Understanding the Role of Blood Thinners in Preventing Clots

Blood thinners, also known as anticoagulants, are medications that prevent the formation of blood clots. They are prescribed to individuals at risk of clot-related conditions such as stroke or heart attack.
Category
Drug
Where to get
Available with a doctor's prescription at pharmacies.
Applicable for
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Blood Thinners FAQ


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What are blood thinners used for?

In a broad sense, blood thinners are used to treat blood clots or prevent blood clots from forming when they are dangerous to the body. The following are some specific conditions that could require blood thinners: Pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot in the pulmonary blood vessels

Do blood thinners have blood-thinning properties?

The following have some evidence of blood-thinning properties: Blood thinners are important medications used for treating and preventing blood clots. These include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications. The benefit of taking blood-thinning medications must always be weighed against their risk of serious bleeding.

How do blood thinners work?

In general, all blood thinners work by either blocking or inactivating part of the system that forms blood clots. These medications work by binding to proteins that are involved in either the coagulation cascade or to proteins on platelet surfaces.

Do blood thinners actually thin the blood?

Despite being called blood thinners, they do not actually thin the blood, they just help make it less likely for blood clots to form. Blood thinners may be prescribed for people who had a blood clot to prevent it from worsening, or to prevent a new blood clot from forming in people who have a high risk of developing a blood clot.

What are blood thinners & how do they work?

Blood thinners, also called anticoagulants and anti-platelet drugs, are medicines used to prevent blood clots from forming. Despite being called blood thinners, they do not actually thin the blood, they just help make it less likely for blood clots to form.

What are the most common blood thinners?

Some of the most common blood thinners include apixaban (Eliquis), dabigatran (Pradaxa), edoxaban (Savaysa, Lixiana), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, rivaroxaban (Xarelto), warfarin (Jantoven), aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), dipyridamole (Persantine), prasugrel (Effient), and ticagrelor (Brilinta).

Blood Thinners References

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