... testing being accurate, and can either recommend for or against a particular machine/manufacturer?
Warfarin - Anyone have any luck with purchasing a home testing machine (finger prick) for INR?
Question posted by terca on 12 April 2012
Last updated on 19 February 2020
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
21 Answers Page 2
hamtownman
26 Sep 2014
I was on warfarin for two years and got one through my Hematologist. The freedom from checks was wonderful. The unit was about $800 and worth it to me.
alahassoun
13 April 2014
Why don't you try a new medicine called Xarelto.It doesn't need INR test.
charitmnacho
18 Sep 2014
The two new medicines that do not require INR testing are not approved for DVT
petsaremylove
13 Oct 2014
There are problems with Xaretto also. I can't due to mechanical heart valve but I think I prefer to do the testing at home weekly so I don't have a major bleed.
Sometimes a little "bother" gives me more peace of mind.
mechanical
19 Oct 2014
There is no antidote if there is a accidental overdose.
pleasetryanother
1 Sep 2015
Xarelto is $350 / month. I had 1 free month then was switched to warfarin. Looking for a home unit but thus far it looks like scamville so am doing further research. Folks on this board say they use and like them but do not give names and costs, those would be helpful.
3crazybitches
23 Sep 2015
Xarelto is not a good medicine.i wound up with DVT in rt leg and lt arm. My experience not reliable for hyper coagulation.
pleasetryanother
25 Sep 2015
Because I can't afford the $350 / month.
charitmnacho
25 Sep 2015
I use CoaguChek XS. My hematologist wrote a prescription for it and took care of all the paperwork. I didn't have to do anything. I'm not sure if it's the same for everyone or just because of my insurance, but I didn't have to pay anything for the machine and was told by the CoaguChek rep that the cost of the machine and all supplies is free to me, it's accounted for in the cost they charge per test. They sent a nurse to my home for free to train me on how to use it and get started. I have a high deductible on my insurance so full cost to me for 4 tests is $94. I only test twice a month unless my numbers are off so it's really about $47/month. The machine is accurate depending on what condition you are using it for. I have antiphospholipid syndrome and it is not always accurate for APS patients. My hematologist changed my therapeutic range to account for it though and monitors my numbers herself.
I have checked the accuracy of my machine against lab tests within 1/2 hour of my home test, and taking into account that I have APS and my home monitor is always right on with what I expect the number to be in comparison to the lab test.
Rubster
19 Oct 2015
I tried using xarelto, I started bleeding and was hospitalized. No thank you.
holykiss
1 June 2016
Xarelto is in lawsuits for 3 dangerous side effects and one can be fatal. Lawsuit ad on TV often or you can Google Xarelto..page 3 lists lawsuits.
holykiss
1 June 2016
Google Xarelto ..in lawsuits for dangerous side effects.
Arik55
9 Aug 2016
no reversal
paulpaol
3 Oct 2016
Isn't Xarelto really expensive??? Does your insurance pay for it???
Tennesee32
29 Nov 2016
did for over a year ... caused rash ... back on Coumadin... no rash... spent many a visit with dermatologist trying to get rid of rash no luck... went off xarelto and within a week's time no rash!
BlueZircon1940
25 Aug 2017
Because you DON'T need an INR- you have no way to know what your clotting time truly is..
1magicdealMB
15 Jan 2018
Started getting 2 large DVT when the hospital started Xarelto found out in 2018 still gets a kickback & 2 think it’s due to Sleep Apnea they also own a sleep study clinic. warfarin was stopped after 8 years due too major overdose it was stamped 5mg tablet turned out it was 5grams meant to be used in rat poison. Pharmacy had changed vendors. Xarelto has no way an accidental od. I spend a lot of time away from US near 3rd world butchers a portable meter is necessary. unless I do the blood myself afraid of AIDS & HEP A, B, or C doing and old fashioned bleeding time. Even in the US I have had to ask that hands be watch
Elizabeth Eileen
13 Feb 2018
If you begin to bleed, there is no antidote to stop the bleeding with Xarelto. My doctor told me this & you can verify this on line as well. Also, there is no antidote for a Eliquis. There is one for Pradaxa, but I couldn’t take this one. It caused severe muscle pain & tightness, which is a side affect, which is not common.
Warfarin has been on the market for nearly 50 years & bleeding is easily stopped.
