Drug Nutrient Interactions. The Case for Warfarin's Interaction with Vitamin E and Fish Oil

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject Medicine - Pharmacology, grade: 1, Egerton University, language: English, abstract: This paper will provide a comprehensive assessment of warfarin and its nutritional interactions, primarily vitamin E and fish oil.

In practice, nutritional components are known to influence the efficacy of therapeutic agents. Some nutrients improve the efficacy of some drugs, whereas others reduce their therapeutic potency. As such, it is critical to understand the nutritional interactions between drugs and the nutritional components in the diet. Diets which interfere with the activity of certain drugs should be avoided during the treatment period. This prevents nutritional interactions which may result into adverse reactions. The same precaution applies to nutritional supplements. Over the past few decades, nutritional supplements have flooded the market. However, these supplements raise safety concerns, especially on dosage, efficacy and side effects.

Despite the safety concerns, it is worth noting that some nutritional components such as vitamins and fatty acids have been found to have clinical significance. They are used for the treatment of different health conditions and illnesses, especially when combined with therapeutic agents. For instance, vitamin E and Omega-3 fatty acids have gained immense acceptance in clinical practice. However, their use should be guided by their interactions with drugs. Warfarin, an antithrombotic agent, is one of the drugs which exhibit interactions with vitamin E and fish oil. This drug is used for the prevention and treatment of arterial and venous thrombotic disease since its development. However, dietary interactions have always complicated its safe use.