# anyone take blood thinners e.g. heparin? is it safe to take Vitamin K if on heparin?



## nlz2468

as the title says.... I have to inject heparin daily for my blood clotting problem and recently purchased Pregnacare and i know it contains vitamin K but i have read that vitamin K is a type of blood clotting thing :wacko:

Now i'm all confused and worried about taking it???

I don't see the midwife for another 2 weeks so will have to wait to ask her but if anyone knows that would be great to hear.....Thanks


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## java

Hi there,
I'm also on Heparin shots but I never actually thought about Vit K in prenatals ...
I work in a hospital, and we do use Vit K to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Coumadin (Warfarin). Unsure if it's the same for Heparin as we don't often see people on Heparin shots long-term. We usually use 5-10 mg for reversal; how much is in your prenatals? Could you switch to a different prenatal without the Vit. K?? I just looked at mine ... there is none listed on the ingredients.


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## nlz2468

I contacted my consultant at the hospital and been told not to take anything with vit K in! So all the packets i have just bought of Pregnancare are now no use for me! What prenatals do you take? I'm trying to look for one without the vit K but can't find any :wacko:


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## LaRockera

I'm on Salospir 80mg, which is a blood thinner, and I was not told to stop taking my pregnacare plus. I've also read that the fish oils (contained in the plus version) actually help thin the blood, so not sure if I should stop them or not.

I'll wait and ask I guess.:shrug:


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## nlz2468

LaRockera said:


> I'm on Salospir 80mg, which is a blood thinner, and I was not told to stop taking my pregnacare plus. I've also read that the fish oils (contained in the plus version) actually help thin the blood, so not sure if I should stop them or not.
> 
> I'll wait and ask I guess.:shrug:

I don't see the midwife for another 2 weeks so i can't ask til then but fortunatly my mother works for a gyno consultant at my local hospital and she asked him for advice regarding me and he has advised me to stop taking the pregnacare and try another multivitamin that doesn't contain vitamin K as aprently people on "blood thinners" can't take vit K :wacko:

Just to be safe i have stopped taking the pregnacare and will proberly buy sanatogen mother to be multi-vits as they don't contain vit K! x


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## LaRockera

nlz2468 said:


> LaRockera said:
> 
> 
> I'm on Salospir 80mg, which is a blood thinner, and I was not told to stop taking my pregnacare plus. I've also read that the fish oils (contained in the plus version) actually help thin the blood, so not sure if I should stop them or not.
> 
> I'll wait and ask I guess.:shrug:
> 
> I don't see the midwife for another 2 weeks so i can't ask til then but fortunatly my mother works for a gyno consultant at my local hospital and she asked him for advice regarding me and he has advised me to stop taking the pregnacare and try another multivitamin that doesn't contain vitamin K as aprently people on "blood thinners" can't take vit K :wacko:
> 
> Just to be safe i have stopped taking the pregnacare and will proberly buy sanatogen mother to be multi-vits as they don't contain vit K! xClick to expand...

Thanks. I'll ask my doctor again and see what else it's on the market with safety-guaranteed fish oils. x


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## petitpas

Stop the panic! You can always have vitamin K!
When you are on warfarin (coumadin) you need to be careful to keep your amounts somewhat stable as it can mess with the effects of the pill, but if you decide you want to live off broccoli, you can. Your dose just gets adjusted to suit. Now nobody posting in here will be on warfarin as it can cause defects in pregnancy.
The beauty of heparin is that it works slightly differently to warfarin. With heparin you can eat and drink what you like - it doesn't affect your platelets and therefore does not affect the way the medication works. This is why I switched from warfarin to heparin when I got married - I could drink champagne and eat to my heart's content without having to think about going for a blood test to check how my clotting levels were :D

Now think about it: on the heparin you should be having regular (monthly?) anti-Xa blood tests. If anything was having an effect they would be able to tell and adjust your dose.

Start taking your prenatals again and eat your greens - they are good for baby!

Anybody who tells you vitamin K is bad does not know what they are talking about. They are referring to advice given to people on warfarin (as I mentioned before, completely different to heparin!) that if they vary their eating habits wildly they risk more frequent blood tests and dosage adjustments. The correct advice should NEVER be to actually avoid vitamin K.

No, I am not a doctor but after a DVT, multiple pulmonary emboli, 5 losses and countless visits to specialists I think I am pretty educated on this topic.


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## petitpas

Here's some official backup:
www.stoptheclot.org/News/article141.htm

This section is probably of most interest:

What do I need to know about Vitamin K, if I am taking warfarin (Coumadin)? 

Changes in the amount of vitamin K in the diet can alter the metabolism of warfarin (Coumadin ®). However, vitamin K does not influence the action of other blood thinners, such as heparin or low molecular weight heparins (Lovenox ®. Fragmin ®, or Innohep

Hope that helps!


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## nlz2468

I appriectiate your advice hun and thankyou but unfortunatly my consultant and doctor have told me not to take anything with vit k in so i'm in abit of limbo here! I will therefore avoid the Vitamin K as advised by them.

Thanks once again though


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## petitpas

Nlz, obviously you have to go with what your doctor advises! Still, I'd print out the info and take it to discuss with them. I am curious what their reasons are. My guess is that it is because it's a bit of a specialist subject and most doctors don't know how to treat anticoagulants...

You should also ask to be referred to a haematologist to monitor your heparin. Or are you seeing one already? Who checks your anti-Xa levels and adjusts your dosage as you grow?


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