A case series of the rifampin-warfarin drug interaction: focus on practical warfarin management.

PURPOSE

To provide practical guidance by providing weekly descriptions of warfarin requirements for the onset and offset of the rifampin-warfarin interaction.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review within an outpatient Anticoagulation Clinic (AC). Patients were eligible for the onset phase provided they had known ambulatory-based warfarin steady-state requirements prior to rifampin initiation. For the offset phase, warfarin must be managed by the AC following rifampin discontinuation. Each phase was described separately with warfarin proportionate dose changes (median, IQR) for weeks 1, 2, and 4 as well as the change required to reach warfarin steady state.

RESULTS

Ten patients with 11 courses of warfarin-rifampin were included. For onset, clinicians should anticipate proportionate warfarin dose increases of 30-80% from week 1 to week 2 and a further 20-100% from week 2 to 4, with an overall warfarin dose increase of 165% (IQR 99, 227) to reach steady state at 30 days. For offset, clinicians should anticipate proportionate warfarin dose decreases of 15-25% for both week 1 and 2, and a further 20% for both week 3 and 4, resulting in an overall warfarin decrease of 67% (IQR - 70, - 58) to reach steady state at 4 weeks for most patients.

CONCLUSION

Close monitoring with at least twice weekly INRs for weeks 1 to 2 of both phases is needed to respond to substantially changing warfarin dose requirements. While inter- and intra-patient variability for proportionate warfarin dose changes for both the onset and offset of this drug interaction exists, our data provides general guidance.