Does Alcohol Act As A Blood Thinner? ARK Behavioral Health

Surprising Causes of DVT These could raise your does alcohol thin your blood of blood clots. It can be especially dangerous during surgery as the blood cannot clot.

Drinking reduces platelets in the blood, mainly by inhibiting blood cell production in the bone marrow. We are dedicated to transforming the despair of addiction into a purposeful life of confidence, self-respect and happiness. We want to give recovering addicts the tools to return to the outside world completely substance-free and successful. AlcoholicsAnonymous.com is a referrer service that provides information about addiction treatment practitioners and facilities.

The Long-Term Effects of Alcohol

Yet there are other, less risky ways to protect your arteries — for example, by eating a plant-based diet and exercising. The American Heart Association doesn’t recommend drinking alcohol solely to protect your blood vessels and improve your circulation. Moderate drinking involves limiting the amount of alcohol you consume to what your liver can handle.

Mixing Naproxen and alcoholincreases the risk of damage to the stomach lining and makes internal bleeding and stomach ulcers more likely to develop. There is also a risk that mixing these two medications could thin your blood excessively. Mixing alcohol and aspirinincreases the toxicity of aspirin and can increase the risk of internal bleeding. If you are taking aspirin, you should speak with your doctor before using alcohol. When combined with blood thinners, the risk of uncontrollable bleeding is compounded because of the effects of both alcohol and the blood thinner.

How Alcohol Affects Blood Circulation

Due to several physiological reasons, alcohol is metabolized differently by women than it is men and will stay in a woman’s system longer. This is largely due to the fact that women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat and lower percentage of body water compared to men. This means that a man’s body will automatically dilute the alcohol more than a woman’s, even if the two people are the same height and weigh the same amount. Hormone levels also affect the body’s ability to process alcohol, and women will experience higher BACs drinking alcohol right before menstruation. Studies have additionally shown that women have less acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme used to metabolize alcohol in the stomach. Many people who drinkalcoholunderstand that it can have some kind of impact on their health. However, those who use blood thinners may find themselves wondering if they can still drink while taking their medication.

Make sure to check with your doctor before you drink alcohol with your medication. It can make your blood too thin and lead to hemorrhages, stroke, and if not treated, death.

Side effects of mixing alcohol and blood thinners

You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. 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. Mixing alcohol and Brilinta could lead to increased dizziness. Someone using alcohol while taking Brilinta should speak with their doctor about the risks that are specific to their situation. The effects of Xarelto can be affected by alcohol, and those taking the medication should limit the amount of alcohol used.