What is enoxaparin 40 mg injection used for?
We all may at least have an experience of falling or getting cuts, or maybe scratch from doing our daily life activities. Of course we all panic when it happens for the first time we have bleeding even if it is a small one. Do you ever imagine what happens if the blood clot in our human body which is supposed to stop the bleeding does not work properly? We probably bleed to death even from small wounds. In the world of medicine, an abnormal blood clot can pose danger or harm to a person’s health. Thus, medicine such as enoxaparin 40 injection mg can help to tackle this problem.
What exactly is enoxaparin? Enoxaparin is known as an anticoagulant or also as a “blood thinner”. Specifically, enoxaparin belongs to a class of medications called low molecular weight heparins. This medication aims to prevent and treat harmful blood clots by blocking the body’s natural clotting factors that cause the dangerous clots formation. This keeps the clots from getting bigger but should not be mistaken as breaking up the clots.
Certain diseases that can increase risk for blood clots are certain surgeries such as knee or hip replacement, long period of immobile, deep venous thrombosis, certain heart attack and angina. Reasons being why blood clots can be dangerous is the risk for stroke, heart attack or pulmonary embolism. In heart attack and stroke, blood clot causes blocked blood flow to the heart or brain respectively. For pulmonary embolism, the blood clots travel to the lungs and lodged into the blood vessels of the lungs. Enoxaparin may be used solely or be combined with other kinds of other anticoagulants.
Now that you have how enoxaparin works in general, what is enoxaparin 40 mg injection used for? It is used for many medical problems such as below:
- Treating deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism
- Treatment for heart attack symptoms caused by acute coronary syndrome or angina
- Prevention against venous thromboembolic disease in high-risk surgical patient, particularly orthopaedic or general surgery including cancer surgery
- Prevention against venous thromboembolic disease in patients with acute illness such as acute heart failure, severe infections or rheumatic disease.
- Those in reduced mobility at increase risk for venous thromboembolism
It is important to know whatever reason a person might be getting enoxaparin, one thing for certain, patients need to know how to use it properly. This means to always take it as prescribed by a healthcare provider. Patients should never take extra injections to make up for a missed dose. If a patient does miss a dose, they should take the dose as soon as they can on the very same day. Patients should talk to their healthcare provider if they forgot to take scheduled injections of enoxaparin. Patients should ensure they know how to inject enoxaparin properly and to ensure it is done in good hygiene. This can be easily done by asking a healthcare provider or even asking the healthcare provider to watch patients on how to use it correctly. Patients should continue taking the medication even when they feel well and not stop taking it unless after discussion with their doctor. The length of how long the medicine should be taken can vary from days to weeks, depending on the diseases.
While enoxaparin injection does bring benefits to patients, patients should be aware of the possible side effects. Common ones include bruising at the injection area and feeling itchy or burned to the injected area. It may also cause an upset stomach or headache. Fever may occur but it should not be more than 2 days. If these side effects persist or become severe, patients should talk to their doctor. When there is warning signs such as unusual bleeding or bruising, black or bloody stool, presence of blood in urine, coughing up blood, vomiting blood, heavy period or unexpected vaginal bleeding and bleeding from cuts that does not stop, any of these signs should be considered an emergency and important for patient to seek immediate medical care.
In essence, enoxaparin 40 mg injection is used for many purposes. This medication should be used as instructed by healthcare professionals. Patients should attend their appointment or follow up with their doctor as scheduled. Since enoxaparin does prevent blood from clotting normally, it may take longer than usual to stop bleeding if patients have cuts or injuries. Thus, it is best for patients to avoid activities that have a high risk for injury. This medication should be kept at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (do avoid storing in the bathroom). Syringes that leak, or the fluid turns dark or contain particles, should not be used by patients. Patients should also know how to dispose correctly by not flushing this medication down the toilet, not placing it close to other humans or pets and best to talk with local pharmacists on how to dispose correctly.
