Is your INR therapeutic as of your last test? If there is no way to figure out if you did or not, then you may have to skip it and carry on. It is more dangerous to accidentally take too much then it is to miss a dose. I would contact your care giver and get advise as soon as you can. You might want to invest in a 7 day pill dispenser and utilize an app to remind you if you own a smart phone.

Good luck!

Yes I was therapeutic at my last test a week ago. I believe 2.5. I haven't missed a dose yet. I'll call the doc in the morning.

Then I would not be too worried about it. Your INR will slip a little but given the half life of Coumadin/ Warfarin its unlikely you would slip into a danger zone.

Thanks. If my inr is low, will they up my dose or do you have to be read mittens to the hospital?

How long until your next INR check? If it's several weeks, missing one dose probably won't make much of a difference. If your next check is just days away, I'd mention possibly missing a dose, and I suppose, depending on your level, they will either bump up your dose a bit, or recheck you in a week and keep you at your current dose.

I was in your shoes once--couldn't remember if I'd taken my dose--and my next INR was fine. I wouldn't worry too much.

If you have been therapeutic for a while it would make more sense to just carry on at same dose as you will come back up soon enough, but if you are still bouncing all around its hard to say what they will do.

I forget about once a year, and I don't even call my Doctor any more.

If I am on a steady dose I just carry on. If I am on a dosing cycle like 8, 8, 8.5, then I will start at the highest dose on the next day and carry on again.

I've been therapeutic for a while now. After my last blood test last Monday, I was told I can get my next test in a month.

It won't affect your next test if its a month away. I've forgotten/unsure a few times and its not been a problem. You're 3 months out, you're unlikely to clot in the period when you may have forgotten. As with the above, just carry on as normal and stick a daily reminder in your phone, or something similar.

One thing I do with my weekly pill box is that after I take my dose for the day, I leave the lid open for that day. It's sort of a flag for me if I the lid is closed that I still need to take my meds. I also keep my pill box on my bathroom counter so I see it every day, when I brush my teeth which is another way to remind yourself to look at your meds and make sure you took them.

It's so easy to get distracted and forget, especially the longer I'm on them. I think it's because you are more focused on your day to day life and all the things that come with that and you become less anal about all things clots.

I think because you just started to take warfarin, it's good to call your doc and ask how they'd like you to handle things. I don't call my doc when I forget just one dose at this point. If I do feel like it's going to adversely affect my INR because I'm not therapeutic anyway or I'm in the middle of a dosage change, I go in for a INR test just to see where things are at.

Also I keep track of my INRs so that I know the date I lasted tested, what my INR was on that date, and at what dosage. I just write it on my calendar. That way you can see any trends or if you go to another doctor for some reason and he asks you what your last INR was, you know. I used to see a doc who's office never tracked my last INR even though that doc was managing my testing and warfarin. Totally irritating which is one of the reasons I left that doc.

You won't drop all the way down to a normal INR (.9-1.1) with just one missed dose. Warfarin stays in the system for 3-4 days, so it isn't like you'd be back to normal right away.

From experience, I know that if I miss a dose, I will drop about 1.0 in INR. (I'll go from 3.5 to 2.5, for example.) That seems to be more than most people, as I've frequently been advised to hold for two days if my INR is too high. I've had to remind folks at my doctor's office that holding for one day will drop me 1.0 and they always seem surprised that it is that much. My guess is that the average person drops less than that with one missed dose...but of course everyone processes the med differently.

Even if you do drop an entire 1.0 like I do, you still wouldn't be back to normal clotting levels. 1.5 is still more protected than if you were taking nothing, so I really don't think you're in danger from the one missed dose.

I'm like some of the others here...don't even call my doc for missed dose anymore and just carry on. It is a good idea to talk to your doc if you're new to warfarin and it is also a good idea to keep an eye on how much effect this does have on your INR... just for future reference so you know how much your numbers do change.

Using a calendar is a good idea or you can do what I do; I keep a spreadsheet list with a yearly graph, trend lines and VBA code that automatically emails me the nest two weeks dosages per day and marks the date I should test again.

When I miss a dose I drop one whole point also. Not the same for everybody. When I was new to warfarin I would get checked the next day after a missed dose. Now, 4 years later, I know that my INR returns to normal levels after a couple days so I don't bother with testing next day.

We all seem to make the same mistakes when we are on warfarin and you will find what works best for you, through trial and error as well as advice from the folks here. I think the pill box is a must have with this drug. Who knows, maybe you took yesterday's dose without consciously thinking about it. I've done that too - went back to the pill box and saw, yep I took it.