Withholding activities d/t elevated INR?

[Natanni]

Nathan came off the amiodarone Dec 13th without any changes, but today Nathan's INR was 5.4, double checked after no salads X 5 days. So they are halfing his 5mg dose today and tomorrow and rechecking again on Friday. Nathan has been feeling pretty darn good, and is now remodeling the basement (for the new treadmill coming Dec 30) and using every imaginable power tool .....AND with our son not in school they have many snowmobling excursions planned. The Nervous Nelly in me feels maybe holding off a day or so but I suppose this is overkill again on my part. Does anyone hold back with a slightly higher INR?

[Georgia]

Sounds like you have someone who knows what s/he's doing managing Nathan's coumadin - lucky Nathan!!! Most docs would have HELD two doses rather than halving.

I don't see why he can't snowmobile. That 5.4 isn't going to cause him to spout blood from his ears!

[allodwick]

It was something other than stopping the amiodarone that caused his INR to go up. Startingamiodarone increases the INR. Stopping amiodarone makes the INR go down BUT IT TAKES ABOUT 6 MONTHS FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. If it was stopped today, you would probably need to adjust the warfarin dose about the 4th of July. It is the longest acting drug known. It takes two weeks to clear half of it from the body. There is still enough left 4 to 5 months later to have an effect on the warfarin.