Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.

1,102 Members
7,473 Posts
0 Online
Lungs & Respiration
/ Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

Coumadin ended, but now worried

rytheguy71
rytheguy71
I just got my one year follow up with my hema following my PE incident (idiopathic). They cleared me after running a pulmonary function test, d-dimer, cbc and cnc., which, according to my hema, came back "excellent"

Just today I woke up with a fever, and I have had congestion for the last few weeks. My son recently had an upper respiratory infection, and I assume that is what it was. I went to my GP today and she subscribed me with a z pack after testing me for strep and flu and both coming out negative.

My question to all is, should I be worried about taking the z pack being as I just stopped the Coumadin yesterday?... I know that the Coumadin persists for a while, and the antibiotics have the tendency to raise your INR
rmb
rmb
Hi, if it were me, I'd not worry about it. I mean, whenever I take an antibiotic, I don't check my INR until like a week after taking the antibiotic to see if it affected my INR. So for you, with warfarin being out of your system in 3-5 days after stopping it, there probably wouldn't be a problem by the time you finish your z pack. You can always check with your doc if you think there's a concern.
TossNTurn
TossNTurn
I agree with @rmb. The coumadin is already existing your system and should be out within another few days. Even if the Zpack affects your INR (making it go up), it should be countered by the fact that your INR is going down as the coumadin gets out of your system. It's all really a wash ... and in a few days it won't matter at all.

As @rmb said, if you're really worried, you can check with the doc or your pharmacist (who is often more knowledgeable about meds and more available than your doc).
rytheguy71
rytheguy71
Thank you I kind of figured that but Im already on edge with the whole safety net of the Coumadin going away...It's good to come on here and get advice from everyone
indwen123
indwen123
Yes, I would not worry too much about it. I went off Coumadin in April of 2013, and so far everything has been good. I also have Factor V Leiden, so I was particularly worried about that. However, I am very keen to notice any changes in my body (swelling in leg, prolonged pain in leg, etc.). Think about the time prior to your getting the clots. Did you ignore any of the warning signs? I did. I totally ignored them. I thought I had a running injury. The swelling would not go away. I should have known. Now, if I had those same symptoms, I would be in the doctor's office/emergency room in a flash.

Indwen
rytheguy71
rytheguy71
Thanks Indwen, I have gone through the z pack antibiotics and now I just find myself worried about every litlle sensation in my lungs, legs, etc. My skin started peeling off my fingertips and that was weirding me out, but sfter some research it seems this is a somewhat common side effect of a zithromycin.
Posts You May Be Interested In
  • GreenEyes727

    Caricatures

    Posted by: GreenEyes727
    Last Reply: Tired
    6
    Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
  • GreenEyes727

    Truths

    Posted by: GreenEyes727
    Last Reply: GreenEyes727
    14
    We all have 24 hours in a day.  How we spend these hours is important.  Watching a little bit of a video about how sitting affects us made me aware of how much sitting and laying down I do.  Gonna have to work on that.Your turn.  Tell me another truth.