New Anticoagulants: A well-dosed introduction.

Currently nearly 400,000 people in the Netherlands are being treated with anticoagulants of a type Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). Although VKAs are very effective in treating and preventing thrombosis and embolisms, there are some important disadvantages to taking these ‘blood thinners’ on a daily basis. The primary objection is that treatment with VKAs requires intensive supervision and monitoring. VKAs also interact with a large number of foods and other medications. This means that people who use VKAs have to pay attention to what they eat and drink, and it is important to be aware of whether any other kind of medication they are prescribed can be taken with VKAs.