Urgent warning for users of a common blood-thinning med
It’s a choice no person should have to make.
Imagine being told that the only way to prevent a deadly stroke is to give you Alzheimer’ disease instead.
But, believe it or not, if you or someone you love is suffering from atrial fibrillation, that may be the exact situation you’re in right now.
For years the mainstream has been handing out the blood thinner warfarin to prevent clots and strokes in Afib patients. But a new study proves that warfarin may be sending your dementia risk through the roof.
You shouldn’t have to decide between protecting your heart and protecting your brain – and starting today, you don’t have to any more.
Warfarin has been around since Donald Trump was in short pants and Harry Truman was in the White House.
But unlike your favorite bottle of wine, warfarin isn’t getting better with age – in fact, researchers are finding new risks with the drug all the time.
You see, when you have Afib, your blood can pool easily and clots can form. That can make you more likely to have a stroke.
That’s why nearly 3 million Americans with Afib are taking warfarin right now.
But it turns out that, instead of saving your life, warfarin may be doing lasting damage to your brain instead.
In a new study out of the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, researchers looked at health records from more than 10,000 patients who used warfarin for six to eight years.
And the folks with Afib were up to three times more likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s. People whose dosages were frequently adjusted – which is common with the drug – were at the most risk.
Of course, the researchers claim that you’re only in danger if you’re using warfarin over a long period of time.
Yeah, well, that’s not exactly comforting – especially when the mainstream has made habit out of keeping Afib patients on warfarin for life.
Now, lots of docs will tell you that Alzheimer’s can take years to develop, but a stroke could kill you tomorrow. So warfarin may be a risk worth taking.
But studies have proven that, in lots of cases, that’s just not true.
Last year three major medical schools issued a warning about the unnecessary prescribing of blood thinners. They found that around 25 percent of Afib patients – that’s hundreds of thousands of Americans – shouldn’t be on warfarin or any other blood thinners in the first place.
That includes patients without heart disease or any other “established risk” for a stroke, particularly those under 60 (who also happen to be at the highest warfarin risk for dementia).
And a new study out of the University of Pennsylvania found that Afib patients were able to avoid taking blood thinners every day just by monitoring their pulses and heart rhythms with a simple smart phone app.
So if you’re currently being treated for Afib with a blood thinner, it’s urgent that you have your doctor reassess whether you need to be taking one. And don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.
Even if you’re able to cut back a little, you may end up preventing serious and permanent damage to your brain down the road.
Sources:
“Common blood thinner may increase dementia risk in certain patients” Fox News, May 6, 2016, foxnews.com
