What happens if you miss a dose of blood thinners? An expert answers

Missing blood thinners can be life threatening according to Dr Pradip Shah.

What exactly are blood thinners? They are medicines that have a thinning effect on your blood by breaking down clots that could pose health problems. Blood thinners are real life savers for people who suffer from a variety of health problems mainly related to the circulatory system.

There are two types of blood thinners: anticoagulants like heparin or warfarin which cause chemical reactions in the body to extend the time it takes for blood to clot. And the second type is antiplatelet drugs like aspirin which prevent the platelets from sticking together and forming clumps. Millions of people all over the world take these drugs for a variety of health problems such as like deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and atrial fibrillation.

But like most drugs, even blood thinners have their own share of side effects some of which include shortness of breath, bruising and profuse bleeding. These side effects cause many patients to skip their doses or go off these medications completely. However, these effects are not life threatening and are nothing compared to the consequences of their health conditions if they were to stop taking their medication. Dr Pradip Shah, specialist in general medication at Fortis, Navi Mumbai urges patients to be more responsible when it comes to taking blood thinners.

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What happens if you skip a dose?

Blood thinners generally have a greater half life, which means their effects last in the body for a long time. So when people who are on blood thinners have to undergo a dental procedure, we advise them to stay off the medicine for three-four days so that they don t lose a lot of blood during the surgery, says Dr Shah. This means, missing a dose of the medication will not have an adverse effect on one s health.

But does this mean they can miss 5-4 doses of the medication? Dr Shah says no. Usually they shouldn t. It can be risky for health, he says. But it also depends upon the indication. If the person is taking thinners for a weak indication, like a less serious problem, missing a few doses will not matter too much. But if the indication is stronger, which means if the person is suffering from serious health problems like stroke or heart attack, I strongly advise that they don t miss their medication. This could be life-threatening because stopping thinners could cause clots to form in the blood again. In the case of such patients, even if they are to undergo an operation, we stop the blood thinners only on the day preceding the surgery, lest they have any other complications, says Dr Shah.

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