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Supplements and blood thinners: every documented interaction

22 documented interactions17 supplements7 major

Anticoagulants such as warfarin, apixaban and rivaroxaban, and antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin and clopidogrel, deliberately reduce your blood's ability to clot. Supplements that also act on platelets, on clotting factors, or on vitamin K can add to that effect — or, in the case of vitamin K, work against it. This is the largest interaction cluster in the Magellan dataset.

Below is every interaction Magellan documents for this class — 22 entries across 17 supplements, each with the mechanism as the cited reference states it, how serious that reference treats it, and where to take the question next.

One caveat on how to weigh them. 1 of the 22 entries below are marked class-level caution: the source flags a broad group of drugs that share a metabolic pathway — usually CYP3A4 — rather than reporting a finding about a named medicine. Those are weaker than the entries that name a specific drug, and they are labelled so you can tell the difference rather than being quietly padded in.

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Every documented interaction in this class

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel)

Documented for Omega-3 (EPA/DHA fish oil)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Fish oil has mild antiplatelet activity and can prolong clotting time/raise INR when combined with blood thinners; most studies of 3-6 g/day fish oil do not cause significant bleeding, but periodic INR monitoring is advised for those on warfarin.

Source: Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Health Professional Fact Sheet ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Warfarin and other vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants (e.g., phenprocoumon, acenocoumarol)

Documented for Vitamin K2 (MK-7)

Direction of the risk: Opposing — may work against what the medicine was prescribed to do, which is a different (and easily missed) danger from an additive one.

Vitamin K directly opposes how these anticoagulants work (they act by depleting vitamin K-dependent clotting factors), so vitamin K intake - including from supplements - can reduce the drug's effectiveness and destabilize INR control; NIH describes this as a serious and potentially dangerous interaction requiring consistent intake and medical supervision.

Source: Vitamin K - Health Professional Fact Sheet, Office of Dietary Supplements ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Warfarin (blood thinner)

Documented for CoQ10 / ubiquinol

Direction of the risk: Opposing — may work against what the medicine was prescribed to do, which is a different (and easily missed) danger from an additive one.

CoQ10 may make warfarin (Jantoven) less effective at thinning the blood, which could raise the risk of a dangerous blood clot; Mayo Clinic and NCCIH both flag this interaction.

Source: Coenzyme Q10 | NCCIH ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Warfarin and other anticoagulants/antiplatelets

Documented for Resveratrol

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

In an animal pharmacokinetic study, resveratrol increased warfarin exposure and INR via CYP2C9/BCRP inhibition; the authors cautioned that warfarin-treated patients should be aware of a hidden bleeding risk from resveratrol supplementation. Resveratrol also has antiplatelet activity that can add to bleeding risk with blood thinners.

Source: Resveratrol stereoselectively affected (±)warfarin pharmacokinetics and enhanced the anticoagulation effect ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Minor Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, CYP3A4-metabolized drugs (e.g., cyclosporine)

Documented for Quercetin

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Quercetin has documented in-vitro antiplatelet activity and inhibits CYP3A4/P-glycoprotein, which could theoretically raise blood levels of drugs like cyclosporine or add to bleeding risk with blood thinners.

Source: Quercetin ↗

What to do: Tell the prescriber who started your aspirin or clopidogrel before you begin. Ask specifically what to do before dental work, injections, colonoscopy, or surgery, and add the supplement to the medication list you give every clinician.

Moderate Warfarin and other anticoagulants

Documented for Pomegranate ellagitannins

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Pomegranate juice may slow the breakdown of warfarin, increasing its blood-thinning effect and bleeding risk; INR monitoring is advised.

Source: Pomegranate: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, heparin, aspirin)

Documented for Hesperidin (citrus flavonoid)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Hesperidin (commonly studied combined with diosmin, as in venous-insufficiency products) may slow blood clotting and interfere with anticoagulant metabolism; a Health Canada safety review linked diosmin/hesperidin products to increased bleeding risk, including cases in patients on anticoagulants, prompting mandated label warnings.

Source: Summary Safety Review - Diosmin and Hesperidin: Assessing the Potential Increased Risk of Bleeding ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin)

Documented for Grape seed extract

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Grape seed extract shows antiplatelet activity in vitro and may add to the risk of bleeding-related side effects when combined with blood thinners; clinical significance in humans is not yet firmly established.

Source: Grape Seed | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, acenocoumarol, clopidogrel, apixaban, rivaroxaban)

Documented for Carnitine (L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine) — specifically Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)

Direction of the risk: Additive — pushes in the same direction as the medicine, so the combined effect can overshoot.

Carnitine/acetyl-L-carnitine may have additive anticoagulant effects; a published case report documented potentiation of the oral anticoagulant acenocoumarol by L-carnitine supplementation, and warfarin is listed as a drug that usually should not be combined with levocarnitine without dose adjustment and monitoring.

Source: Carnitine | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists (e.g., acenocoumarol)

Documented for Carnitine (L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine) — specifically L-Carnitine

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

L-carnitine may increase the anticoagulant effect of warfarin/acenocoumarol, raising bruising and bleeding risk; more frequent INR monitoring and possible dose adjustment are recommended.

