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Anticoagulant drugs reduce blood clotting (coagulation means clotting). This medicine is needed if there are too many blood clots, because blood clots can block a blood vessel and cause conditions such as a stroke or heart attack. One example of a coagulant drug includes warfarin.
Anticoagulant drugs, often referred to as blood thinners, don't actually thin the blood but increase the time it takes for blood clots to form. Anticoagulants help prevent blood clots from getting bigger and can be used to prevent venous blood clots or to treat certain conditions such as blood vessels, heart, or lungs.
How do anticoagulants work?
Anticoagulants lower the risk of stroke in people who have atrial fibrillation. But how much less you risk depends on how high your stroke risk is in the first place. Not everyone with atrial fibrillation has the same risk of stroke. Talk to your doctor about your stroke risk.
You will weigh the benefits of reducing the risk of stroke against the risks of taking anticoagulants. Anticoagulants work well for preventing stroke, but they also pose a risk of bleeding. This is a common risk. Your own risk can be higher or lower than usual, depending on your health condition.
When the body is injured, either in or on the skin, blood can leak into the internal organs or out of the body. To prevent this from happening, the blood forms a clot which keeps the wound sealed.
When blood needs to clot, a complex series of processes occurs so that the blood becomes sticky. Blood then begins to clot at the bleeding site, preventing further bleeding.
If any process fails, the blood can clot too much or not. If the blood does not clot enough, there is a risk of excessive bleeding (bleeding). If there are too many clots, blood clots can form where they are not needed, blocking a blood vessel.
Anticoagulants can reduce the blood's ability to clot so that unnecessary blood clots do not occur.
What are the side effects of anticoagulants?
It is important to check for bleeding (haemorrhages) when taking anticoagulant drugs because they can cause excessive bleeding.
Seek medical help and have a blood test done if you experience any of the following:
- blood in the urine or stool
- black stools
- severe bruising
- nosebleeds (lasting longer than 10 minutes)
- bleeding gums
- vomiting or coughing up blood
- unusual headaches
- (in women) bleeding during the menstrual period increases or other bleeding in the vagina
Seek immediate medical help if you:
- involved in a big accident
- suffered a significant blow to the head
- can't stop bleeding
Other common side effects:
- nausea or vomiting
- diarrhea
- jaundice
- hair loss
- skin rash
- fever (a temperature of 38 C or more)
- red or purple patches of skin (purpura)
- pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), pain in the upper abdomen
- kidney problems
See your doctor if you experience persistent side effects while taking anticoagulants.
What needs attention
When taking anticoagulants, you need to take extra steps to avoid bleeding problems.
⇒ Get regular blood tests.
⇒ Avoid falls and injuries.
⇒ Eat a stable diet and pay attention to foods containing vitamin K.
⇒ Tell your doctor about all medicines and other vitamins you take.
