Acenocoumarol
About
Acenocoumarol belongs to a class of drugs known as anticoagulants or blood thinners. Acenocoumarol is primarily used to prevent and treat various types of thromboembolic diseases (blood clots inside blood vessels), including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in leg veins) and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lung). Deep vein thrombosis is a medical condition in which blood clots form in deep veins, usually in the legs. Pulmonary embolism is a condition in which a blood clot blocks the arteries in the lungs.
Acenocoumarol is prescribed to prevent unwanted clots from forming if you have a condition that puts you at risk of this happening, such as atrial fibrillation, or if you have had a heart valve replacement. It is also given to prevent any clots that may have already formed in the blood vessels of your legs, lungs or heart from becoming larger and causing problems. Acenocoumarol works by increasing the time it takes for your blood to clot, reducing the risk of a stroke or heart attack. This medication helps to keep blood flowing smoothly in your body by decreasing the amount/number of clotting proteins in the blood. Acenocoumarol does not dissolve blood clots that have already formed but may stop them from becoming larger and causing more serious problems.
Take Acenocoumarol preferably with or without food, and swallow whole with a glass of water. Do not crush, chew or break it. Your doctor will advise you on how often you take your tablets based on your medical condition. Some people may experience unusual bleeding or skin rash. Most of these side effects of Acenocoumarol do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
If you are known to be allergic to Acenocoumarol or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. If you are pregnant, trying for a baby or breastfeeding, it is advised to consult a doctor before using Acenocoumarol. If you have any cuts or wounds, stomach ulcers, kidney or liver problems, high blood pressure or bleeding problems or if you are taking or using any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines. Inform your doctor before taking Acenocoumarol. It would help if you had frequent 'INR' (international normalized ratio) or prothrombin time tests to measure your blood-clotting time, as Acenocoumarol prolongs bleeding time. You must be cautious while shaving and brushing your teeth to avoid too much bleeding from the injury site.
Uses of Acenocoumarol
Medicinal Benefits
Acenocoumarol is the popular drug of choice for oral anticoagulant therapy in many indications like calf deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in leg veins), proximal deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in a deep vein), pulmonary embolism (A condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot), recurrent venous thromboembolism (a blood clot forms most often in the deep veins of the leg, groin or arm), cardioversion, atrial fibrillation (An irregular, often rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow), antiphospholipid syndrome (A disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks normal proteins in the blood) and mechanical heart valves. Acenocoumarol works by inhibiting the production of clotting factors by decreasing the action of vitamin K. This prevents the conversion of fibrinogen (soluble protein) to fibrin (insoluble protein), thereby preventing blood clot formation.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Acenocoumarol
- Unusual bleeding from the gums
- Heavy bleeding from cuts or wounds
- Unexplained bruising or nosebleeds
- Heavy periods
- Abdominal pain
- Blood vomiting
- Bloody or black tarry stools
- Blood in the urine
- Backache
- Dizziness
- Severe headache
- Weakness in an arm or leg
- Blurred vision
- A blood clot in the eye (visible pool of blood)
In-Depth Precautions and Warning
Drug Warnings
Indigestion medicines known as proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole should be used with caution while taking Acenocoumarol. Prolonged use of Acenocoumarol can cause bleeding problems (like nosebleeds, heavier periods, bleeding gums, and easy bruising). If you are going to have any surgery, discontinue taking Acenocoumarol five days before the surgery. Discontinuation of Acenocoumarol might increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other risks of cardiovascular events. So, do not stop taking Acenocoumarol of a sudden on your own decision. If you have had any recent stroke or heart attack, stop the intake of Acenocoumarol with painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen as it can increase your stomach or gastrointestinal bleeding. Purpura (blood leakage under the skin) has been observed using Acenocoumarol, including fatal cases. If you are pregnant, planning for pregnancy, or are a nursing mother, tell your doctor that you are taking Acenocoumarol.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Acenocoumarol may have interaction with other anticoagulants (e.g. heparin, dipyridamole, clopidogrel, ticlopidine), anti-arrhythmic agents (e.g. amiodarone, quinidine), antibiotics (e.g. clindamycin). medicine used against pain (e.g. diacetylsalicylic acid, aminosalicylic acid, diflunisal), an antidepressant (e.g. citalopram), HIV protease inhibitors (e.g. ritonavir, nelfinavir), protease inhibitors (e.g. indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir), barbiturates (e.g. Phenobarbital), antacids (e.g. magnesium hydroxide), and proton pump inhibitors (e.g. omeprazole).
Drug-Food Interactions: You should avoid drinking cranberry juice or taking other cranberry products and also Acenocoumarol may interact with herbs and supplements including include garlic, ginger, bilberry, danshen, piracetam, ginkgo biloba and St John’s wort plant (used as an antidepressant) and increase the risk of bleeding.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Acenocoumarol should not be given to the people with stomach ulcers, brain haemorrhage (bleeding in your brain), haemophilia (a bleeding disorder), and liver or kidney problems.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionYou are recommended to avoid the consumption of alcohol with Acenocoumarol as it may increase the risk of bleeding.
