Blood thinners, also called anticoagulants and anti-platelet drugs, are medicines used to prevent blood clots from forming. Despite being called blood thinners, they do not actually thin the blood, they just help make it less likely for blood clots to form.
Blood thinners may be prescribed for people who had a blood clot to prevent it from worsening, or to prevent a new blood clot from forming in people who have a high risk of developing a blood clot.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to people who have conditions such as:
- Atrial fibrillation (AFib)
- Blood vessel conditions, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE)
- Heart disease
- Heart valve replacement
- Congenital heart defects
- Post-surgery for those who have a risk of blood clots
There are two types of blood thinners — anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs. Some of the most common blood thinners include:
- Anticoagulants
- Apixaban (Eliquis)
- Dabigatran (Pradaxa)
- Edoxaban (Savaysa, Lixiana)
- Enoxaparin (Lovenox)
- Heparin
- Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
- Warfarin (Jantoven)
- Anti-platelet drugs
- Aspirin
- Clopidogrel (Plavix)
- Dipyridamole (Persantine)
- Prasugrel (Effient)
- Ticagrelor (Brilinta)
What Are Symptoms of Blood Clots?
Symptoms of blood clots in the extremities include:
- Swelling
- Sensation of warmth
- Inflammation
- Redness
- Pain
- Tenderness
- Skin discoloration on the surface of the skin of the affected area
What Are Side Effects of Blood Thinners?
The most common side effect of blood thinners is bleeding and people who take these medicines need to protect themselves from injury.
If you take a blood thinner and have any signs of bleeding, seek medical care as soon as possible.
Call 911 if you take a blood thinner and you:
- Have a serious accident
- Fall
- Hit your head
- Have any type of serious injury that could cause bleeding
- Vomit blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
- Have a severe headache
- Have difficulty talking
- Feel weakness
- Have a loss of function of an arm or leg
Call your doctor right away if you take a blood thinner and you:
- Took more medicine than prescribed
- Have signs of abnormal bleeding such as:
- Upset stomach
- Blood in bowel movements or dark-colored bowel movements
- Dark red or brown urine
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nosebleeds
- Any bleeding that does not stop
- Bleeding from the gums after brushing teeth
- Have heavy menstrual periods or bleeding between periods
- Bruise more than normal after a minor injury
- Have diarrhea, vomit, or cannot eat for more than 24 hours
- Have a fever (temperature higher than 100.4°F or 38°C)
- Cannot take prescribed medicine for any reason
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https://www.uptodate.com/contents/taking-medicines-for-blood-clots-the-basics?search=blood%20thinners&source=search_result&selectedTitle=2~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=2
https://www.drugwatch.com/health/cardiovascular-health/blood-thinners/