Bonnie
Coumadin has been used for many many decades and is quite safe if the patient follows his/her doctor's instructions. It is also known as heparin and warfarin, depending on the manufacturer. It is a blood thinner, mainly used to prevent clots, especially if one has had problems with thrombophlebitis or strokes caused by clots in the past. I offer my sympathies about your father. It sounds as though he suffered a CVA ("stroke") caused by a rupture of a blood vessel. Strokes are caused by either a clot or a rupture and ruptures are generally the more fatal ones since there isn't much doctors can do to stop the bleeding. Back to your question though, the dosage of the medication is based on several factors which is why your dad was having frequent blood tests done--this is extremely important. The doctors make sure that the coumadin levels stay within "normal" ranges and adjust dosages accordingly. It's perfectly safe IF the patient takes it as directed and is careful with bleeding risks, such as substituting shaving with an electric razor instead of a straight-edge razor. For women, the same advice goes when shaving since the blood is somewhat thinner and doesn't clot as fast. Like any medication though, there are contraindications (instances where the use is not advised) so you might visit a few health sites and look it up on the pharmaceutical indexes. Unfortunately, a side effect can be profuse bleeding but the risks of taking it usually outweigh the risks of not taking it.