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For example, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can make you bleed more. Even common products like Pepto-Bismol can cause bleeding. A 2017 review explains that alcohol consumption has complex and varying effects on platelets, which are small blood cells that initiate the coagulation cascade, causing blood to clot. In addition, taking certain thrombolytic medications with ACE inhibitors may increase your chance of developing angioedema.

Blood Thinner Drugs

Follow these experts as they breakdown how to take blood thinners safely and effectively. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Data sources include Micromedex (updated 6 May 2024), Cerner Multum™ (updated 6 May 2024), ASHP (updated 10 Apr 2024) and others.

Does Alcohol Affect Deep Vein Thrombosis?

These substances can make the drug more or less effective than your dosage would suggest. Tell your dentist you’re taking blood thinners to avoid excessive bleeding during regular teeth cleanings. It’s also important to protect yourself when using knives, scissors, or yard equipment.

• Therefore, a person should speak with a healthcare professional about whether it is safe for them to drink alcohol while taking medications.
• To understand whether you can take Xarelto together with alcohol, it’s important to understand how the drug works.
• Other medications in this category include Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Savaysa (edoxaban), and Arixtra (fondaparinux).
• Talk to your doctor if you’re on blood thinners and thinking about having a baby.
• As prescriptions increase, so do patient questions, and one common query is, “Can I mix Eliquis and alcohol?

Do Have Your Blood Checked as Often as Your Doctor Recommends

Generally, these medical conditions can cause blood clots and anticoagulant medications increase your risk of bleeding. Patients taking blood thinners to treat heart disease often also take medications, such as Praluent, Repatha, Welchol, Colestid, and Livalo which help to reduce cholesterol levels. As a side effect statins can reduce the level of platelets in your blood, suggesting these drugs might also act as mild anticoagulants. Blood thinners are drugs your doctor prescribes to prevent blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke. If your doctor has prescribed one of these medicines, it’s because you have heart disease or another condition that increases your risk for clots.

Some drugs should be avoided unless there is a clear reason for taking them like clopidogrel, ticagrelor, or prasugrel, which help reduce the risk of stroke. Other drugs, such as amiodarone, which controls is alcohol a blood thinner heart rhythm, double in potency when the patient is also taking warafin. Granger warns against taking aspirin and nonsteroidal drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen that can increase your risk of bleeding.

Alcohol can also cause underlying health problems that affect the liver, which plays a vital role in how blood thinners work and how blood clotting occurs. Red wine contains a substance called resveratrol, an antioxidant flavonoid that may lower bad cholesterol levels and thereby minimize the potential for blood clots. Antioxidants called polyphenols, of which resveratrol is one, may aid in the protection of the lining of blood vessels within the heart as well. Red wine is fermented for a longer amount of time with the grape skins than white wine is, meaning it will contain more resveratrol, which is why it is typically thought to be more heart healthy.

• These drugs — which include warfarin, heparin, and newer medications such as apixaban and rivaroxaban — work in different ways, but all interfere with the clotting process.
• There, he teaches and works with cardiovascular and medical trainees as well as medical students.
• Researchers have found that low-to-moderate drinking could reduce certain processes that lead to heart disease and inflammation.
• Some tantalizing threads of evidence suggest that people with thicker (or more viscous) blood have higher chances of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

Coumadin is one of the most commonly used blood thinners in the U.S., but it carries a 3% to 6% risk of major bleeding. Alcohol should be avoided when taking Coumadin, as it is one of the most serious risk factors for complications with this medication. Although alcohol thins the blood, long-term use can have a different effect. When a person drinks excessively for long periods, their risk for a stroke increases.

Can Alcohol Thin Your Blood?