Bruising may also occur more easily while using alcohol because it thins the blood. Of course, many older people have highly fulfilling, healthy lives. But staying safe and well takes a few more precautions as time passes. Keeping your alcohol intake moderate as you get older is a really sensible start to living a longer, healthier life with no nasty surprises. The risks of cancer increase for men, too, even at lower levels of drinking.
Alcohol can thin your blood by preventing blood from clotting. Research has found that alcohol affects the process of blood coagulation. “Coagulation” is a term used to describe the process of blood cells known as platelets sticking together. When a person experiences an injury, those platelets travel to the area to form together into a blood clot to stop the bleeding. Yet because of this effect, drinking alcohol could potentially increase your risk for the bleeding type of strokes — especially when you drink it in large quantities. Alcohol use — especially in excess — can also pose other risks to your health.
Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking blood thinners?
For example, the NIAA advises that drinking alcohol while taking warfarin, which is a blood thinner, can have adverse effects. Some blood thinners and alcohol anticoagulants do this by competing with vitamin K from the liver. Your body needs this to make proteins called clotting factors.
- Another serious, but less common, side effect of warfarin is necrosis.
- If it’s busy working on the alcohol instead of your blood thinner, the level of the drug in your blood will go up and raise your bleeding risk.
- And if you do slip, you’re more likely to break a bone even with a minor tumble, because your bones tend to become thinner with age.
- Blood thinners, whether they are anticoagulants or antiplatelets, don’t dissolve the clot but they can prevent clots from forming and small clots from getting bigger.
- Other medications in this category include Xarelto (rivaroxaban), Savaysa (edoxaban), and Arixtra (fondaparinux).
- Other medications, food and alcohol can change the way blood thinners work, and a blood thinner can change the way other medications work.
This literature review is the foundation of the current alcohol consumption guidelines. Alcohol might also slow down the rate at which your body breaks down and removes the blood-thinning drug. This can lead to a dangerous buildup of the drug in your body. Keep reading to learn more about this blood-thinning effect, how alcohol interacts with blood-thinning medications, and more. Fruits to Consume There are several fruits that have no vitamin K that would interact with warfarin.
Risks of Simultaneous Consumption
Blood thinners work by preventing the blood’s ability to clot. They reduce the risk of dangerous blood clots forming that can lead to serious health problems, such as stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE). Sometimes, these conditions can be severe or life threatening. Eliquis can cause serious, life-threatening, or even fatal bleeding. Taking Eliquis with other medications that affect bleeding/clotting increases the risk even further. This includes other anticoagulants—such as warfarin, Pradaxa (dabigatran), Brilinta, (ticagrelor), or heparin, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Someone who wants to drink alcohol while taking blood thinners should consult with their doctor before doing so. While some people may be able to drink in moderation while taking blood thinners, it is typically best to avoid it. Alcohol is generally not an essential activity, and it can increase the risk of bleeding, so it is typically best to avoid drinking while on blood thinners. Alcohol contains empty calories, and when a person drinks, they may replace nutrients with alcohol.