It could also be the fact that not all clotting events feel the same, behave the same, resolve the same etc. It may be this stuff helped you but I'm inclined to think it's just more related to that specific clot vs your first clot. Two time clotter here, and I recovered very quickly from my second clot, with not a lot of residual pain and swelling.

But who knows. Maybe the supplements do help you with blood flow and decreased inflammation. I mean that's the whole caveat with supplements- the MAY help, prevent, work, etc.

I do hope it prevents you from future clotting, since clearly your body likes to clot, although me being a two time clotter myself, there's no way I'd rely on something that is not scientifically proven or has what I would consider sufficient evidence that pointedly says: taking this will prevent DVTs and PEs.

I'll echo what RMB said. Part of it could definitely be the difference between clotting events. I've also had two DVTs. With the first, it took about two years to feel better. With the second, it took about a week. I think the second one healed so much faster just because I caught it so much sooner and got medical attention much faster (within 24 hours) than the first.

I'm not saying you didn't get some benefit from the supplement you describe, I'm just saying that you may have to take the results with a grain of salt, as there could be other causes behind your faster recovery than just that.

Out of curiosity, were you taking the supplements when you reclotted? Also, will you be continuing on warfarin at this point, since you've clotted twice? I'm just wondering what the future holds for you.

I am continuing on warfarin; I am not relying solely on the supplements to prevent further clots as I have a blood condition that makes me more susceptible. I agree that all clots are different and catching the second one quicker made a difference in recovery time. If it was just the speed of the recent recovery, I would not have posted; the key point is that the 6 year old residual clot problem also went away.

I am not pointing out serrepeptase as a way to prevent clots but as a way to enhance the recovery from a clot. I imagine there are many people in a similar situation where the traditional treatments may prevent further issues but don't necessarily clear up the residual problem left over after the clot. The key point is that my right leg also felt normal for the first time after 6 years. That didn't happen with many years of warfarin which is intended to prevent future problems and allow the body to try to clear up the issue.

I might add that I run sprints, treadmill intervals, lift, row, bike, etc. and started exercising again shortly after the first DVT so I have a very good idea of how my legs feel under exertion. I could always notice the difference with my right leg post DVT which would swell slightly and feel tight under hard running even after many years and wearing compression socks. Now, I can run without noticing either leg and without compression socks.

As far as supplements go, it is always with a grain of salt, but we also know that traditional medicine will likely never embrace certain treatments regardless of efficacy.

Ah, ok. I thought you were taking it instead of warfarin because you said you didn't like the idea of taking warfarin so I misunderstood.

Be careful though. Taking both nattokinase and serrapeptase along with warfarin can be dicey because all of them can increase your risk of bleeding.

I just want to remark that I do appreciate your post, as well as the balanced manner in which you present the information. Too often we have people come and tout a "natural remedy" that they feel should be used in substitution for normal medical treatment. While I am actually open-minded to alternative therapies for various things, I'm also extremely cautious when it comes to treating blood clots in something other than the medically proven manners, because I've experienced the worst extreme of clotting. So I would honestly never condone someone coming here to say, 'Chuck the rat poison and take natto instead!' (which is what we usually hear) because I just think that's an awfully big chance to take, making recommendations that could have major repercussions on someone else's health and life. I don't really think anyone likes the idea of being on any sort of blood thinners (for me that's true whatever the source of anticoagulant whether natural or synthetic), but we do what we must to stay as healthy as possible.

I appreciate hearing that you've found something which appears to have helped you, which you could take in conjunction with regular treatment. I agree that I hope anyone considering this does talk to their doctor about the safety of adding a supplement while taking warfarin, just to be sure they're not putting themselves into extra risk. I also read on WebMD that this can reduce swelling in the veins, which is probably good in the long term, but I wonder about the potential risk of doing that when a clot is still new and has a higher risk of embolization.

I tend to agree that the quick resolution of the second clot is more likely due to the early diagnosis and maybe just the difference in the clot itself. My second clot was diagnosed very early (although supposedly even my first clot had been present less than a week in my leg), but I do know my second clot was much less severe than the first, being in one vein only in my lower leg as opposed to all of the veins from ankle to groin. But basically I never had any real trouble with my second clot. I felt the sensation of having it, but it was honestly never very painful and once my doc let me get back on my feet again, I never even really noticed it from a physical standpoint beyond an occasional twinge.

But it is interesting that you've found relief from some of the residual symptoms of the first clot as well, and I wonder whether that would be a typical result from taking the supplement. Do you plan to continue taking serrapeptase or not? If it has 'cleaned up' the veins, it doesn't seem like it would be necessary to continue indefinitely.

In any case, I'm glad you're feeling better and I hope that continues. Thanks for sharing your experience.

u373,
I have just read your post and Im interested in knowing the brand that you are using (how many mg per capsule in that brand?). How many capsules are you taking per day?

