Doctors may recommend benzodiazepines (such as Xanax) for people having hip or knee surgery. If your doctor determines that it’s safe for you to take an NSAID with Eliquis, tell them right away if you have symptoms of bleeding. Examples include bloody stool or urine, coughing up blood, and unexplained bruising. Doctors may not prescribe Eliquis with these medications.
Talk to Your Other Doctors
If you’re already pregnant, double-check with your doctor to make sure the blood thinner you’re on won’t harm the baby. You should be very careful when you’re taking blood thinners and doing things that could cause any type of injury. Call your doctor right away if you fall or hit your head. Even if you don’t tear your skin, you could bleed internally.
Your addiction does not have to define who you are.
- They can see whether these medications are right for you.
- Sometimes, however, a blood clot can appear in an artery that supplies your heart or brain with oxygen-rich blood.
- “Lift your legs up down, pump your calves, point and flex your toes — do anything you can to get the blood flowing,” he says.
- If you have questions about getting vaccines during Eliquis treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Always wear a helmet when cycling or skiing, proper shoes when hiking (to avoid cuts), and gloves when gardening. And wear your bracelet or carry your blood thinner card in case of an injury. People on blood thinners are often fearful of cutting themselves while shaving, but “you won’t bleed to death from a nick,” Cushman says. Taking a blood thinner makes it less likely that you’ll get a clot, but “it’s still smart to get up and move around every hour or two,” Dr. Zimring says. Just as taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs can affect your blood-thinning medication, so can stopping them.
Do Tell Your Doctor if You Plan on Stopping Any Medication
Your body makes blood clots from red blood cells, platelets, fibrin, and white blood cells. Anticoagulants and antiplatelets keep these parts from sticking together and forming new clots. If you’ve been prescribed a blood thinner, you’re likely at risk of getting a blood clot. Follow these experts as they breakdown how to take blood thinners safely and effectively. Short- and long-term alcohol use has different effects on the blood.
Following is a list of some common medicines that you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist about before using. Anticoagulants, also described as blood thinners, are a group of drugs that reduce the ability of blood to clot. If you drink heavily, there can be a rebound effect in that the bleeding risk increases, blood thinners and alcohol even after you’ve stopped drinking. When it comes to the health of your blood vessels, have a conversation with your doctor. If so, find out what steps you can take to lower those risks. But sometimes, a blood clot can form in — or travel to — an artery that supplies your heart or brain with oxygen-rich blood.
- Firstly, alcohol is itself a blood thinner and can affect how well blood clots.
- Although alcohol reduces blood clotting, it should never be used as a replacement for anticoagulants.
- A 2013 study of almost 60,000 people found no difference in the risk of blood clots between wine or beer drinkers.
Blood thinners are important medications used for treating and preventing blood clots. These include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications. The benefit of taking blood-thinning medications must always be weighed against their risk of serious bleeding.
Can alcohol cause blood clots?
That can be hard to keep track of, so many doctors will tell you to avoid them to make it simpler. Additionally, the NIAA advises that studies have indicated that heavy alcohol use and AUD have links to increased surgical complications. It also suggests long-term alcohol use may increase the dose requirements for general anesthesia.
Common questions about Eliquis and interactions
Supplements should never be taken as a replacement for a prescribed blood-thinning medication. Activated platelets attract other platelets, and they stick to each other to plug up the wound and stop the bleeding. In the coagulation cascade, damaged tissue sets off a cascade of events that activates several proteins in the blood, called clotting factors.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can interact with Eliquis, increasing your risk of bleeding.
- And a bruise is a sign that you’re bleeding beneath the skin.
- This is called deep vein thrombosis, which can cause a pulmonary embolism, which is when a blood clot breaks off your blood vessel and travels to your lungs, where it gets stuck.
- Alcohol consumption may decrease the amount of fibrinogen in the blood.
- So staying well-hydrated improves circulation, according to the American Heart Association.
- If you take St. John’s wort and want to continue doing so, talk with your doctor.
- Staying physically active is healthy, so don’t stop your favorite exercise routines because you’re using blood thinners.
- When you get hurt, blood cells called platelets gather at the injury site and form a blood clot.
- Combining alcohol and blood thinner medications like warfarin may cause you to bleed more easily.
- This is because the drug may cause serious bleeding, which could worsen any bleeding you already have.
It’s recommended that you avoid consuming grapefruit and any grapefruit products while taking Eliquis. But if you consume grapefruit regularly and want to continue doing so, your doctor may lower your dosage of Eliquis. Your doctor likely won’t prescribe Eliquis if you’ve had an allergic reaction to the drug or any of its ingredients.
This ultimately affects the delicate balance that doctors hope to achieve while using blood thinners. Depending on how this interaction works, it could cause the blood to become too thin, creating a high risk for bleeding from minor injuries. It could also reverse the effects of the blood thinners, increasing the risk of dangerous conditions like heart attack or stroke. Ask your doctor if it’s safe for you to drink alcohol while taking blood thinners.