Vitamins typically help promote the normal functioning of your bodily processes. The same holds true for the mechanism by which your blood clots. When you are on warfarin, a medication that inhibits your body's ability to clot blood, you must be aware of the vitamins in your diet. Vitamin K, which promotes clotting, is the primary vitamin that can interfere with the action of warfarin.
Function
Warfarin is in a class of drugs termed anticoagulants, which work to slow down your process of blood clotting. Anticoagulants are prescribed to individuals at high risk for developing heart disease or suffering from a heart attack or stroke. By reducing the rate of blood clotting activity in your body, warfarin works to slow down the progression of atherosclerosis or even to prevent a clot from breaking away from a blood vessel and traveling to the heart or the brain.
Coagulation
Your blood clots through the stimulation of a series of clotting factors. These clotting factors act as enzymes that convert the next clotting factor. Eventually these clotting factors work to make fibrin, which forms the structure of a blood clot.
Vitamin K, Coagulation and Warfarin
Vitamin K is the primary vitamin that can affect both coagulation and warfarin. Vitamin K is needed in the synthesis of clotting factors II, VII, IX and X. Warfarin works by inhibiting the action of vitamin K on the production of the clotting factors. Through this inhibition, warfarin can slow the progression of coagulation.
Diet and Warfarin
Due to the interaction between warfarin and vitamin K, you must monitor your intake of this vitamin. If you eat large amounts of foods that are high in vitamin K, the actions of warfarin can be inhibited. The best way to avoid dietary interactions with warfarin, is to stick with a normal eating plan and do not drastically reduce or increase the amount of vitamin K you normally eat. High vitamin K foods include leafy greens, brussels sprouts and parsley.
Warfarin and Multivitamins
When you are on warfarin, you should avoid taking a multivitamin that provides more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamins. This is especially true for vitamins A, C and E. Consult with your doctor before you add any supplements or multivitamins to your regimen.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Understanding Coumadin
- "Anatomy and Physiology"; Kenneth S. Saladin; 2004
Member Comments