HEART PROBLEMS: BLOOD CLOTTING AND TONIC WATER
Spontaneous clotting of blood in the circulation will cause a stroke (if the clot lodges in one of the brain’s blood vessels) or a heart attack (if it blocks one of the heart’s coronary arteries). To prevent recurrences, many people recovering from a stroke or a heart attack are given daily doses of one of the anticoagulant drugs, such as Warfarin or Coumadin. Other conditions, too, (e.g., heart valve abnormalities) may require long-term anticoagulation. Since too much drug will result in bleeding, and too little of it provides no benefit at all, regular testing is required to make sure that the patient’s dosage needs are being exactly met.
Change in dosage requirement could occur in anyone who drinks tonic water, a major ingredient of which is quinine. Quinine, reports the British Medical Journal (286:1258), interacts with anticoagulants, making their effect more powerful. Anticoagulant users, therefore, should be careful to avoid any drinks that are made with tonic water.
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