Blood Clot in the Legs (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Overview
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Causes
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Deep Vein Thrombosis Treatment
- Medical Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
- Viewer Comments: Deep Vein Thrombosis - Symptoms Experienced
Medications
Warfarin (Coumadin) is an oral medication taken to thin or anti-coagulate the blood. It may take a few days for its action to take effect. The dose needs to be individualized for each person, and blood clotting must monitored routinely since changes in diet, activity, and the administration of other medications may affect the levels of warfarin. Blood tests (usually INR, or international normalized ratio) are done routinely to monitor the blood thinning effects and help the health care practitioner select the appropriate warfarin dose. Ideally, the INR should be kept in a range between 2.0 and 3.0. Blood tests are done weekly until the INR stabilizes and then are done every two weeks to every month.
Enoxaparin (Lovenox) is a low molecular weight heparin injected beneath the skin to thin the blood. The dose is usually 1milligram per kilogram of weight injected twice daily or 1.5 milligrams per kilogram injected once daily. Enoxaparin usually is considered a temporary medication to be used to thin the blood while warfarin begins to take effect; however, it may be used over the long-term in some patients with cancer.
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Deep Venous Thrombosis »
Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) most commonly involves the deep veins of the leg or arm, often resulting in potentially life-threatening emboli to the lungs or debilitating venous alular dysfunction and chronic leg swelling.
