Comment by skeeter2020 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by skeeter2020 | Hacker News Reader

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This is a pretty cool idea, with a technique that is both simple and proven. It's a mechanical test so they're basically coming up with an efficient way to do ancient medicine. Warfarin is almost free, but your diet and health changes can impact it's clotting impact, and changing your dose is like steering a cruise ship: long lags between inputs and final results. I've had to use a fast-acting injectable while getting into my clotting range which can take almost a week at $100 per daily shot. This also involved going to a clinic daily, then waiting for my doctor to get the results and phone me up, just to change my warfarin dose. You then go happily on your way but need to test regularly to stay in the desired range.

The quality of life impact for millions of people could be enormous. Kudos!

> This also involved going to a clinic daily, then waiting for my doctor to get the results and phone me up, just to change my warfarin dose.

Have you considered getting a PT/INR monitor? They're not cheap, but even just going to a clinic that has one will mean that you get your result very quickly.

> Warfarin is almost free, but your diet and health changes can impact it's clotting impact, and changing your dose is like steering a cruise ship: long lags between inputs and final results.

In the UK, edoxaban has more or less replaced Warfarin, and has far fewer side effects or need for monitoring (or so says my GP).

It really depends on why you need anticoagulants to begin with.

I have mechanical bits in my ticker and so I’ll pretty much the last cohort to be able to jump, but your post prompted me to read up on Edoxaban and I’m apprehensively exited :)

> It really depends on why you need anticoagulants to begin with.

Of course. I have atrial fibrillation and it is more or less standard medication for that in the UK (along with god knows how much other stuff). My (late) Dad had the same problems as me, and he was never confident he had taken the right amount of warfarin. But if you have heart valves, stents or whatever, or indeed anything, please don't take this as medical advice - IANAD.

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