Secondly, drinking alcohol can interfere with how medicine works, and blood thinners are no exception. You should always check with your GP about whether it is safe to drink alcohol before taking blood thinners. The International Normalized Ratio (INR) blood test measures how fast your blood clots and lets the doctor know if your dose needs to be changed.
- The blood test helps your doctor decide how much medicine you need.
- If you have angina, you might be prescribed a medication called nitroglycerin.
- There, it can cause a life-threatening blockage known as a pulmonary embolism.
- Some research has found that alcohol does not appear to worsen liver inflammation in certain people who take medication for their cholesterol.
- If you’re taking warfarin, do not drink more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks a day and never binge drink.
Health effects
Call your doctor if you can’t eat for several days, or you’re vomiting or you get diarrhea that lasts more than a day. If you had an alcoholic beverage and are not sure if you should take an OTC pain reliever, you can ask a local pharmacist or primary care provider if it is safe to do so. One of the deadliest combinations is alcohol and narcotic pain medications. On their own, opioids can cause drowsiness, dizziness, slowed or impaired breathing, impaired motor control, abnormal behavior, and memory loss. It’s important that you don’t mix alcohol with any of the following medications.
What Are the Effects of Drinking Alcohol on the Blood?
Granger says that typically warfarin blood thinners are started on a lower dose and increased as necessary, as higher doses also increase the chance of excessive bleeding. Heads up that some of these “don’ts” don’t apply if you’re on one of the newer blood thinners, like Rivaroxaban (Xarelto®) or Apixaban (Eliquis®). So, it’s important to check with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re taking the appropriate precautions. A person who is uncertain whether they can drink alcohol while taking blood thinners should speak with a doctor.
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Factors like the type and dose of blood thinner, the patient’s size, age, and metabolism, the amount of alcohol consumed, and medications mixed with alcohol all impact potential interactions. Consuming alcohol will thin your blood, making you more susceptible to heavy bleeding or bruising if you experience an injury. The effects of alcohol on the blood are either short- or long-term. Short-term, you can expect an increase in blood pressure and higher cortisol levels.
- Alcohol can also alter the metabolism of certain blood thinners in the liver, making their anticoagulant effects unpredictable.
- A 2016 review suggests that significant daily alcohol consumption increases the activity of platelets.
- They’ll also help you learn how to minimize the risks of taking a blood thinner so you can reap the rewards without worry.
- Always read the label and package insert of any medication you are taking, whether it has been prescribed by your doctor or purchased over-the-counter.
Booklet—Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely
Having a drink or two every once in a while may be fine when you’re on blood thinners — just be sure to talk to your doctor. If you’re a regular drinker, you may need to get your medication levels checked more often. You and your doctor will work together as a team to make sure that taking your blood thinner does not is alcohol a blood thinner stop you from living well and safely. The information in this booklet will help you understand why you are taking a blood thinner and how to keep yourself healthy. Please take time to read all of the information in this booklet.
Talk to your doctor about every medication and over-the-counter product that you take. If something seems different, ask the pharmacist to double check it. It’s important to take the medication correctly, use extra care with everyday activities, and know when to get help. Muscle relaxants and alcohol both suppress your central nervous system, which controls the functions of your heart, lungs, and brain.
