Nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and heavy menstrual periods are other common types of bleeding.Experiencing red or black tarry stool, or red or dark brown urine, vomiting blood or coffee ground-like material, and coughing up blood are signs of major bleeding that require immediate medical attention.Pain and swelling in any area of the body, weakness, dizziness, difficulty breathing and severe headache may be signs of serious bleeding that are not immediately obvious. If warfarin therapy is to be discontinued (e.g. If you don't remember until the next day, call your doctor for instructions. 3. This is because it may harm the baby.There's no evidence that taking warfarin affects your sex life.It's thought that cannabis can affect your blood tests and increase your risk of serious bleeding.It's not clear how other recreational drugs like cocaine and heroin affect warfarin. Will I need to stop warfarin before surgery? Mayo Clinic does not endorse any of the third party products and services advertised.A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This thins your blood, so it takes longer to clot.Warfarin takes about 3 days to build up its blood-thinning effect.But it can take weeks or even months before you settle on the right dose.This is because everyone reacts differently to warfarin, so it's usual for the dose to go up and down when you first start taking it.You will not feel any different while you take warfarin.The only way to check it's working is to take a blood sample and see how long your blood takes to clot.Do not stop taking warfarin without talking to your doctor.If you stop taking warfarin, the rate at which your blood clots will quickly return to what it was before you started taking it.This means you may be at an increased risk of serious problems like Warfarin is one of the oldest and most commonly used anticoagulants.Warfarin does not seem to be any better or worse than newer anticoagulants at treating and preventing blood clots.But the newer anticoagulants may be more convenient because you do not need to have regular blood tests or be quite as careful about what you eat.You can drink alcohol while taking warfarin as long as you stick to the A standard glass of wine (175ml) is 2 units. Guidelines for the management of patients on warfarin experiencing major or non‐major bleeding or over‐anticoagulation were included in a recent BCSH guideline on oral anticoagulation with warfarin (Keeling et al , 2011). It is important to eat a balanced diet with a consistent daily amount of green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, spinach and lettuce, which are rich in vitamin K. Changes in dietary vitamin K will affect the anticoagulant effect of warfarin.Your health care provider should be informed of any changes in medications or use of herbal products. Apart from the risk of bleeding, warfarin is a very safe medicine. McKernan A. Outpatient anticoagulation service: Management of high INR, without bleeding, due to vitamin K antagonists. This can be useful for them to know in case of a medical emergency.If you need any medical or dental treatment, show your anticoagulant alert card to the nurse, doctor or dentist beforehand.This includes before you have vaccinations and routine sessions with the dental hygienist.Your doctor may advise you to stop taking warfarin or reduce your dose for a short time before your treatment.If you have lost your alert card or were not given one, ask your doctor or anticoagulant clinic.It's important to try to remember to take your warfarin on time.It's not a problem if you occasionally forget to take a dose at the correct time.But if you forget often, your blood could be affected - it might become thicker and put you at risk of having a blood clot.If you miss a dose of warfarin, write it down in your yellow book.If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and take your normal dose at the usual time.If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.If you're worried, contact your anticoagulant clinic or doctor.If you take an extra dose of warfarin by accident, call your anticoagulant clinic straight away.You may need to change your next dose of warfarin or have a blood test.If you take more than 1 extra dose of warfarin, you're at risk of serious bleeding.If you need to go to hospital, take the warfarin packet or leaflet inside it, plus any remaining medicine, with you.