Sintrom: What Is It and What Is It For?
Various pathologies and medical situations can favor the formation of clots in the bloodstream, which entails serious health risks. For this reason, there are medications capable of eliminating these clots or preventing their formation, one of them being Sintrom ®.
Sintrom ® is a drug belonging to the group of anticoagulants, whose active ingredient is acenocoumarol. Its main function is to prevent the formation of blood clots by acting as a vitamin K antagonist. This medication is used worldwide.
In order for a blood clot to form, the sequential activation of various compounds called coagulation factors is necessary. Some of these depend on vitamin K, so acenocoumarol interrupts the chain.
What is Sintrom for?
Like other anticoagulant drugs, Sintrom ® fulfills specific functions in the body. Thus, it can be recommended in patients at risk of suffering blood clots or in those who already have them.
The formation of a clot can obstruct the lumen of a blood vessel, usually an artery, causing a situation called an embolism. The obstruction will prevent enough oxygenated blood from reaching a given tissue, so it will go into ischemia until it reaches cell death.
In this sense, the implementation of Sintrom ® is of vital importance in patients with conditions that favor the formation of thrombi or clots, among which the following stand out:
- Atrial fibrillation
- Hereditary thrombophilia
- Acute myocardial infarction
- Thromboembolism
- Deep venous thrombosis
- Heart valve diseases
- Arrhythmias
- Dilated heart disease or heart failure
How is this medication taken?
When ingesting anticoagulants such as Sintrom ® it is necessary to be very careful with the ingested dose. This is because a lower value than the required one may not generate the desired effect, while a higher one favors the appearance of bleeding.
Due to the above, there is no fixed dose for intake. The dosage varies, depending on the patient and the requirements, so it should be taken only under medical prescription.
In order to establish a precise dose, the specialist must base it on the results shown in a blood test. In addition, constant medical control must be carried out in order to readjust the dose or suspend treatment if necessary.
The drug is only taken orally, as is the case with paracetamol, for example. In most cases, a single daily dose is taken at the same time. Sintrom ® is available in presentations that vary between 1 and 4 milligrams of acenocoumarol, in order to adapt to each particular patient.
Sintrom side effects
All medications are capable of generating side effects in some patients, however, they are not usually so severe or disabling. In this way, among those that this anticoagulant can cause include the following:
- Coughing up blood
- Loss of appetite
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blood in the stool
- Appearance of bruises on the body
If the hemorrhages are very abundant, the doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. This may be a clear indication that an excessive dose of Sintrom ® is being ingested and it must be decreased to avoid major consequences.
What are the precautions and contraindications?
According to the medication leaflet, the drug shouldn’t be ingested if any of the following circumstances exist:
- Allergy to any of the compounds
- Problems complying with treatment (due to alcoholism or mental disorders)
- You have hemophilia or a disorder that promotes bleeding
- Presence of stomach ulcers, chronic kidney or liver disease
- If the person is pregnant or thinks they are
On the other hand, there are circumstances that must be taken into account when Sintrom ® is ingested. One of the biggest precautions is the interaction with other drugs, since many compounds are capable of increasing or decreasing the effect of this drug in the body.
The intake of alcoholic beverages and the consumption of foods rich in vitamin K should also be limited during treatment. In this sense, you should eat fewer green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, since they reduce the effect of the medication in the body.
The anticoagulant par excellence in Spain
Although warfarin is the most widely used anticoagulant worldwide, in Spain the use of acenocoumarol or Sintrom ® is recommended. This is a very effective compound, although periodic medical check-ups are required while the treatment lasts.
This drug is characterized by having few side effects or contraindications. However, it’s important to follow all professional recommendations to the letter in order to obtain the best results and avoid any complications.
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- El Sintrom tiene sus días contados [Internet]. Sociedad Española de Cardiología. 2010 [cited 18 November 2020]. Available from: https://secardiologia.es/arritmias/comunicaciones/2067-sintrom-dias-contados.
- Agencia Española de Medicamentos y Productos Sanitarios. Ficha técnica de Sintrom. Documento disponible online en: https://cima.aemps.es/cima/pdfs/es/ft/58994/FT_58994.pdf.