Pregnancy
unsafeAcenocoumarol is recommended not to use in pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss with you the potential risk of taking Acenocoumarol during pregnancy. Please consult your doctor.
Breast Feeding
cautionAcenocoumarol should not be taken until prescribed. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing them. Please consult your doctor. You and your child may require blood tests if you are breastfeeding while taking Acenocoumarol. However, as a precaution, your doctor may prescribe vitamin K to your child to prevent their blood from thinning.
Driving
safe if prescribedAcenocoumarol has no or negligible influence on the ability to drive or use machines.
Liver
cautionTake the Acenocoumarol with caution, especially if you have a history of Liver diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Kidney
cautionTake the Acenocoumarol with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Children
cautionAcenocoumarol should not be taken until prescribed. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing them. If Acenocoumarol is used in children or adolescents, blood should be tested more often to see how well the medicine works.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- A low cholesterol diet and a regular exercise regime complement treatment with Acenocoumarol effectively.
- As a precautionary measure, you are recommended not to consume alcohol, or junk food items from outside, stick to a freshly prepared home-cooked meal and rest properly for a speedy recovery.
- And also, try to replace most of your saturated fats with unsaturated fats to reduce total cholesterol and LDL in a short time.
- Foods like avocados, olive oil, fatty fish and nuts contain many heart-healthy unsaturated fats, so eating them regularly is beneficial.
- Option for foods that are high in vitamin K (liver, leafy green vegetables, or vegetable oils) as Acenocoumarol may lower Vitamin K in your body.
- Avoid drinking alcohol as it increases the risk of gastrointestinal ulcer/bleeding.
- Cranberry juice, grapefruit juice, noni juice, and pomegranate juice may interact with Acenocoumarol and lead to unwanted side effects. Hence try to avoid these juices while taking Acenocoumarol.
Special Advise
- Caution and more frequent monitoring of platelet count, factor V assay, fibrinogen level test, prothrombin time test (PT or PT-INR) and the INR, or international normalised ratio to analyze your blood clotting time.
- You should NOT receive injections into your muscles whilst taking Acenocoumarol. If you need any injections into your spine or as part of a scan or X-ray test, or if you need minor surgery, including dental surgery, make sure you discuss your treatment with your doctor first.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Blood clots can occur in any body part, leading to a heart attack, stroke, and organ damage (even coma or death). Blood clots can reach your arteries or veins in the organs like the brain, kidney, heart, lungs, and limbs. Conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart failure, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and obesity/overweight can trigger excessive blood clotting in the brain and heart. On the other hand, deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in veins), peripheral artery disease (narrowed arteries due to fat deposit or blood clot), and atherosclerosis (fat built upon the walls of the arteries) can cause a blood clot in your limbs.
Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in legs) is a medical condition in which blood clots form in deep veins, usually in the legs. The symptoms include leg pain or swelling.
Pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lung) is a chronic condition which occurs as the blood clots break and travel to the lungs from deep veins in the legs or other parts of the body. The symptoms of pulmonary embolism include cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
FAQs
Acenocoumarol works by increasing the time it takes for your blood to clot, reducing the risk of a stroke or heart attack. This medication helps to keep blood flowing smoothly in your body by decreasing the amount/number of clotting proteins in the blood.
Yes, Acenocoumarol causes blood thinning. It works by preventing platelets (a type of blood cells) from sticking together and forming clots.
Please consult your doctor if Acenocoumarol needs to be stopped before undergoing surgery. The doctor might ask you to stop taking Acenocoumarol a few days before surgery to avoid the increased risk of bleeding during the procedure.
Do not take aspirin for pain relief or ibuprofen while you are taking Acenocoumarol unless your doctor says it's OK. They raise the risk of unusual bleeding.
When a blood clot is treated, guidelines recommend that patients take blood thinners for the rest of its life. If they do not, the chance of developing a second clot is 30 to 40 per cent in the next 10 years.
There might be a problem if you are taking herbal therapies with Acenocoumarol, especially that affects blood like Ginkgo Biloba and St John's wort plant extract used as an antidepressant. Together with taking can increase your risk of bleeding. Tell your doctor if you are using any type of herbal supplements before taking Acenocoumarol.
No, you are usually not advised to have a tattoo or body piercing while taking Acenocoumarol as it may increase the risk of bleeding and infection. If you still wish to proceed further, contact your doctor so that the dose may be adjusted or any antibiotics may be prescribed and let the piercer or tattooist know in advance that you are on treatment with a blood thinner.
No, you are not recommended to stop taking Acenocoumarol without consulting your doctor as it may worsen the condition. Therefore, take Acenocoumarol for as long as your doctor has prescribed it.
You can have platelet count, factor V assay, fibrinogen level test, prothrombin time test (PT or PT-INR) and the INR, or international normalised ratio to analyze your blood clotting time.
Yes, taking Acenocoumarol can increase the risk of bleeding as it contains aspirin which is a blood thinner. So, please be very cautious while shaving, cutting fingernails or toenails, or using sharp objects to avoid any bleeding.