None of these drugs are safe. I really wish I did not need to take any of these.
taypurple
23 June 2018
My doctor said she strongly prefers Warfarin because Xarelto currently has no reversal agent, (so in the case that your numbers get too high, there's not much they can do to reverse the effects of the medication)- so be cautious and definitely discuss IN DETAIL with your doctor before switching!
nkelto
29 June 2012
I have had a home machine since OHS in 2005. I test every Thursday and it takes less than five minutes. You should be able to purchase a home machine on eBay or Amazon, as they list many of them. I get my test strips off eBay for a lot less than the supplier I used to use. I just pay for them out-of-pocket and bypass insurance entirely. Lot less of a headache.
petsaremylove
13 Oct 2014
I have had my machine since 2009. I agree with buying the strips off Amazon - I can get a year's supply for same price as 3 months through the supplier. Be careful with expirqation dates on the strips - one time only 9 months left but still cheaper then 3 month. And since need to hit deductible first best to pay out of pockets
mydogrudy7
29 June 2012
Hi Terca I had a DVT/PE 2 yrs ago come this January. I had been getting my warfarin checked every 2 weeks and then the nurse realized that is was becoming non theraputic, so I had to get it checked every week. Because I am on Disability, I qualified for the "Alure Home Monitor", which is the same one used at my Coag clinic. I am not sure about how it works if you work or have INS. You can talk to your dr and see because an order has to be written and approved. But it works great for me because I check it weekly. Ask your Dr about it. I don't drive and it was difficult for me to go to the hospital every week for a ride. But; Yes, a person can get one. Hope this helped! mydogrudy7
Arik55
9 Aug 2016
Recalled unit
honda1
21 April 2012
INR machines are accurate. My doctor won't write an order for one, because He gets paid as well as the lab picking my finger. The machines are expensive . Has anyone gotten one without a doctors order.
petsaremylove
13 Oct 2014
I would keep asking your doctor for the order, does he have a "Coumadin" clinic? Also if you are going to be on Warfarin for a long time (over 2 yrs per my doctor) or rest of your life - then would be much better with home machine. you have to commit to weekly tests at least with the Alere Hemosense unit and they call to remind if I don't report in. Ask your insurance to advocate for you - they may since it saves them money.
paulpaol
9 Aug 2016
Your doctor has to tell you why he/she will not prescribe it??? If doc doesn't think you can use it correctly that is evaluated by the "trainer" that teaches you how to use it, report rsults, and order more supplies.
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paulpaol
9 Aug 2016
Incidentally, I was a nurse at a seniors clinic for 28 years and taught people how to take medicine and use their glucometers. Very few people were unable to do it.. and they had a spouse, neighbor, housekeeper to help them...
paulpaol
3 Oct 2016
Hi Honda1... may I ask, what kind of insurance do you have, and what state you live in???
wingdo
7 Jan 2017
Keep pressing your doctor to write the script. There is zero reason for him not to unless the patient is not competent enough to use it correctly or remembering to take the reading and call the doctor's office with the new reading. Doctor's offices can get recurring referral fees from a specific clinic but that is no reason to have to go to that specific clinic.
An INR meter works the same as a glucose meter for the sake of results accuracy and glucose meters are in the homes of most type I diabetics.
joboberwin
1 May 2017
my doctor prescribe a home monitor by alere, but my insurance was not in their network. so they wanted me to buy it on a payment plan, that was alot lot of money too.does anyone know of a company that will take insurance to cover the monitor?
Mamaj76
4 June 2017
Yes. I bought a brand new one, without any recalls, on eBay without a prescription. My doctor would have given me one but it was cheaper to do it through eBay than with a prescription from a certified company.
Mamaj76
4 June 2017
Yes. I bought a brand new one, without any recalls, on eBay without a prescription. My doctor would have given me one but it was cheaper to do it through eBay than with a prescription from a certified company.
DemoninDC
14 April 2012
Home INR monitors are simple to use and provide accurate results. You don't need any medical experience or technology skills to perform the simple INR test. The listed monitors are all approved for professional and home use allowing you immediate INR test values resulting in improved care. All monitors are portable and include a carrying case. ITC ProTime® Microcoagulation System (sold since 1997 by International Technidyne Corp) - •Results in minutes, Bar-coded cuvette (requires refrigeration), Two-in-one incision and sampling device (Tenderlett® Plus device), Uses batteries, rechargeable battery pack, Back-lit easy-to-read display;
Alere INRatio®2 INR monitor - On board quality control; Small sample size, Yields results in about 60 seconds, Individually wrapped test strips, Uses AC or battery power (AA batteries), Icon based interface; and
Roche CoaguChek® XS INR system - Small blood sample, Built-in quality control checks every strip, Yields results in about 60 seconds, Uses battery power (AAA batteries), Large symbol-based display. You should check with your insurance carrier to see how much they will pay and if they perfer one over the other.
paulpaol
8 Aug 2016
Be careful.. I found INR monitors on eBay that had been recalled. I notified eBay and they said they would tell the seller they had to reveal the recall to buyers.
