If you visit a vein clinic or hospital for a blood clot and blood thinners are suggested to you, taking aspirin may be an option, instead. It is not for everyone, and will not be enough in all cases, but it does have a similar effect and may work well to reduce the chances of another blood clot in the future.
The study has found that people who have suffered blood clots in the veins of the leg (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE) are less likely to suffer a recurrence of the serious blood clots or a cardiac event if they take low-dose aspirin.
Health care providers usually prescribe a daily dose between 75 mg and 325 mg (a regular-strength tablet).
Anticoagulants. Anticoagulants, such as heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, apixaban, and rivaroxaban, are medications that thin the blood and help to dissolve blood clots.
Natural Ways to Treat Blood Clots
Eat natural pineapple or take a nutritional supplement with bromelain. Increase your intake of other foods and drinks that may help dissolve blood clots such as garlic, kiwi, kale, spinach, red wine, and grape juice. Drink more water. Increase your exercise.
Thrombolytics. Thrombolytics are drugs that dissolve blood clots. A doctor may give a thrombolytic intravenously, or they may use a catheter in the vein, which will allow them to deliver the drug directly to the site of the clot.
By all three measurements, chewed aspirin worked fastest. It needed only five minutes to reduce TxB2 concentrations by 50%; the Alka-Seltzer took almost 8 minutes, and the swallowed tablet took 12 minutes.
A DVT or pulmonary embolism can take weeks or months to totally dissolve. Even a surface clot, which is a very minor issue, can take weeks to go away. If you have a DVT or pulmonary embolism, you typically get more and more relief as the clot gets smaller.
Moderate amounts of red wine or purple grape juice daily helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots, thanks to powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in purple grapes, according to a review of previous studies published in the Journal of Nutrition.
After years of recommending regular aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke, scientists now see little benefit for most healthy people, and say it may contribute to a risk of bleeding in your stomach or brain that goes up as you get older.
While both can be taken to treat pain and inflammation, there are some differences. Aspirin can help reduce fevers and prevent blood clots, while ibuprofen is reserved mostly for pain.
It may feel like you have a charley horse or cramp in your leg. If you have trouble breathing, it could mean that the blood clot has moved from your leg to your lungs.
Don't: Hurt Yourself
Your doctor may prescribe clot-fighting drugs called anticoagulants, or blood thinners. These can make you more likely to bleed from small injuries, so it's important to be careful when trimming your nails.
DON'T stand or sit in one spot for a long time. DON'T wear clothing that restricts blood flow in your legs. DON'T smoke. DON'T participate in contact sports when taking blood thinners because you're at risk of bleeding from trauma.
Caffeine causes your blood vessels to dilate, leading to increased blood flow and blood pressure. This can increase the risk of bleeding, which may dissolve or dislodge the blood clot at your extraction site.
In scenarios where the blood clot is formed, it can dissolve on its own when a protein is known as plasmin (a component of the clot itself) is activated by another substance in the body known as an activator. This triggers a process similar to a “self-destruct” button that breaks up the net-like structure of the clot.
Vitamin E is a natural blood thinner because of its anticoagulant effects. Studies support that vitamin E has anti-clotting activity and works as a potent blood thinner. Supplementing with vitamin E and consuming vitamin E foods can help prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
In addition, when a clot in the deep veins is very extensive or does not dissolve, it can result in a chronic or long-lasting condition called post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), which causes chronic swelling and pain, discoloration of the affected arm or leg, skin ulcers, and other long-term complications.
For people who have heart or blood vessel disease, taking low-dose aspirin each day can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. The usual dose is one low-dose aspirin tablet (75 mg) each day.
Daily aspirin is an option for some people at high risk of a heart attack or stroke to help lower their risk. But taking aspirin isn't right for most people because it can cause serious bleeding. You can work with your doctor to find out your risk of heart attack and stroke and your risk of bleeding.
Like most medicines, aspirin has side effects. It irritates your stomach lining and can trigger gastrointestinal upset, ulcers and bleeding. And, because it thins your blood, it can be dangerous for people who are at higher risk of bleeding.
If you are currently being treated for DVT, do not massage your legs. Massage could cause the clot to break loose.
Living with DVT
It takes about 3 to 6 months for a blood clot to go away. During this time, there are things you can do to relieve symptoms. Elevate your leg to reduce swelling. Talk to your doctor about using compression stockings.
Deep vein blood clots typically occur in the lower leg or thigh. “Deep vein thrombosis has classic symptoms—for example swelling, pain, warmth, and redness on the leg,” says Dr. Andrei Kindzelski, an NIH blood disease expert.