Many have turned to fish oil supplements as a way of making up for the nutritional shortfalls of a traditional American diet. However, if you're taking certain types of heart medication along with fish oil, you may be getting too much of a good thing. Some types of heart medication have effects similar to fish oil when it comes to blood coagulation.
Why Fish Oil?
The American diet is high in omega-6 fatty acids, which increase inflammation in the body, and low in omega-3s, which decrease inflammation, according to Sabrina Candelaria of the University of Miami Health System. Inflammation links to myriad degenerative diseases, including heart disease. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, and can help decrease your risk of heart disease by reducing high cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure. It also helps prevent blood clots and plaque buildup that can increase your risk of stroke.
Blood Clots and Anti-coagulants
A blood clot can break free and travel through your bloodstream to your brain, heart or lungs. Stroke, myocardial infarction and pulmonary embolism are three possible results when a thrombosis, or a blood clot, lodges in these organs and causes damage. Doctors often prescribed anti-coagulant medication for patients at risk for thrombosis to decrease the formation of blood clots.
Risk of Fish Oil Plus Anti-coagulants
Taking high dosages of fish oil while taking anti-coagulant medication can increase the effects of the medication to where your body has difficulty forming blood clots, even when necessary to heal a wound and stop bleeding. If you take fish oil along with anti-coagulant medication, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends monitoring by your health care provider, who can order a test called a standardized prothrombin time assay.
Anti-coagulant Medications
Prescription anti-coagulant medications that may interact with fish oil include clopidogrel, dalteparin dipyridamole enoxaparin heparin, ticlopidine, and warfarin. Taking any of these medications along with high doses of fish oil may lead to increased bleeding and difficulty forming a blood clot. The use of aspirin in conjunction with fish oil may also cause these effects.
Dosages of Fish Oil
Most adults can get enough fish oil simply by eating fish twice weekly, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. If you have increased risk of heart disease, your doctor may recommend dosages of fish oil between 1 and 4 g daily, but you should not take these high doses without a physician's supervision.
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