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Thu Mar 16, 2006 1:02 pm  |
I am hoping that someone here might be taking Warfarin for heart trouble.
My mum has been taking this for nearly 2 years following a heart attack (she is all better now). The problem is that the Warfarin are affecting her hair and nails terribly. Her hair is dull, flat and falls out more readily. Her nails are always splitting, breaking and getting infections.
It is very difficult for her to take many supplements as Warfarin is affected by so many of them (plus she also has a stack of other stuff to take).
At the moment she takes Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM for joint care, omega fish oil, and I just got her some CoQ10 for her heart and some Hyaluronic acid caps for joints & skin (still waiting approval from doc on this).
So, end of it all... anyone out there know of some supplements to improve her hair and nails? (I tried checking Vitacost, but the all-in-one formulas have too many ingredients)
Thanks for any help! |
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Thu Mar 16, 2006 4:43 pm |
My dad was actually on Cumadin/ Warfarin last year after getting being admited to the ICU with a Pulmonary Embolism in his lungs. I'm sorry that I can't answer your question as directly as you'd probably like( since my situation involves a man)  but when we visited the doctor on the many different appointments, they always stated that side effects from that drug are not all too serious. And as I can remember, had nothing to do with hair/ nails/ etc. Maybe I am thinking about a different medication.  I hope I atleast gave a LITTLE bit of insight. If not, I'm sorry. Hope you do find the answer to the problem though 
-Marianna |
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Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:00 pm |
i was on it for all of one night.... seriously, though, it's a very potent drug and *any* supplements should definitely be okayed by her doc. and that includes the Q10 though i am such a huge believer in this!
my background: three-and-a-half years ago i had what they thought was a viral infection of the heart. i went downhill fast and admitted myself into emergency in cardiogenic shock. i was on the transplant list.
needless to say, hair and skin were the least of my problems. they didn't think i was ever going to recover fully -- if i survived.... your mum had a heart attack. she's all well now? no, not really. we've learned to take that in stride. with all the meds and whatnot, people are surving a lot longer but that doesn't mean the body wasn't severely traumatised by the event. (and although i'm not on wayfarin, i am on some nasty but necessary drugs that have put twenty pounds on me and are less than beneficial to my complexion. but guess what? i'm alive! so's your mum!)
give your mum's body a little more time to recover. each month, it should be better. the body's healing the important internal stuff first. hair, nails, etc. will come in time.... that said, her problem is probably one of circulation and not enough blood/oxygen getting to those parts. exercise would be hugely beneficial (and i mean the sweating kind -- though, again, under a doctor's supervision). i started losing my eyelashes as my heart failed and it has taken almost all this time to grow them completely back. it was over a year before that process even made a bit of a hurdle. one of the things that kick-started it was N.V, Perricone's Skin Clear supplements. a co-worker thought it was the Biotin in it, but i'm not even sure if it's in there. Biotin, though, is one of the most recommended supplement for what your mum's problem is.
HTH
p.s. sorry if i came on strong. i feel so passionately about this. i was forty when this happened and in great physical condition -- i sometimes feel like i'm speaking for all the heart patients in the world!
i'm not criticising you at all for asking about this matter in the forum either, so please don't take it that way. when i was in CCU with all matters of tubes hanging out of me, including a drainage bag directly from the heart (botched biopsy), my two friends came in and gave me a pedicure!  |
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Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:48 pm |
Hey La Vie, Warfarin is most definately a potent drug. We actually have a handbook for her meds to cross reference what other meds (including supplements) that she can and cannot take. It is something you really HAVE to be careful of.. for example, Tumeric is recommended for heart health and joint care, but on the meds she takes, it could kill her. Simple things we all take for granted; pain killers, antacids, vitamins, etc... all can and do have serious side effects. It makes it very hard for her to deal with arthritis pain, vascular problems in her legs and of course annual sinus problems (I should point out she is nearly 80).
