How Is Excessive Blood Clotting Treated?
Excessive blood clotting is treated with medicines.
Depending on the size and location of the clot(s), you may need emergency
treatment and/or routine treatment.
Emergency Treatment
Blood clots can be dangerous. They can damage the
body and lead to serious problems, such as
stroke,
heart
attack,
kidney failure,
deep
vein thrombosis, or
pulmonary
embolism. Blood clots also can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, or
pregnancy-related problems.
Emergency treatment to prevent these problems often
consists of medicines that can quickly break up clots.
These medicines, called thrombolytics or "clot
busters," are used to treat large clots that cause severe symptoms. These
medicines can cause sudden bleeding. Thus, they're only used in
life-threatening situations.
Routine Treatment
Blood Thinners
Anticoagulants, or "blood thinners," are used as
routine treatment for excessive blood clotting. These medicines prevent blood
clots from forming. They also keep existing blood clots from getting
larger.
Warfarin and heparin are two types of blood
thinners. Warfarin is given in pill form. (Coumadin® is a common
brand name for warfarin.) Heparin is injected into a vein.
Your doctor may treat you with both heparin and
warfarin at the same time. Heparin acts quickly. Warfarin takes 2 to 3 days
before it starts to work. Once the warfarin starts to work, the heparin is
stopped.
Pregnant women will be treated with heparin, because
warfarin can harm the fetus.
Sometimes aspirin is used with warfarin. In other
cases, aspirin may be used alone. Aspirin also thins the blood and helps
prevent blood clots.
Some people must take blood thinners for the rest of
their lives if their risk for forming blood clots remains high.
Side effects. The most common side
effect of blood thinners is bleeding. This happens if the medicine thins your
blood too much. This side effect can be life threatening. Bleeding can occur
inside your body (internal bleeding) or on its surface.
Know the warning signs of internal bleeding, so you
can get help right away. They include:
- Unexplained bleeding from the gums and nose
- Increased menstrual flow
- Bright red vomit or vomit that looks like coffee
grounds
- Bright red blood in your stools or black, tarry
stools
- Pain in your abdomen or severe pain in your
head
- Sudden changes in vision
- Sudden loss of movement in your arms and
legs
- Memory loss or confusion
A lot of bleeding after a fall or injury or easy
bruising or bleeding also may mean that your blood is too thin. Call your
doctor right away if you have any of these signs.
People who are treated with blood thinners usually
need regular
blood
tests, called PT and PTT tests, to check how well their blood is clotting.
These tests also show whether you're taking the
right amount of medicine. Your doctor will check to make sure that you're
taking enough medicine to prevent clots, but not so much that it causes
bleeding.
Other Treatments
Short-term treatments may include treatment with
antithrombin factor and protein C. Antithrombin factor may be helpful for
people who have known antithrombin deficiencies. This treatment is used in
special situations, such as before surgery, when there's a very serious blood
clot or repeat blood clots.
Some people who have antithrombin deficiencies may
need this treatment because heparin doesn't work for them.
Protein C may be given to people who have protein C
deficiencies before they receive warfarin. Protein C is given to protect them
from skin necrosisa serious side effect of warfarin. (Skin necrosis
destroys and damages the skin cells.) |