Source: L-Carnitine: Health Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, Dose & Precautions ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Warfarin (and other anticoagulants)

Documented for Glucosamine and chondroitin — specifically D-Glucosamine Sulfate

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Taking glucosamine alone or with chondroitin may increase the anticoagulant effect of warfarin, raising the risk of bleeding and elevated INR; this has been documented in case reports and reviewed in the pharmacotherapy literature.

Source: Glucosamine ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Warfarin and other anticoagulants

Documented for Glucosamine and chondroitin — specifically Osteo Bi-Flex Triple Strength (Glucosamine Chondroitin + Joint Shield) and Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM (with OptiMSM)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Glucosamine, alone or combined with chondroitin, has documented case reports and pharmacologic data showing it can potentiate warfarin's effect and raise INR, increasing bleeding risk.

Source: Glucosamine - Mayo Clinic ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Minor Anticoagulants (e.g., warfarin)

Documented for MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

MSM is sometimes flagged as having mild blood-thinning activity of its own, so combining it with prescription anticoagulants could theoretically add to bleeding risk; evidence is limited.

Source: What Is MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)? Uses and Risks ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Minor NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen)

Documented for MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Possible additive effect on bleeding/GI risk when combined with regular NSAID use; documentation is limited compared to other supplement-anticoagulant interactions.

Source: What Is MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)? Uses and Risks ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (via ginger, glucosamine sulfate, and pterostilbene components)

Documented for NOVOS Core (multi-ingredient formula)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Ginger has the strongest documented evidence in this blend: case reports include elevated INR and bleeding on phenprocoumon and a fatal GI bleed on dabigatran, and it is recommended to stop ginger 2 weeks before surgery. Glucosamine sulfate and pterostilbene each separately carry documented or plausible anticoagulant-potentiating/antiplatelet effects, compounding the concern for anyone on warfarin, DOACs, or antiplatelet therapy.

Source: Ginger ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Major Antiplatelet drugs and aspirin

Documented for NOVOS Vital Organ Support

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Nattokinase can enhance the antiplatelet effect of aspirin and other antiplatelet drugs, with documented reports of increased bleeding, including intracerebral hemorrhage; contraindicated in people with coagulation disorders or a history of DVT.

Source: Nattokinase ↗

What to do: Tell the prescriber who started your aspirin or clopidogrel before you begin. Ask specifically what to do before dental work, injections, colonoscopy, or surgery, and add the supplement to the medication list you give every clinician.

Major Warfarin and other anticoagulants

Documented for NOVOS Vital Organ Support

Direction of the risk: Both directions at once — the source describes added bleeding risk AND a possible loss of the drug's effect, which is what makes control unpredictable.

Contains nattokinase, a fibrinolytic enzyme; nattokinase increases bleeding risk with anticoagulants and, because the natto fermentation process continues producing vitamin K in the gut, may also reduce warfarin's effectiveness - a combination that makes anticoagulation control unpredictable. Should be stopped before surgery.

Source: Nattokinase ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Warfarin (via rutin component)

Documented for NOVOS Vital Organ Support

Direction of the risk: Drug levels — may change the medicine's level or its effect; the source does not commit to a single direction.

Rutin, a bioflavonoid in this blend, may alter warfarin blood levels and effect; more frequent INR monitoring is recommended when combined.

Source: Rutin and warfarin Interactions Checker ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel)

Documented for DaVinci Labs Phyto Benefits

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

This is a mixed polyphenol/flavonoid blend; multiple polyphenol classes (resveratrol-like stilbenes, quercetin-like flavonols, and related bioflavonoids such as rutin) independently inhibit platelet aggregation and/or potentiate warfarin in documented case reports, so a blend combining several such compounds carries an additive bleeding-risk concern with blood thinners.

Source: Quercetin ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Minor Drugs metabolized via cytochrome P450 pathways (antidepressants, antiseizure drugs, blood thinners, statins) class-level caution

Documented for Taurine

Direction of the risk: Drug levels — the source describes a change in how much of the medicine ends up in the blood.

Taurine may interfere with cytochrome P450 enzymes used to metabolize these drug classes at supplemental (not typical energy-drink) doses, though this is a general mechanism-based caution rather than itemized per-drug clinical data.

Source: Taurine Benefits and Side Effects ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel)

Documented for Boswellia serrata

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Boswellic acid compounds can inhibit platelet aggregation, which may add to the bleeding risk of blood-thinning medications.

Source: Boswellia ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Moderate Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs (e.g., warfarin/Coumadin)

Documented for Pycnogenol (pine bark extract)

Direction of the risk: Bleeding risk — stacked on top of a drug that already reduces the blood's ability to clot.

Pine bark extract may inhibit platelet aggregation, which could add to the bleeding risk of blood-thinning medications.

Source: Pine Bark Extract | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ↗

What to do: Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own. Tell the clinician or anticoagulation clinic that manages your blood thinner, and ask whether an INR check is warranted a week or two after any change if you take warfarin. If you do take it, keep the amount steady day to day rather than on-and-off — swings are harder to manage than a stable intake.

