Taking fish oil supplements and blood thinning medications increases the time it takes platelets in your blood to stick together and form clots. MedlinePlus states taking the supplements and blood thinning drugs should be done with caution. You may suffer from excess bleeding resulting in health complications. Still, fish oil supplements are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are required by the body. Consult with your medical doctor to see if taking fish oil in combination with your blood thinning medication would be beneficial.
Types
A prescription is not required to purchase fish oil. Most grocery and drug stores sell the supplement over-the-counter. Fish oil capsules generally contains oils from fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, but some contain seal and even whale blubber, MedlinePlus reports. A variety of different blood thinning medications may be prescribed. These medications include warfarin, heparin, ticlopidine and clopidogrel. Some herbs and supplements as well as over-the-counter drugs also have blood-thinning effects. Aspirin, willow, turmeric, ginkgo and ginger all decrease blood clot formation.
Combination Risks
Taking the supplement together with blood thinning drugs increases your chance of internal and external excess bleeding. If you cut yourself, the injured area may bleed longer. You may notice blood in your stool or urine. When brushing your teeth, your gums may bleed. Nosebleeds and skin bruising may occur. If you suffer from any of these incidents, taking fish oil and blood thinners together or even separately, it is important to seek medical attention.
Testing
When taking both blood thinning medications and fish oil supplements it is important to have your blood checked regularly. Prothrombin time and International Normalized Ratio are blood tests commonly referred to as PT/INR. These tests determine how fast it takes your blood to clot and how effectively the fish oil as well as blood thinning medications are working. The tests are routinely ordered when people receive blood-thinning medications, but are even more critical when you are also taking a fish oil supplement. Drugs.com suggests additional PT/INR tests when you start taking the supplement, switch dosage amounts or stop taking the supplement.
Additional Medication Interactions
A variety of other medications interact with fish oil. Fish oil naturally lowers a person's blood pressure. If you are already taking antihypertensive drugs and also take the supplement, your blood pressure may fall to very low levels causing hypotension. Orlistat, a weight loss drug, taken with fish oil supplements may cause you to not absorb all of the omega-3 fatty acids. MedlinePlus notes to take the supplement two hours before or after taking orlistat.
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