs between $1.99 and $2.99 and is only available for iPhone presently. You can find it HERE. Also, be sure to read my full OATBook review and see more screenshots of the app.

Pillbox
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Easy to refill, easy to remember.

I use a pillbox in conjunction with OATbook. My phone tells me when to go take my medication via the app and the pillbox ensures that I actually did it if there is ever a question later (i.e. right after I go to bed and I get back up thinking did I take my medication? The pillbox is very inexpensive (I’ve seen them for a $1 at the dollar store!) and can be found at any drugstore, pharmacy, or grocery store. It’s also great if you are going to be away for a few days, you can just take the box with you and not have to worry about carting around your pill bottles. I fill up my pillbox at the beginning of each week (depending on my dosages from the doctor) and am good to go until the next blood draw.

Smartphone Calendar/Alarm/Reminder
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Essential? Maybe so!

According to forbes.com, more than half of us have a smartphone nowadays. Why not use yours to keep track of your medication? Use your calendar, notepad, reminders, or alarm clock to note when and how much medication to take. You could also set an alarm on your watch. Whatever works for you – works!

Traditional Calendar/Notebook
pen and paper

There’s nothing quite like it…

Write it down – the old-fashioned way. Check it off in your calendar, include it in your daily reflections, add it to your To-Do list, or put a post-it on your bathroom mirror.

Share your story. How do you remember to take your medication? Do you have any great tips to share? Do you struggle to remember to take your blood thinners?

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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How to Engrave Your Medical ID

How to Engrave your medical IDAfter spending a week in the hospital, whether or not I needed to wear a medical ID bracelet was the last thing on my mind when I was finally discharged. In a matter of days, my entire world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with blood clots in my leg (DVT or deep vein thrombosis) and lung (PE or pulmonary embolism).

I was worried about the new job I was supposed to start, what an INR was, when I could run again. I also wondered why this happened when I was doing my best to take care of myself for first time in my entire adult life. I felt scared, alone, sad, overwhelmed and I decided it would just be better for me to stay indoors rather than worry about what would happen outside where I could fall and hit my head on concrete or – my worst fear – get in a car accident. It was then that I realized that without a medical ID, no one would be able to help me if one of these accidents occurred.

Why You Need a Medical ID if You are Taking Blood Thinners

Blood thinning medications or anticoagulants save lives because they treat or prevent potentially life-threatening blood clots. However, they also pose one possible and very serious side effect: Bleeding. Since blood thinners slow the clotting of blood, unwanted and sometimes dangerous bleeding can occur with the use of these medications – especially with a fall, a head injury or a traumatic accident.

A medical ID or medical alert bracelet or necklace is a very important tool that could save your life in an emergency situation. If you are ever hurt or injured – and not able to speak for yourself – a medial ID may be the only way first responders or doctors know how to begin treating you. If you are taking blood thinners – especially warfarin for which vitamin K exists to slow or reverse bleeding – medical professionals need to know immediately. If you are taking a new oral anticoagulant  for which there are no reversal agents,  doctors still need to know so they can care for you to the best of their abilities.

How to Engrave Your Medical ID

Medical IDs do not need to be elaborate and must be able to convey life-saving information as quickly and clearly as possible. A medical ID must be immediately recognizable as a medical ID – if it’s too pretty or cute, it might not get notice in an emergency.

Information that should be included on your medical ID (in order of importance or room you have to engrave):
  • Specific name of the medication(s) you are taking that affect life-saving treatments (i.e. anticoagulants, heart medications, aspirin, insulin, etc.)
  • Allergies (especially to medications like penicillin)
  • Whether or not you are diabetic
  • Name
Information that can also be included on a medical ID:
  • History of medical conditions (i.e. DVT, PE, heart attack, stroke)
  • Date of birth
  • Doctor name and phone number
  • Emergency contact name and phone number
  • Your address
  • Your phone number
  • Your blood type
Where to Get Your Medical ID

There are countless places to order a medical ID. They range in price from free (a wallet card or mobile app) to a few dollars (i.e. silicone bands) to hundreds of dollars (i.e. gold charms and bracelets). Here are a few of my favorites:

  • BCRN’s Shop on Amazon – My shop has some of my personal recommendations for a variety of styles (not personalized), for almost any budget, including silicone IDs that are great for quick ID and outdoor activities.
  • American Medical ID – A variety of styles, which you can personalize with your information, and prices. I wear an American Medical ID daily. Read my complete review of my American Medical ID here.
  • Road ID – Perfect for sports and outdoor activities, and displays a lot of information.
  • My MedicAlert Foundation – A classically designed medical ID that comes with a virtual subscription to a 24/7 Live Emergency Response Team for delivering accurate and clear health information securely to first responders and healthcare professionals during an emergency. This is where I ordered the medical ID that I wear when a lot when traveling.
  • Stay safe on the go with the Road ID mobile medical ID
  • You can also carry important medical information on a written or typed card in your wallet
  • You can order medical IDs from pharmacies
Medical ID Quick Tips
  • Be specific in what you engrave on your medical ID. An ID that says “blood thinner,” “anticoagulant,” “medical condition” or just displays a medical or red cross symbols is not specific enough.
  • Your ID, at a minimum, must say what anticoagulant you are on.
  • Make sure your medical ID looks like a medical ID. The purpose is functionality, not fashion.
  • You can carry multiple ID’s. I have one that I wear (bracelet or necklace), one on my keychain and the mobile app on my phone.
  • More reasons why you should wear a medical ID.

Share your story. Do you wear a medical ID? Are you planning on ordering one? Where is your medical ID from? Has it saved your life in an emergency? Do you think you need one? Why or why not?

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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Warfarin and Vitamin K – Why You Need Both

If you’ve been diagnosed with a blood clot, chances are you are taking a blood thinner, which is very commonly Coumadin or warfarin. If you’re like me and have been diagnosed with a clotting disorder or have a high chance of reoccurring blood clots, you might even be taking warfarin for the rest of your life. The prospect of having to monitor a potentially dangerous condition, let alone take medication forever, is overwhelming and worrisome for many, including myself. Warfarin can be difficult to manage, is not entirely safe for your liver over an extended period, and has some pretty notable interactions with other vital nutrients, mainly vitamin K. In fact, you may have even been told by a medical professional to stop eating foods high in vitamin K. While warfarin and vitamin K do interact, the potential harm of completing eliminating vitamin K from your diet may be proven to be more dangerous than creating a consistent level of it in your blood.

Why Vitamin K Matters

Vitamin K is a naturally occurring vitamin most commonly found in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce (see an extensive list of foods here). Your body uses vitamin K from foods you eat and also bacteria in your intestines to produce some of the factors that help your blood clot.

Why Warfarin Matters

Warfarin interferes with how your body uses vitamin K by preventing the production of vitamin K clotting factors in your liver. This can cause clotting to occur at a much slower rate and creates the potential for unwanted bleeding problems or additional clotting in your veins.

How Does Vitamin K Affect My INR?

Changes in the amount of vitamin K you consume through your diet can alter the liver’s ability to process warfarin and change the amount of blood-thinning properties in your body. Your INR refers to a standardized way to measure how quickly your blood is clotting. The lower your INR, the more quickly the blood clots or the “thicker” the blood. If your INR is too low, you could be at risk for further clotting. The higher your INR, the longer it takes the blood to clot or the “thinner” the blood, putting you at risk for bleeding problems. With an increase in vitamin K, your INR level may drop, creating the potential for unwanted clotting.  A decrease in vitamin K intake may increase your INR, creating the potential for unwanted bleeding.

What We’ve Been Told

Most of us have been told to avoid vitamin K like the plague.

Beyond the Blood Thinner – Why You Need Vitamin K

We are taking warfarin, it’s depleting our body’s natural vitamin k stores – which are important for a variety of things, most notably preventing the hardening of arteries in the heart, potentially creating serious health implications – and we are being told not to replace it.

A New Way of Thinking

It is not about eliminating vitamin K from your diet. It is about consistency. For example, if you eat two servings of foods per day that are high in vitamin K, you should continue doing that. If you don’t eat foods rich in vitamin K at all, do not suddenly decide to eat large amounts of them. Clot Care also confirms, “It is a common misconception that people on warfarin should avoid Vitamin K. Reducing your vitamin K intake can cause your INR to increase and may make it more difficult to control. Rather than avoiding vitamin K, you should maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K by maintaining a consistent diet. In other words, from week to week, you should eat the same types of foods.”

