Anticoagulants Warfarin

Surgery and dental work

Becauseofthe risk of bleeding, your dose of warfarin may need to be lowered or stopped a few days before having an operation or dental work.

Tell the surgeon or dentist that you're taking warfarin. You should also tell anyone else involved with your care, such as an anticoagulant nurse, if you need an operation so they can make arrangements.

Having vaccinations

You can have vaccinations while taking warfarin.

If the vaccine is normally given by injection into the muscle, then providing you're up to date with your INR testing (see above), and that the results are within the correct range, you can have the injection as normal into muscle. This is known as an intramuscular (IM) injection.

Alternatively, the injection can be given into the layer of fat underneath your skin. This is known as a subcutaneous injection. Firm pressure applied to the site for 10 minutes after the vaccination may reduce potential bruising.

Playing sports

You can play sports while taking warfarin, but because ofthe risk of bleeding:

• contact sports that could lead to a head injury, such as football, rugby, cricket and hockey, are best avoided if played competitively
• martial arts and kickboxing must be avoided

You can continue to take part in non-contact sports, such as running, athletics, cycling and racquet sports. However, make sure you wear protective clothing, such as a cycle helmet.

Going on holiday

Tell your GP or anticoagulant nurse if you're going on holiday, in this country or abroad, and arrange to have your INR checked before you go.

If you're going to be away longer than a month, you may need to arrange to have your INR checked while you're away. Make sure you have enough warfarin tablets to last for the duration of your trip.

Body piercings

Body piercings aren't recommended while taking warfarin because of the increased risk of bleeding and risk of infection.