Is it OK to smoke on Coumadin (warfarin)?
Can you still smoke when taking Coumadin? Does smoking hinder Coumadin from working in your body? My husband is on Coumadin, and started smoking again.
Dr. Gourmet Says...
I often have patients ask me if they can smoke. My reply is usually pretty sarcastic: "You can do anything you want, but smoking is going to kill you."
OK, sarcasm aside, the answer to your question is that we don't know for sure. There are conflicting reports in the literature, with some saying that smoking more will decrease the INR. There are isolated case reports as well of this but so far no definitive evidence. Other reports have shown no difference.
There's no reason for your husband to take the risk with his health in general and especially when using a medication like Coumadin® (warfarin). He should talk with his doctor about quitting. There are a lot of ways to work at quitting smoking including very good classes and support groups. His physician can also talk to him about medications that might help.
Quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. I send you and your husband every good wish at success.
Thanks for writing,
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr Gourmet
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How Much Vitamin K is in....?
There's an easy way to find out about the nutrition content of any food. Just use The Dr. Gourmet Diet Plan Software.
Just register to use the software, then click the Recipe Box tab. The ingredient database includes over 7,000 ingredients and will show you the nutritional information for those ingredients - including Vitamin K. Use the Food Diary section to help you track your daily Vitamin K intake along with calories and other nutrients. Try it now!