Im going to ask my doctor about this supplement, once that I have mild swelling every day. Even wearing compression stockings, the dvt leg is always larger than the other one. But my doctor is very suspicious regarding supplements However, I might give serrapetase a shot because nothing seems to stop my leg from swelling a little bit. Although I must say that it has improved. My dvt was 14 months ago, in 2013.

Thank you,
Mathy

I have been living with large a residual DVT for nearly three years. I did the shots in the belly and the warfarin therapy for 6 months.

For my own sanity I started taking Natto shortly after I was taken off the warfarin, and a year later learned of the serrapeptase and added that to my regimen. I haven't had my clot checked for nearly a year but it had shrunk but almost half in a little over a year's time. It did extend the entire length of my femoral and popliteal veins.

I would not recommend abandoning treatment to take these supplements, but my treatment plan had stopped. So I continued on my own with this. It has reduced my swelling and eventually I believe my clot will be gone, there was just a lot of clot for it to eat away.

I think it is important to know how nattokinase and serrapeptase work. Anticoagulants (like warfarin) slow down the clotting, while variouos enzymes produced by a wide range of animals (including various bacteria and human body) such as nattokinase, serrapeptase and streptokinase, urokinase and many more, speed up the dissolution of newly formed clots. As an example, streptokinase and urokinase are used in thrombolysis and are very powerful to break down clots, but the risk of bleeding in these operations can be high (depending on how it is performed). Following DVT the human body secretes various enzymes that break down effectively clots in the first days after DVT, while after they harden they are broken down in different manners. It is really difficult to say whether the serrapeptase accounted for the recovery, as the human body does slowly break down the clots and with help of warfarin, becasue the blood flow becomes more sluggish due to clots in veins, prevents new clots forming. It is thus very difficult to single out Serrapeptase as a single factor in the recovery phase.

After browsing the literature I have found not a single article that has found evidence that nattokinase and serrapeptase are effective in preventing thrombosis (e.g. DVT and PE). It may well be that they have some effect, but they may be limited. Please note that most people are protected from other DVT by the anticoagulants (e.g warfarin). The nattokinase and serrapeptase may be helpful in breaking down freshly made clots, but not old and hardened clots. Whether it is safe to take both of these enzymes, and wehther it is safe to take these alongside with warfarin is difficult to know. Theoretically these should increase bleeding risks, as eg if you would cut your finger, the warfarin would slow down the clotting while these two enzymes would break down more easily he clots that are formed. If these two enzymes were highly effective, the risk of bleeding would be very high if taken alongside with warfarin. Personally, I would not take nattokinase and serrapeptase, simply because they may not have any benfits and thus may be simply waste of money. The warfarin should be enough. P.S. like others have expressed, then I liked your post.

I am treating a heavy DVT (my second/left leg/from beneath the calf to the groin) since 14 months with Nattokinase and Serrapeptase (Nothing else!). My doctor first warned me, but checking my leg after three months he is recommending to go on with this treatment.
Now my leg feels very well again.
I'm taking (my decision and my dosis) two times daily 3 x 250000 IU Serrapeptase together with 3 x 200 mg (12000 IU) Nattokinase. - Daily dosis: 1,5 million IU Serrapeptase and 24000 IU Nattokinase.
My doctor tested all blood parameters. Nothing changed but D-Dimere: 750 (normal: 500 or less). C reactive protein normal (Surely!).
Higher D-Dimere (With normal c-reactive-protein!) might be a indicator for the effect of Nattokinase and Serrapeptase.

@ hortensis:
may I ask what brand are you using, how much is it and where do you order it?

With the respect to the last message of "Hortensis" i.e. "Nothing changed but D-Dimere: 750 (normal: 500 or less). C reactive protein normal (Surely!). " then I copied this "A normal D-dimer result (< or =250 ng/mL DDU; < or =0.50 mcg/mL FEU) has a negative predictive value of approximately 95% for the exclusion of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis when there is low or moderate pretest PE probability." If your D-dimer is measured as ng/mL DDU, then it is quite high. This means that your blood has a tendency to clot. It also means that the Nattokinase and Serrapeptase are ineffective to reduce the ability of the blood to form clots. You may still improve nevertheless, i..e mother nature may break down the clots and you improve, but with these D-dimer levels you are at greater risk of foming clots than the average person.

@ hortensis:

I am also suffering a heavy DVT in my left leg...
After 9 months with Xarelto I switched to Nattokinase and Serrapeptase about 2 weeks ago. I really hope to further improve my current situation,

I would love to hear your finally experiences and status with Nattokinase and Serrapeptase!
How is your leg doing? When did you stop taking Nattokinase and Serrapeptase?