Eliquis and supplements - what's OK, what's not?

As many of us probably do, I now have arthritis, in my knees, hip and maybe some of my fingers.....ah, the golden years!

I would like to take a supplement that has been very helpful for some people I know, but it does have chokeberry, ginger,and tumeric in it. How careful do we need to be when on a 1/2 dose of Eliquis (2.5 mgs twice/day)? This is one of the main reasons I had hoped to get off of Eliquis...so I don't have to worry if I want to take fish oil, an Advil, or some of these herbs.....

I was under the impression that it's not a big deal on the low dose, but my Orthopedic doctor was saying "don't fool yourself...you're on a blood thinner and need to be careful".

Barb

Quote
tobherd
ginger,and tumeric

My EP said Okay on these two but I suppose opinions may differ.

Which two are you referring to, Daisy?

The two I quoted, ginger and tumeric.

I was not allowed ginger when I was in flecainide.

[www.mayoclinic.org]

Also my cardiologist experienced from her other patients that Ginkgo biloba could trigger afib.

I have just taken Green Lipped Mussel for the past week. A shoulder and hip issue I have been dealing with seem to have eased off a bit. Don't know if something else has helped coincidently or not. I had a couple of bike rides last week but don't think that would stop my pains. It is shellfish so need to be aware and I don't know how it interacts with medications.
Might be worth looking into.

I was able to find a pharmacist as part of my EP group that was able to give very educated opinions on these sorts of things. Even the EPs themselves I don't feel have a great grasp on this. I was talking to the NP for. my appointment and a asking about SSRIs. she looked thru her info and said they can trigger things. Then, when that wasn't in her notes I asked her in a portal message and she said (many days later) it was fine. I guess she didn't want to lock her answer into writing. But the pharmacists that are schooled specifically in cardiac meds seem to have a handle on this and I went down the array of supplements with her at one point. Most EP groups have a pharmacist (or they should) that helps educate people when they get on drugs such as dofetilide.

This post is about Eliquis and interactions with that. I was concerned about getting too much blood thinning, hence my questions.

Anyone else on this particular drug and interactions?

Quote
tobherd
This post is about Eliquis and interactions with that. I was concerned about getting too much blood thinning, hence my questions.

Anyone else on this particular drug and interactions?

I've never taken any of those supplements, but ginger can be a problem with anticoagulants. There are credible sources that say if you're on an anticoagulant, you shouldn't be taking ginger supplements at all. I would be cautious.

It's hard finding solid information on supplements because the supplement manufacturers do zero research of their own and there's not much incentive for anyone else to invest money in researching it for them. Even if someone does, you can't be sure how much you're actually getting from what you buy, how pure it is, and what else it might contain. You're kind of on your own with supplements.

My favorite:
[www.mayoclinic.org]

[www.nccih.nih.gov]

[www.uspharmacist.com]
For simple vitamins

Lexicomp
($29.99/month) app
I usually put in student as my career when subscribing to peer organizations.

Might give these a look over and then talk to your doctor about it. These might not be the most definitive sights out there, but the information does match with what I remember from a few years when I was looking at medically important natural alternatives.


[www.healthline.com]

[www.mountsinai.org]

[www.medicinenet.com]

Hi Barb - Definitely, if you are on a blood thinner, you must be informed and cautious about adding in supplements.
As you may recall, I've been taking Eliquis for many years. After my LAA isolation touchup in 2014, I was told to continue with the half-dose Eliquis for life.

Additionally, about 25 years ago, when I became a patient of a local physician who practices Functional Medicine, and as a result of NutraEval testing (Genova Diagnostics), I began supplementing with the nutrients for which I tested low. The FM MD invited me to attend local seminars that focused on basic nutritional needs of patients, how to test for that and the supplements to consider and why. They offer science-based reports and significant insight to various physical symptoms and/or manifestations that went unrecognized by my traditional physicians.

There are nutritional supplements that are backed by science. Designs for Health has a Chief Medical Officer, David Brady, heading up that department…You can check the results of this online search to see the extent of their product formulation. In the many webinars by Dr. Brady, he always details the ‘science-based’ values of their products.
[duckduckgo.com]
and you can check out their Scientific team at this link [www.designsforhealth.com]

Another highly-reliable source for science-based supplements is Klaire Labs… [klaire.com]

I am tested periodically via the NutraEval and adjustments in nutrients and/or dosage can be made.

Best to you,
Jackie