Sintrom (Acenocoumarol) is an oral anticoagulant drug taken to "thin" the blood and make it less prone to clot formation. It is available in common pharmacies on presentation of a regular medical prescription, in one and four milligram tablets.
But why is it so important to prevent thrombosis? The risk of this condition lies in the possible shattering of clots, from which fragments (called emboli) would originate which, pushed by the blood, could end up occluding a blood vessel in an important organ, such as the lung, heart or the brain, causing life-threatening events, such as pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke.
In addition to Sintrom (Acenocoumarol), another important anticoagulant available in Italy is Coumadin (Warfarin). The mechanism of action of the two drugs is similar, since they both interfere with the coagulation mechanism by inhibiting vitamin K dependent factors. The main difference between the two drugs lies in the time of onset and disappearance of the therapeutic effect, faster for the sintrom and a little slower for the coumadin. Furthermore, the INR values are a little more stable if the anticoagulant therapy is performed with coumadin rather than with sintrom. These differences are, however, of little importance from a practical point of view; for this reason we refer the reader to the three articles in-depth study on coumadin to obtain information also valid for the sintrom:
The Coumadin pack contains 5 mg tablets, while Sintrom comes in two packs, 1 and 4 mg. Since these drugs are often used in fractions (a quarter or half tablet), Sintrom is, at least from this point of view, easier to use.
Recall that the "INR is a test conducted on a small blood sample that detects the so-called" prothrombin time ". In practice, this test measures the period of time necessary for the formation of a clot after contact of the blood with specific substances. value, in order to obtain the INR, is then compared with the mean prothrombin time of patients not being treated with anticoagulants. If the INR is lower than required, the dose of sintrom must be increased; if it is higher, it is must reduce, while if the INR is optimal the dosage is kept in place. Both anticoagulant drugs must be taken in extremely personalized doses, since each patient requires different amounts to reach an optimal level of "bleeding". The most delicate days in this sense, it is precisely those who follow the start of treatment, since only by means of close checks of the INR it is possible to establish the optimal dose for the individual person. however, it will vary over time based on the results of subsequent checks which, with the stabilization of the drug dosage, can also occur every 4-5 weeks.
The adequate dose of sintrom, in particular, can change due to the interference of other drugs, new diseases, forgotten medication, changes in diet or physical activity.