Which drugs are in this class

Medicines in this group include: Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), Apixaban (Eliquis), Rivaroxaban (Xarelto), Dabigatran (Pradaxa), Edoxaban (Savaysa), Heparin (Lovenox, Enoxaparin), Acenocoumarol (Sintrom), Aspirin (Asa, Bayer aspirin), Clopidogrel (Plavix), Ticagrelor (Brilinta), Prasugrel (Effient), Dipyridamole (Aggrenox, Persantine).

Brand names are listed in brackets after the generic ingredient. If the name on your bottle is not here, the generic name on the label almost always is — and the Medication Safety Check accepts either.

When to seek care urgently

These are the warning signs that go with the medication classes on this page. They are general safety-netting, not a prediction that any supplement will cause them.

If something feels seriously wrong, do not wait for an appointment. Call 911 (US) or your local emergency number.

How to read a severity label

  • Major — the source describes a clinically significant risk — treat this as a combination to clear with a clinician before you start, not after.
  • Moderate — a real, documented interaction that usually calls for monitoring, separating the doses, or a prescriber-led dose change.
  • Minor — documented but usually low-impact, or based on mechanism and animal data rather than human events — still worth naming to your pharmacist.

Severity describes the interaction as the cited reference frames it, not how a specific person will react. A “minor” entry in someone with kidney disease, on five other drugs, can matter more than a “major” one in someone on nothing else.

What this page does not tell you

This is a curated set of interactions with citations — not an exhaustive pharmacology database. An interaction that is absent here has not been ruled out; it may simply not be documented in the references Magellan curates from. Supplements are also not batch-tested for identity or contamination the way prescription drugs are, so what is on the label is a claim rather than a guarantee. And most of these entries come from case reports and mechanistic work rather than randomized trials, which is exactly why the sensible response is a pharmacist review rather than either alarm or dismissal.

Supplements documented in this class

Omega-3 (EPA/DHA fish oil)

3 documented interactions in total.

Vitamin K2 (MK-7)

2 documented interactions in total.

CoQ10 / ubiquinol

4 documented interactions in total.

Resveratrol

2 documented interactions in total.

Quercetin

2 documented interactions in total.

Pomegranate ellagitannins

4 documented interactions in total.

Hesperidin (citrus flavonoid)

3 documented interactions in total.

Grape seed extract

2 documented interactions in total.

Carnitine (L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine)

7 documented interactions in total.

Glucosamine and chondroitin

5 documented interactions in total.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)

2 documented interactions in total.

NOVOS Core (multi-ingredient formula)

8 documented interactions in total.

NOVOS Vital Organ Support

4 documented interactions in total.

DaVinci Labs Phyto Benefits

3 documented interactions in total.

Taurine

1 documented interaction in total · covered on the hub.

Boswellia serrata

1 documented interaction in total · covered on the hub.

Pycnogenol (pine bark extract)

1 documented interaction in total · covered on the hub.

Other drug classes

Blood pressure medications · Diabetes medications · Statins · Cancer treatment · Antibiotics · Immunosuppressants · Diuretics · Other drug classes

Back to the full supplement–drug safety hub → · The evidence-graded supplement guide →

Questions people actually ask

Which supplements interact with blood thinners?

Omega-3 (EPA/DHA fish oil), Vitamin K2 (MK-7), CoQ10 / ubiquinol, Resveratrol, Quercetin, Pomegranate ellagitannins, Hesperidin (citrus flavonoid), Grape seed extract, Carnitine (L-carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine), Glucosamine and chondroitin, MSM (methylsulfonylmethane), NOVOS Core (multi-ingredient formula), NOVOS Vital Organ Support, DaVinci Labs Phyto Benefits, Taurine, Boswellia serrata, Pycnogenol (pine bark extract) — 22 documented entries in total (7 major, 11 moderate, 4 minor). Each entry on this page names the reference it came from.

Which drugs count as blood thinners?

In this dataset the class includes Warfarin, Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, Dabigatran, Edoxaban, Heparin and others. Brand names are mapped to their generic ingredient inside the Medication Safety Check, so typing the name on your bottle works.

Does an interaction mean I have to stop the supplement?

Usually not. Most entries here call for one of three things: separating the doses by a few hours, monitoring a lab value or a home reading for a couple of weeks, or a prescriber-led dose adjustment. The decision belongs to the clinician who manages the prescription — what this page is for is making sure the conversation happens before you start rather than after something goes wrong.

Who compiles this. Magellan Longevity is written and edited by Gabriel Radu, DO — a physiatrist (New York license 275110, NPI 1376861765). Interaction entries are curated from clinical references — the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, NCCIH, MedlinePlus, Mayo Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s About Herbs among them — and every entry links to the reference it came from so you can check it yourself. Magellan earns affiliate commission on some products; nothing on a safety page is softened, delayed, or omitted because of it. Where a supplement we sell carries a major documented interaction, that is the first thing on the page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Never start, stop, or change a prescription medication because of anything on this page. Run your own list through the Medication Safety Check →