I found it too expensive to purchase my own monitor, and strips, and lancets etc. VERY expensive.
Alere and Roche appear to have a monopoly on Home Monitoring services. They will force you to pay for training, and disposable strips after 4 uses (Roche). Indeed, some people are in need of those services,even thoguh there is little that is more complicated than the use of a glucometer. I'm a retired nurse, have my doctors and my insurance (United Health Care) ok to report directly to my doctor but Roche and Alere will not permit it. I'm also on Social Security, and a tight budget. One last thing.. I'm very surprise to find that the only forums where this iss a subject is ones managed by Alere, Roche and Drogs.com. I will start one on Facebook to see if it gets much activity. Reply if you have any other questions.
betteh
19 Sep 2016
Did you create a Facebook page for this discussion? I'd like to participate
wingdo
7 Jan 2017
@paulpalo I can't believe anyone would even consider purchasing any piece of medical equipment off of eBay, especially since Medicare and supplemental insurance will cover the cost of the devices for those on long term warfarin therapy.
41prospect
12 March 2017
I've been getting INR testing done for years now. At first I would have to go to a clinic or lab to have the blood drawn. It was very inconvenient and expensive. It was almost impossible to maintain numbers between the 2.0 and 3.0 recommendation. By the time you got your results from a facility it was too late to do anything about it. I have a pilots license so over 80% of my testing must fall within this range. I now do my testing at home and have adjusted my dosage to a point that almost all of my numbers fall in range. Doctors will tell you to never adjust your warfarin/coumadin/jantovin dose yourself but I think it is the only way to get your numbers into a almost perfect range every time because the doctors recommended dosage change always gets to you too late to be helpful. My only complaint is these companies like Remote Cardiac Services, which I'm currently using, are a major rip off.
One of the devices I was using had a recall, but that machine was just as accurate as the new one I received. It makes me wonder if the recalls are a gimmick to make more money. We don't need their mandatory reporting service. I'm paying many hundreds of dollars a year for their service out of pocket, not to mention the fortune they collect from my insurance. Can someone please develop a simple and accurate INR tester with strips that we can purchase at a affordable price in the store? They've done it with diabetic testing. It really needs to be done with INR testing supplies too. The rip off middle man really needs to be eliminated.
LaQuettaRay
3 May 2017
I would love to have one and would if Medicaid paid for it like they should. Medicaid is cheap and change their list of what they will and won't pay. If you're disabled and on SSI they should pay for the machine. Medicare pays for the machine.
Johnrg
2 Oct 2017
I used a monitoring service from CardioNet for several years until my insurance decided they wouldn't cover it any more. I was very happy with the service. I was fortunate that my physician maintains an on-line portal and was very responsive to abnormal readings. Second, of course, was the convenience. Sure wish I could get it back.
tutnkmn
22 Feb 2018
I have the Coagucheck by Roche. The monitor consistently reads .6 to .7 high compared to two separate hospital labs. This is an unacceptable inaccuracy when monitoring INR for an artificial heart valve. The company obviously gets a lot of complaints as they have a scripted response when you speak to them. They insist your hospital NEEDS to use THEIR reagent. One of their hospital lab grade reagents was withdrawn from the market by the FDA because of inaccuracy. I do not trust this meter in the slightest. Dangerous.
W ROY WILLIAMS
22 June 2018
Having been placed on Coumadin [for the rest of my life] for unsustained atrial fibrillation an Alere [a subsidiary of Abbott] testing unit was ordered by my doctor. Medicare and personal insurance will not allow it to be delivered for another two months.
In the interim regular venous blood samples must be drawn on a weekly basis at a laboratory facility half an hour from my home.
I hereby register my bitter disappointment and disgust with all those functionaries in such power who set regulations for victims of health problems based only on pecuniary, financial and numeric values while disregarding physical pain caused. May each of their future life experiences be quite as similarly intense as mine.
DemoninDC
23 June 2018
Roy Williams, Why didn't your doctor prescribe Eliquis or Xarelto in lieu of Coumadin? Do you have hepatic disease with an increased INR, or severe renal impairment? Is there an issue with your Medicare Part C or Part D drug plan? Is your prescribing doctor a cardiologist or hematologist?
Related topics
pulmonary embolism - first event, pulmonary embolism - recurrent event, warfarin
Further information
- Warfarin uses and safety info
- Warfarin prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Warfarin (detailed)
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