Guide helps avoid Coumadin complications

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a guide to using the medication Coumadin, which is used to prevent blood clots.

The HHS' Healthcare Research and Quality urges patients to read their 20-page brochure about the blood thinning drug entitled "Your Guide to Coumadin/ Warfarin Therapy."

The brochure alerts patients to what to watch for to avoid complications. Coumadin, usually monitored using periodic blood tests, is the second most common cause -- after insulin -- of emergency room visits for adverse drug events, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports.

"Warfarin is an effective drug, but it must be used with special care to avoid dangerous bleeding," Dr. Carolyn Clancy of HHS says in a statement. "Individuals respond differently to warfarin, so the dosage must be personalized to each patient, and it is necessary for patients and clinicians alike to be aware of the factors that make for safe use of the drug."

The booklet can be found online at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/coumadin.htm. It is also featured SOS Rx Website http://www.mybloodthinner.org. Free single copies are available by calling 1-800-358-9295 or by sending an e-mail to AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.