What is the antidote for Coumadin?

Prepare for your NCLEX-RN with the Mark Klimek Yellow Book Test. Study using flashcards, multiple choice questions, and gain insights with detailed hints and explanations. Get ready for your nursing career!

The antidote for Coumadin, which is a brand name for warfarin, is Vitamin K. This vitamin plays a crucial role in the synthesis of certain clotting factors that are dependent on vitamin K for their production. When someone has an overdose or an excessively high INR (International Normalized Ratio) level due to Coumadin, administering Vitamin K helps reverse the anticoagulant effects of warfarin by enabling the body to produce more clotting factors, thereby restoring normal blood coagulation.

While other options might be relevant in different contexts (such as activated charcoal for recent overdoses or Fresh Frozen Plasma for urgent reversal of warfarin effects), Vitamin K is the specific antidote indicated for managing the anticoagulant effects of Coumadin. Protamine sulfate is an antidote for heparin, another anticoagulant, and is not effective against warfarin. Therefore, Vitamin K is the correct choice for reversing the effects of Coumadin.

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