Vitamin K (or Mephyton or phytonadione for you A+ healthcare providers) is the reason why someone on Coumadin should try to keep a consistent diet. Big changes in intake of vitamin K can cause an INR to fluctuate. The more vitamin K intake someone has the more INR will go down. In the event of a significantly high INR, Vitamin K may actually be used therapeutically to try to bring that INR down more quickly than simply stopping the drug by itself would. Coumadin has a fairly long half-life so in the event of a significantly high INR, it would remain that way for a much longer period of time without Vitamin K.
Vitamin K and Coumadin
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- To Use DOACs in Obesity or Not? - Med Ed 101 - […] drug-food interactions with vitamin K-containing vegetables that plague patients on warfarin are not an issue with DOACs, but they…
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In the hospital setting make sure to educate practioners about giving IV Vit K only. IM and SQ administration are too irratic to be effective in a timely manor