However, people should not consume alcohol instead of taking medications as a healthcare professional has prescribed. Additionally, a person should discuss whether they are able to consume alcohol while taking blood thinners, as alcohol may interact with some medications and lead to side effects. 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. This section describes different classes of medications and their interactions with alcohol (see table 3).
You and your provider may need to take steps to prevent excessive bleeding. Don’t stop taking aspirin without talking to your health care provider. If you need to take ibuprofen or similar medicines, is alcohol a blood thinner talk to your health care provider about alternatives that won’t interfere with daily aspirin therapy. If you are on daily aspirin therapy, talk to your health care provider before stopping it.
Drug Interactions: Alcohol, Food, and More.
Posted: Mon, 11 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Conversely, decreased metabolic rates may result in the accumulation of higher drug concentrations over longer periods of times, which may result in harmful overdoses. Although alcohol does not interact with the mechanism of Eliquis, some evidence suggests that moderate alcohol drinking can act as a blood thinner. According to the American Blood Clot Association, one study showed that the alcohol content in 1 or 2 drinks could potentially decrease blood clotting. Although these study results were noted as incidental findings, it would seem that there is a potential for a higher risk of bleeding if alcohol does indeed decrease clotting—when taken with Eliquis. Infection with the hepatitis C virus, which can result in serious and even fatal liver damage, is common in the United States and around the world. The only effective treatment to date involves a substance called interferon-α, often in combination with an agent called ribavirin, and has a cure rate of approximately 40 percent.
Other examples of antiplatelets include clopidogrel, dipyridamole, prasugrel and ticagrelor. A dose of 50 to 100 milligrams of acetylsalicylic acid is already enough to reduce the blood’s clotting ability. At higher doses of about 500 milligrams, this medication is also used as a painkiller. They make it harder for blood platelets to attach to damaged blood vessels, stick to each other, and form a blood clot. That’s why antiplatelets are also called platelet function inhibitors or platelet aggregation inhibitors (where “aggregation” means to stick together).
Moderate alcohol use is generally safe while taking most blood thinners. For healthy adults, doctors recommend limiting alcohol intake to a maximum of two drinks a day for males and one drink a day for females. This article explains the safety and effects of drinking alcohol while using blood thinners. Completely abstaining from alcohol is the key recommendation if you have alcohol-induced cardiomyopathy.