The James Paget University Hospital Anticoagulation Service provides INR testing, monitoring and dosing advice service for patients taking Warfarin/Acenocoumarol.
Anticoagulants are medicines which help prevent blood from clotting as it would normally and therefore prevents potentially harmful blood clots in heart and blood vessels. These medications interrupt the process involved in the formation of a blood clot. Although they are sometimes referred to as ‘blood-thinning’ medicines, they don't actually make the blood thinner.
Warfarin is the most widely used monitored Anticoagulant. It usually takes a few days for this medicine to work effectively. The DOACs (Direct Oral Anticoagulants) are a different group of anticoagulants that do not need monitoring with regular blood tests. These medications work quickly, within 2 – 4 hours.