Comments for Consumers

This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.

Australian Prescriber is unable to comment on individual cases or give second opinions.

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Australian Prescriber Vol. 25 No. 3 2002

Warfarin and complementary medicines

Warfarin is a medicine which slows down blood clotting. It is useful for treating conditions caused by blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis. Too much warfarin can cause bleeding, too little warfarin will not prevent clotting. These effects can also occur when other medicines interfere with warfarin.

Some complementary medicines, including herbs and vitamins, can interfere with warfarin. If you are taking warfarin you should not start or stop taking a complementary medicine without telling your doctor or pharmacist. You will probably need to have your blood tested more often to check the effect of the complementary medicine.