Perhaps I should have put some more details rather than saying she is all better, but I felt a bit uncomfortable putting it all up on an open forum. Basically, because she has been taking this drug for two years now and long term it is really starting to affect her (these problems only started about 6 months ago). She actually had an outstanding review from her doc just recently (heart not perfect, but good and pumping strong) and he has told her that there are no more restrictions on her lifestyle. Howeever, she will of course be on the meds for the rest of her life. The thing is, when you have other, more pressing, health concerns and experiencing real problems with the meds side effects (the nail problem is serious as she keeps getting infections when they tear on things and cannot use her hands), those become a lot more important to someone than what the original problem now is.
So basically the situation is that after two years, the heart is as good as it will ever get and does not affect her daily life, but the meds continue and as such so will the side effects. It is now those side effects that cause her problems in daily life, rather than the original cause. That is why I am trying to find some kind of supplement that might help with the nails and hair because topical treatments dont seem to be doing much.
I just thought that there might have been someone out here who also has a parent taking this stuff long-term and has found solutions to the side-effects. |
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Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:34 am |
sorry i got into all that -- was having a nightmare, couldn't go back to sleep, and, well, went off. i regretted it immediately... truly, my apologies.
i'm afraid i too only have a step-father on that particular drug. the biggest concern we've had with him has been weight loss.... i do know they monitor his blood quite closely and there's a chance she find something she likes and they can adjust her meds,
check out http://www.fvleiden.org/ask/22.html (your mom is not alone). seems Q10 has been beneficial for the hair loss side-effect. (there's also a possible alternative drug mentioned on this page) how long has she been on it? it usually takes a little while to kick in, especially if there was a deficiency. i'm on beta-blockers which can affect hair loss as well and have been taking 50mg of Q10 a day though i went all gung-ho at first and started with 100mg. i still loose more than my share of hair, but i luckily have so much of it. it's taken me a *long* time to get it back to its natural state though.
keep her on the Q10 and the oils and look into Biotin (and whatever was in that Skin Clear http://www.nvperriconemd.com). i have the world's best doc and will be checking in with her when i'm back in los angeles at the end of next month. i will ask her about this for you. she's very cool and, being in lala land, i'm sure she's dealt with it before.
i am so glad your mum's doing well with her heart. hair and nails to follow soon! BTW, tea tree oil is good for preventing nail infections in the meanwhile. |
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Fri Mar 17, 2006 5:52 pm |
Thank you for that link!! That is awesome! I am going to pick out some of the best info and e-mail it to her.
The CoQ10 I got her are 30mg, so I hope that will help her a bit. I will investigage Biotin and Zinc and send back info for her to check with the doc.
Re. Dr. P's stuff.. I am sure flaxseed oil is one of the things she is definately not allowed to take. Evening Primrose is one too. I cannot remember now if it is the Warfarin or one of the other ones she has to take to compensate for something the warfarin does... she calls the huge ziploc with all her meds her "kit".. I dunno how she keeps track of them all!!
Thank you again!
(no worries on the first post!)
ETA: went to that site and then through to the actual Warfarin site and found the following:
| Quote: |
Specific botanicals reported to affect warfarin sodium therapy include the following:
• Bromelains, danshen, dong quai (Angelica sinensis), garlic, Ginkgo biloba and ginseng are associated most often with an INCREASE in the effects of warfarin sodium.
• Coenzyme Q10 (ubidecarenone) and St. John’s wort are associated most often with a DECREASE in the effects of warfarin sodium. |
and further on:
| Quote: |
| Do not take or discontinue any other medication, including salicylates (e.g., aspirin and topical analgesics), other over-the-counter medications, and botanical (herbal) products (e.g., bromelains, coenzyme Q10, danshen, dong quai, garlic, Ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and St. John’s wort) except on advice of the physician. |
Since she had not already been taking it I doubt her doc will approve the CoQ10. Oh well, back to topical solution finding I guess... but will still check on Biotin and Zinc |
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Sat Mar 18, 2006 6:03 am |
| I don't think it's necessarily the case that the doc will prohibit the supplements - but he may have to adjust her meds. |
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Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:52 am |
Hi - I'm 39 yo, and have taken Warfarin for just over one year, following a pulmonary embolism.
I have been able to gradually introduce supplements, with my doctor's approval. It does require constant monitoring of the INR levels and dosage adjustments.
I am taking 4 g of fish oil and the Andrew Lessman "Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails". It did require a slight dosage adjustment for my Warfarin when I began taking those supplements. |
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