Varieties, Applications & Adverse Reactions of Blood Thinners
Table of Contents
Blood thinners, or anticoagulant medications, play a crucial role in modern medicine. They help prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of stroke, heart attacks and other vascular complications. In Australia, they are not available over-the-counter; the only way to obtain blood thinners safely is via prescription from a medical professional and only under very specific circumstances.
Blood thinners come in a variety of different types, have multiple uses, and can cause a range of adverse effects when misused. So while they may not be widely available, knowing as much as you can about them can help inform your decision when discussing them with a medical professional. It can also help you recognise when they cause an adverse effect, allowing you to take swift and effective action.
What are Blood Thinners?
Blood thinners are medications that help prevent the formation of blood clots or reduce the size of an existing blood clot. They are commonly prescribed for individuals at risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and other clot-related disorders. Despite the name, blood thinners do not actually “thin” the blood; instead, they work to keep the blood flow in your veins and arteries smooth by blocking or weakening clotting factors, proteins or enzymes, and keeping platelets from sticking to each other or the walls of your blood vessels.
Blood thinners come in various forms. They can be taken orally as blood thinner pills, given as a shot, or administered intravenously. Direct oral anticoagulants are commonly prescribed for long-term use, injections are given subcutaneously or into a muscle, often in emergencies or when oral intake is not possible. Intravenous administration delivers blood thinners directly into a vein, providing quick absorption, and is commonly used in hospital settings for acute conditions or surgeries.
The only way to obtain blood thinners in Australia is through a prescription from a healthcare professional. They will help you determine whether blood thinners are the best course of action for you, and if they are necessary. A blood test might be required as part of this process, and regular blood tests can help you adjust your dosage and mark your recovery.
Blood Clots: A Primer
Blood clots, also known as thrombi, are gel-like clumps of blood that form when components of blood, such as platelets and fibrin, stick together at the site of an injury or an abnormal blood vessel. While blood clot formation is a natural protective mechanism to prevent excessive bleeding, it can become problematic when it occurs inside blood vessels or obstructs blood flow. When a blood clot forms within a blood vessel, it can have various effects depending on its location and size.
These include:
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT):
A blood clot that forms in the deep veins, usually in the legs, can cause pain, swelling, and warmth in the affected area. If a DVT clot breaks free and travels to the lungs, it can lead to a life-threatening condition known as a pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism (PE):
This occurs when a blood clot from another part of the body, most commonly the legs, travels through the bloodstream and lodges in an artery in the lungs. PE can cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, and in severe cases, can be fatal.
Ischaemic Stroke:
A blood clot that forms in an artery supplying blood to the brain can cause an ischaemic stroke. When the blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, it can lead to neurological deficits, including paralysis, speech difficulties and cognitive impairments.
Heart Attack:
A blood clot that blocks the flow of blood in a coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart muscle, can cause a heart attack. This can result in chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, and damage to the heart muscle if blood flow is not restored promptly.
Varieties of Blood Thinners
There are two main types of blood thinners: anticoagulants and antiplatelets.
Anticoagulants, such as warfarin, heparin, apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and edoxaban target the clotting process by inhibiting certain clotting factors such as increased vitamin K.
However, antiplatelet medications work by interfering with platelet function. Platelets are small blood cells that play a vital role in the clotting process. By inhibiting platelet aggregation, antiplatelets help to prevent the clumping of platelets and the formation of arterial blood clots. Aspirin is the most commonly used antiplatelet medication and is often prescribed for conditions such as coronary artery disease, stroke prevention and peripheral artery disease.
The choice between anticoagulants and antiplatelets depends on the specific medical condition, individual patient factors, and the desired therapeutic outcome.
Applications of Blood Thinners
Blood thinners have several applications in the prevention and treatment of various medical conditions. Besides preventing and fighting blood clots and the problems they can cause, they’re also used in the following situations:
Prophylaxis in Surgeries:
Blood thinners are typically used as a prophylactic treatment before and after surgeries that carry a high risk of blood clots. This includes major orthopaedic surgeries like hip or knee replacements, where immobility during recovery can increase the risk of clot formation.
Management of Conditions like Antiphospholipid Syndrome:
Blood thinners are utilised in certain autoimmune disorders like antiphospholipid syndrome, where the immune system mistakenly produces antibodies that increase the tendency for blood to clot.
Prevention of Recurrent Heart Attacks:
After a heart attack, blood thinners may be prescribed to prevent the formation of new clots in the coronary arteries, reducing the risk of further cardiac events.
Adverse Reactions
Like all medicines, blood thinners can have adverse reactions when taken incorrectly. Sometimes, the body can have a negative reaction because of an allergy to an ingredient in the blood thinner, or for no discernible reason at all. The most common adverse reactions to blood thinners include:
Excessive and Serious Bleeding:
Severe bleeding is the most common reaction and can manifest as heavier than normal menstrual bleeding, bloody or discoloured urine or faeces, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and prolonged bleeding from cuts.
Side Effects:
These may include dizziness, muscle weakness, hair loss, rashes, upset stomach, nausea and diarrhoea.
Interactions with Other Medications and Substances
Blood thinners can interact with certain foods, medicines, vitamins and alcohol, affecting their effectiveness and increasing the risk of bleeding
First Aid
If someone experiences an adverse reaction to blood thinners, then a serious medical response is required. While the effects may seem small and present as minor symptoms, a negative reaction from blood thinners can be catastrophic. Basic first aid knowledge isn’t enough to lend direct assistance, and the best and only thing a bystander can do is call for emergency services.
However, that doesn’t mean that only having basic first aid knowledge is useless in a situation like this. A vital aspect of rendering first aid is being able to identify what is happening. If you can recognise that someone has had an adverse reaction to blood thinners, then this is something you can communicate to emergency services, allowing them to provide better and more appropriate assistance. If you know the person in question, then knowing and communicating their medical history is another helpful step you can take. Finally, when you take a first aid course, you’ll learn how to best explain the scene of an emergency when you can Triple Zero.
Essential Skills and Knowledge
Knowing first aid might not be enough to allow you to lend direct assistance in a blood thinner-related emergency. But it can give you the knowledge to ensure that when emergency services arrive, they provide the best help that they can offer.
By taking a first aid course with Skills Training College, you’ll learn how to identify a medical emergency, attain medical history, and describe an emergency over the phone to emergency services. Besides skills like these, you’ll also learn life skills applicable to a wide variety of situations, such as wound bandaging, AED (defibrillator use), EpiPen use and more. Emergencies can happen anywhere and the only way to help is to possess the skills and knowledge provided by a first aid course.
