One of the riskiest medications in the pharmacy just got even more dangerous. And if you’re on blood thinners… if you’re taking the drug warfarin right now… there’s an urgent warning you need to know about.
You might think you already know how dangerous warfarin can be. It’s legendary for its risks, especially bleeding.
But new research uncovers a whole new… entirely unexpected… problem. It’s one that could lead to agonizing pain and even the need for surgery.
It happens in such a secret way that your own doctor won’t even realize the drug is causing it. Heck, if anything, he’s likely to blame YOU.
But don’t worry. I’m NOT here to give you something else to panic over. There’s plenty of that going around everywhere else right now.
Instead, I’ve got something that could help you FIGHT this hidden risk. A solution that could help prevent the pain and spare you from surgery.
How warfarin could worsen knee and hip pain
Knee and hip pain are often blamed on age. And sure, age does play a role. Osteoarthritis is, at least in part, a wear-and-tear disease. It’s the accumulated damage of years of good living.
But that’s not the whole story. Nutrition also plays a critical role. The right nutrients can protect the joints and save your crumbling cartilage. While missing out on them can leave your joints defenseless, so they fall apart faster.
That’s where warfarin strikes. The blood thinner blocks vitamin K, an essential nutrient for healthy bone, tissue, and cartilage. When those vitamin levels drop, the damage increases.
And the new study reveals the toll. Folks who take this blood thinner for conditions such as atrial fibrillation have a 50 percent higher risk of needing knee and/or hip surgery.
Beware of these blood thinner complications
But that’s hardly the only way the K-sapping effect of this drug can leave you doubled over in pain.
As I said, you need it for healthy bones. When you don’t get it, those same bones could get thinner, weaker, and become far more likely to snap. As a result, research published last year found warfarin can increase the risk of fractures and hospitalization for fractures.
And as anyone with a few miles on their treads can tell you, a broken hip could be the beginning of a downward slide you never fully recover from.
Then there’s that other risk of these meds… the most infamous one of all: bleeding. Warfarin can lead to severe, intense, and deadly bleeds.
Most docs are shifting patients onto different, newer blood thinners. Which is definitely an improvement. But before you say yes to that move, ask him one question. “Do I REALLY need that blood thinner in the first place?”
Maybe you do. But MANY people don’t.
Mainstream guidelines urge doctors to use extreme caution with warfarin, saying atrial fibrillation patients with a low risk of stroke SHOULDN’T be taking it. Yet most of them get the med anyway. It’s so bad that a 2015 study estimated that up to ONE IN FOUR atrial fibrillation patients are taking blood thinners unnecessarily.
Don’t quit on your own, of course. (And don’t change your prescribed diet without having a chat with your doctor.) But DO have an honest conversation with your doc about your risk category and whether you need the meds yourself. You just might save yourself from a world of hurt.
Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to ask the other eight questions you should ALWAYS ask before filling a prescription.
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