Drug Interaction Checker

You must pay close attention to your diet during Warfarin therapy. Try to keep a consistent diet. Certain foods may decrease the effect of warfarin because they contain high amounts of vitamin K or other ingredients that can decrease the effect of warfarin. These foods include green tea, brussel sprouts, kale, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, lettuce, liver, soybeans or soybean oil, lentils, peas, mustard greens, turnip greens, parsley, green scallions, and spinach. Some enteral feedings (nutritional shakes like Ensure and many others) also can have this effect. If you eat any of these foods regularly, try to have the same number of servings each week as this will allow your warfarin dose to remain more stable. Avoid large servings when possible. There is also new information to suggest that drinking cranberry juice may increase the effects of warfarin, which may make bleeding more likely. Use caution until more is known about this potential interaction.

If you drink alcohol-containing drinks while taking warfarin, you may bruise or bleed more easily. Avoid alcohol-containing drinks or at least limit to no more than 2 drinks per day while taking warfarin. While you are taking warfarin, watch for signs of bruising or bleeding, which may occur at any time but especially after drinking large amounts of alcohol or with daily drinking. Signs of bleeding include, but are not limited to, increased bruising, pinpoint red spots on your skin, or black, tarry stools.

Tobacco smoke contains substances that may speed the removal of Warfarin from the body; if you start smoking, Warfarin may become less effective at thinning the blood and preventing blood clots. Just the opposite occurs when someone stops smoking tobacco; if you stop smoking this may increase the amount of Warfarin in the blood and side effects from Warfarin may get worse, if you are not closely watched. Too much Warfarin might cause bleeding (like nosebleeds, easy bruising, bleeding gums or blood in urine or stool). Not everyone might experience these effects. Notify your prescriber if any of these effects occur. Your prescriber may need to closely monitor the blood thinning effect of Warfarin whenever a change in tobacco smoking occurs, so inform your prescriber if you are a smoker or if you are going to stop smoking.