Alcohol and blood thinners

Tell all of your health care providers that you’re taking blood thinners. If you use different pharmacies, make sure all your pharmacists know. If your health benefits include Express Scripts® Pharmacy, you can reach out to our specially trained pharmacists 24/7. They can answer all of your medication questions and advise you on whether any ingredients in your current medications can interact with alcohol or anything else.

If you drink heavily, there can be a rebound effect in that the bleeding risk increases, even after you’ve stopped drinking. Exceeding the recommended guidelines above is considered heavy drinking. Dr. Harb moved to New York City, choosing a career path in academic medicine as an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. There, he teaches and works with cardiovascular and medical trainees as well as medical students. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and American board-certified in general cardiology, echocardiography, and stress-testing, and nuclear cardiology. Lastly, he obtained graduate education in public health and business administration to contribute to national healthcare reform research and implementation. There are a number of factors that determine how dangerous alcohol consumption is while taking blood thinners.

Can you drink alcohol while you are on blood thinners?

It is important to understand exactly how blood thinners and alcohol can affect your body so that you can be aware of changes that occur. A wide range of factors determines how the body responds to chronic heavy drinking, but this activity can result in significant harm. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. In some cases—if you experience bleeding gums or bruising, for example—you can simply call your doctor. Other times, an immediate trip to the ER or a call to 911 is imperative, says Dr. Alvarado, because some bleeding episodes can be life-threatening.

When little blood vessels get injured from everyday activities, you may also notice small bruises appear on your skin. This isn’t usually a major concern unless they’re extensive or the discoloration seems extreme. Alcohol should be limited while using Effient, especially among older adults. Some alcohol use may still be permissible; however, consultation with a doctor is essential to determine the risks for specific situations. Review our editorial policy to learn more about our process for producing accurate, current and balanced content. Reviewer specialties include internal medicine, gastroenterology, oncology, orthopedic surgery and psychiatry.

Medicine cabinet must-haves

Alcohol can thin blood and interact with blood thinners like warfarin, so the safest option is to limit or avoid alcohol altogether when taking anticoagulant medications. 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 IBM Watson Micromedex , Cerner Multum™ , ASHP and others. Aspirin, an antiplatelet medicine, can cause stomach bleeding and ulcers, which can be serious. The risk of bleeding is increased if you also drink alcoholic beverages and you take aspirin. On the other hand, excessive daily alcohol use increases the metabolism of warfarin and can lower its effectiveness, increasing the risk of a clot, a heart attack or stroke.

Taking these substances while also taking prescription blood thinners can increase your risk of bleeding. If your doctor does give you the okay to drink alcohol while taking blood thinners, do so in moderation. And even then, it’s best to avoid drinking while taking any medications. Products that contain aspirin may lessen the blood’s ability to form clots and may increase your risk of bleeding when you also are taking a blood thinner.