vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Medication question
Does anyone know how to go about Coumadin (Warfarin) dose monitoring in southern Baja ? And is the medicine available here ?
Any information is appreciated.
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bajajazz
Nomad
Posts: 386
Registered: 12-18-2006
Location: La Paz, BCS, Mexico
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Warfarin
The clinic directly across the street from the post office on Constitucion in La Paz does Coumadin/Warfarin testing but it isn't cheap. I had to use
them after my knee surgery in 2004 and the cost then for a single test was around $50. USD, as best as I can recall. Now, a lot of time has passed
and things may've changed for the better.
If you think you safely can, you might consider switching from Coumadin to plain old aspirin. OD-ing on a blood thinner like Coumadin can lead to
brain-bleeds and other non-fun stuff, as you probably know. Check this one out with an M.D., though.
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UnoMas
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They do test here in Los Barriles, not sure about the availability of meds. Might help if you were to say where in Sourthern Baja you may be looking
at traveling to. I am sure that Cabo has testing available. Last I heard it was less than $20.usd here in Barriles.
[Edited on 1-8-2010 by UnoMas]
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
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http://www.heartpoint.com/coumadin.html
Once stable you aught to know what your levels are by how your body bruises, bleeds etc. The big deal is to eat at regular times and have a routing
diet, you will learn what you can and can't eat and in what portions. That is the key, portion control and routine.
Good luck with this.
Iflyfish
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garynmx
Junior Nomad
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Registered: 9-7-2009
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Been on it since 1997. Any lab here in TJ or Rosarito area can do the PT/INR test for about 25.00. Their is a mexican form of coumadin that you can
buy. Only comes in 5mg. 90 pills for about $20.00. when I lived in Cabo, I took it and got tested every month and evrything was fine. Now that I live
here I get it from the VA in San Deigo and get tested there.
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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This was covered some time ago. Most Laboratorios do this test and it is called Tiempo de Thrombina or Thrombosis time. There are two in Santa
Rosalia, so I know for sure you will have 3 or 4 in Loreto that does this. The one difference is that they do not do IRA or international ratio times
which is what is standard in the US. where they normally try to keep you from 1.8 to 2.5 so you will need to get the actual clotting time from your
doctor and then go by those numbers. My wife was on Coumadin and we had weekly tests done in Santa Rosalia, and the first time we got something like
12 we almost went nuts thinking that she was over the deep end in terms of no clotting, but it was the difference in numbers.
The medicine is readily available both in namebrand and generic here but should be monitored by a doctor. The medicine is basically rat poison
which kills rats by thinning the blood to the point that they die, so you need to be monitoring the dosage very close. Also avoid any vegetables like
brocoli or chard that have high amounts of Vitamin K. You can look all of the information up on the internet, but it is something that needs to be
carefully monitored.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Pescador is right, this does need to be monitored, and closely.
As to eating green vegies what is important is to eat about the same amount of them when you get your levels established. Establishing a dietary
routine is key to keeping your levels in the right range.
I am saying this not to discourage testing, as Pescador says, it is vital. My point is that in a remote area where testing is difficult, or taxes your
budget, or even if you have adequate testing available you need to routinize diet to best maintain your levels.
You aught to bruise more easily on this drug and if you start to bruise too much or have excessive or unusual bleeding, this can be an indication that
you are over medicated.
I was on this drug and failed on it. My levels swung like a drunk pendulum. I would go from sedentary work to very active week ends and did not have a
routine diet. This made my levels swing and eventually I was taken off of the drug. There may be other factors that also led to coumadin failing in my
case, there are simply those for whom this drug does not work. I threw clots when my levels were in the normal range while on coumadin. This drug has
been used successfully for a very long time by most who take it. You will eventually get the hang of the diet and routine that keeps you in the right
zone.
Do the testing and pay attention to your eating and routines and how those affect the outcomes of your testing. It is important to monitor your own
body, you routines and habits in addition to the testing. You'll get it over time. This is a widely used and very successful drug for most people.
I don't mean to harp on my point, my failure on this drug nearly cost me the farm, for most it is no big deal.
My best to you with this.
Iflyfish
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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I've u2u'd vandenberg directly, but you can get the coumadin check/called INR I think, at the lab directly across from the police station for a cost
of 100-200 pesos. (my friend who did this said the cost varied each time but no more than 200 pesos)
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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I like to thank everyone for their input on this matter.
I'm also looking at a selftest kit, used routinely in Europe but infrequently here. The cost of the available units however start at $1500.00, so,
unless the insurance helps with this, it's kind of prohibitive, taking into consideration the drug may not work.
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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I forgot to mention that the lab in Santa Rosalia only charged 50 pesos for the Tiempo de Thrombina so I find the reported costs very high by
comparison. We paid about 70 dollars a test in the states and laughed that it was certainly cheaper in Mexico once we learned about the difference in
the reported numbers. We did find a conversion chart by googling and then had the numbers we were used to which are INR or International Ratio
numbers.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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Wow! It finally hit me. Was always wondering why the nomad board was so crazy. Appears they are all taking rat poison. That'll do it!
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Sqeek!
Iflyfishwithpoisonpsss
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