Coumadin
Blood thinner Coumadin
gets black box warning over fatal bleeding side effect
Bristol-Myers Squibb added a warning to its blood-thinning
drug Coumadin. The black box warns of possible "major
or fatal bleeding."
The USDA
said
Coumadin, or warfarin, will carry the agency's most serious
"black box" warning on the potentially fatal bleeding risk.
Coumadin had carried a warning of a "risk of hemorrhage."
That warning was not required to be in a black box.
Warfarin is used as an anticoagulant. It thins the
blood to prevent clots from forming or enlarging. It is thought to help reduce the risk of stroke
and heart attack caused by clots in the arteries.
The
black box warning also states that serious or fatal bleeding is more
likely when the patients first start using the drug
or when they begin taking a higher dosage. The warning cautions
that the risk increases if the patient is 65 and older, or if they have a history of
gastrointestinal bleeding, heart disease or hypertension.
The warning
applied to both the tablet and injectable forms of the drug.
Coumadin is actually a chemical that is used as rat poison
by pest exterminators.
Coumadin can kill patients in the same way it
kills rats. It causes them them to bleed to death
internally.
There are safer, natural alternatives
can be used to thin the blood, thus preventing the dangerous
clots. Fish oil supplements and oily fish rich
in omega-3 fatty acids can both act as natural blood thinners.
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