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I am currently on Coumadin (warfarin sodium) which is a "blood thinner," or "anticoagulant." The idea is to slow down clotting time, and prevent clots. This all came about because I had a blood clot in my lung (See My Stay at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital). Of course they do want any bleeding to stop, but they want the blood to clot at a predetermined slower rate. They occasionally take some of my blood, to determine just how long it takes to clot. Then my dosage is adjusted accordingly. Coumadin comes in a wide variety of dosages, each with a distinctive color. There is a certain scientific (experimental) attitude going on here, which is fairly interesting.
Of course, Coumadin has possible side effects (I haven't experienced much of that), and some scary interactions with foods (vitamin K or alcohol) and drugs (other anticoagulants). The above mentioned blood testing is designed to prevent overdose, which would result in bleeding, which could be very dangerous. An underdose may result in clots. Alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of Coumadin. Vitamin K causes clotting, which is what Coumadin is supposed to prevent. The blood testing automatically results in a dosage that counteracts a person's normal intake of vitamin K. Changing your intake of vitamin K may result an underdose or overdose of Coumadin, both of which can be dangerous. Aspirin is an anticoagulant, and should not be taken with Coumadin, as bleeding can result. Coumadin can have some other frightening side effects, all of which are rare.