Which is better for preventing thrombosis: oral medicine or belly injection

There are many ways to prevent thrombosis, among which drug therapy is a more common method. For patients with thrombosis, some thrombolytic methods should be often used for treatment. Oral medications are more common. In addition, belly injection is also a common method to prevent thrombosis. It can be said that the two methods have their own advantages. For patients, symptomatic methods should be used for treatment and prevention.

The oral anticoagulant "Warfarin" is the most commonly used drug by patients after they are discharged from the hospital and return home because warfarin is an oral drug and is easy to take. How does it inhibit thrombosis? Let’s first understand the raw materials of thrombosis. Coagulation factor is an important factor in the formation of blood clots, and vitamin K is the raw material for the formation of coagulation factor. Without vitamin K, coagulation factors cannot be synthesized and blood clots cannot form. Warfarin takes advantage of this point. It inhibits the body's vitamin K from participating in the synthesis of coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X in the liver, thereby reducing coagulation factors and preventing thrombosis. How should I take warfarin? There is no fixed dose and each patient takes a different dose. During hospitalization, doctors will adjust medication based on the "INR" value in coagulation function. Generally, coagulation function is reviewed in the morning, so patients are advised to take the medicine every afternoon or evening at a fixed time every day. If the dosage needs to be adjusted, it can be changed on the same day. Some patients may miss doses of medicine. If they remember on the day they missed a dose, it is just a little late, so they can take the original dose. If they remember the next day, they do not need to take the previous day's medicine. An occasional missed dose will have little effect on coagulation function, but multiple missed doses will cause the INR value to fluctuate, which may increase the patient's risk of bleeding and recurrence of thrombosis. Warfarin is not suitable for patients who need emergency anticoagulation because it takes a long time to take effect, usually taking 5 days to take effect. When patients are switched from low molecular weight heparin to oral warfarin, the two drugs need to be taken together for at least 5 days. Wait until warfarin takes effect before stopping low molecular weight heparin to prevent an increased risk of thrombosis during drug change. However, once warfarin takes effect, the effect lasts for nearly a week (5-7 days), making it very effective for long-term anticoagulation therapy.

“Belly injection” low molecular weight heparin

Low molecular weight heparin is a subcutaneous injection that needs to be injected into areas with thick fat, such as the abdomen. It works by inhibiting the activity of coagulation factor Xa, a blood clotting substance. Low molecular weight heparin takes effect quickly, so low molecular weight heparin will be injected first to control the patient's hypercoagulable state, and then warfarin will be used to maintain it for a long time. If a patient with thrombosis has had recent bleeding, he or she is generally treated with low molecular weight heparin. Because the effect of each low molecular weight heparin is fixed, and warfarin needs to be adjusted according to the INR value, if the dosage is too large, it will increase the patient's bleeding risk.

Whether it is warfarin or low molecular weight heparin, there is not much difference in the anticoagulant effect of the two. Generally, they are used alone. Only when low molecular weight heparin is transitioned to warfarin, they need to be used overlappingly. In general, taking medication on time and in the right amount is the key.

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