Nowhere does it say, never ingest vitamin K, you can never eat salad again, or kiss that calming cup of green tea goodbye. It is about consistency and slowly reintroducing vitamin K foods into your diet if you desire to and have previously eliminated them.

Yes, You Can and Should Consume Vitamin K

You do not have to avoid foods or other products that are high in vitamin K; these foods have many other vitamins and minerals that are part of a healthy diet, particularly when it comes to your heart. The most important thing to remember about vitamin K intake is being consistent as much as possible and communicating any changes that may occur.

But that’s Not What My Doctor Said

Unfortunately, I think it is easier for doctors to tell you to avoid vitamin K (and all of the wonderful, nutritious, satisfying foods that go with it) because it is just plain easier. This way, doctors can build a baseline for your warfarin dosing without having to worry about vitamin K obtained from foods and nutrients affecting your INR. Chances are you were not consuming green leafy vegetables on a consistent enough basis to include a vitamin K allowance in your treatment planning. Sure, we all enjoy a salad now and again or eat broccoli once in a while with dinner, but how many of us (truly, honestly, let’s stop kidding ourselves for one moment) could say without a doubt that we were eating three cups of spinach four days a week, a half a cup of broccoli or green beans two nights a week and scallions in our omelet every other Sunday? It’s difficult to say unless you are very conscious of it and most of us grossly underestimate the number of greens we actually consume, even though we should be consuming them frequently.

Almost Everyone I know who takes Warfarin Avoids Vitamin K

Not anymore. I remember the first time I posted that I was taking a vitamin K supplement in an online forum. It was in regards to a forum member’s frustration over her inability to maintain a therapeutic INR level. I posted- “I am taking warfarin and also vitamin K, both prescribed and monitored by my doctor. I started taking vitamin K after being on Arixtra injections [blood thinners that are injected into the stomach daily] for over ten months, which was concerning to my doctor because Arixtra is non-reversible [you cannot be given an anecdote to stop bleeding if you are seriously injured, for example in an accident] and there is not a lot of research about adverse effects to the body [beyond a typical-length pregnancy in which women are often put on injections to reduce the risk of clotting]. In light of some successful research, my doctor decided to actually put me on a low dosage of vitamin K to create a balance of warfarin and vitamin K in my blood. Within a month or so, my INR stabilized for the first time since leaving the hospital and I have not been on injections since. I also posted this link to some of the research that I could find myself.

I remember the first comment my reply received, “Sara, you need to get a new doctor pronto because yours will certainly kill you if you are taking vitamin K.” More of the like ensued and no one backed me up, leading me to believe I was alone in my treatment and my treatment’s success.

I was horrified. Since the beginning, I had trusted my doctor – he had after all found the Antiphospholipid Antibodies when the Emergency Room Doctors were all too hasty to send me away with three-month course of blood-thinning therapy blaming my DVT and severe PE on birth control and birth control alone. My case was so severe that a specialist was called in, my now hematologist, who I credit with saving my life and providing me with the ongoing care I so desperately need and will need from here on out. He had not yet steered me wrong. He explained what happened, my treatment, and what to expect in recovery when no one else had, not a single person.

There was no chance I doubted him on vitamin K. I kept up with my treatment. I ate greens about as consistently as I had – a few times a week and slowly increasing as I worked to get my diet and weight loss back on track. Through it all, I keep him informed of any major changes and continue to get my INR monitored at the least, bi-weekly.

What Should I Do?

Talk to your doctor. We need to be an advocate for our own health and we cannot let blood thinners determine how we choose to live our best lives.

Discuss incorporating vitamin K-rich foods back into your diet with your doctor; taking a supplement or alternative treatments (i.e. Xarelto) that do not affect vitamin K. Also discuss the implications of the absence of vitamin K in your body.

It is also important to keep in mind that other things impact the body’s vitamin K production and warfarin’s ability to metabolize including, but not limited to vitamins, nutritional supplements, antibiotics, bacteria/viruses, illness, and stress.

Resources

Share your Story. What are your thoughts on vitamin K and warfarin? Do you take or eat foods rich in vitamin K? Why or why not? What did your doctor tell you about vitamin K? Did you read the heart-healthy article? What are your thoughts on needing vitamin K?

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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