Julie Bove > wrote:

Julie,

I woudl assume that when todd talks of "ratpoison" he is referrig to
warfarin, w tricky blood thinner taken by people who have suffered
congestive heart failue, are in danger of blod clots or have atrial
fibrilation, which also canled tothrowing off blood clots that can ladge
in the ehet, lungs or even the brain leading to strokes. My husband wsa
on this for about 3 years. It is also used as a rat poison as it can make
the blood so thin that it leads to internat bleeding adn death. That is
why peole on this drug get teted every week or two to make sure their
dosage ic correct adn the blood not too thick or thin.

It can be a life saver, but , as I said , is tricky. they now have
developed about 2 or 3 new drugs that can be used without the need for the
frequent blood test, but they are quite new , havingbeen introduced only
this past school year.

Wendy