Warfarin (brand names Coumadin and Jantoven) is a prescription medication used to prevent harmful blood clots from forming or growing larger. Beneficial blood clots prevent or stop bleeding, but harmful blood clots can cause a heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Because warfarin interferes with the formation of blood clots, it is called an anticoagulant. Many people refer to anticoagulants as “blood thinners”; however, warfarin does not thin the blood but instead causes the blood to take longer to form a clot.

The client will be taught that any major change in their diet could affect how the body responds to the medication (Q&A). Foods that are rich in Vitamin K should be eaten in moderation and if there should be an increase in the consumption of Vitamin K over a week, the client should have another INR test. Foods that are rich in Vitamin K include green leafy vegetables, chick peas, liver, egg yolks, cereals containing wheat bran and oats, mature cheese, blue cheese, avocado, and olive oil (Q&A).

The client will be taught that compliance while on Warfarin is very important. It is crucial to be aware of certain medications that can interact with Warfarin, to include but not limited to analgesics, antibiotics, NSAIDs, and oral diabetic agents (Nurses Pharm p. 56). Also, the client needs to be aware that herbs can also interfere with the medication. The herbs include ginseng, ginkgo, biloba, garlic, chamomile, and ginger all can affect the INR or increase bleeding time(Nurses Pharm p. 56).