It doesn't actually "thin" your blood, but slows down your blood clotting time. For example, if you cut yourself or have an injury where you bleed, it may take longer for you to form a blood clot.
Avoid NSAIDs
NSAIDs are blood thinners. Even a single dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, can nearly double the risk of a bleeding event for patients taking anticoagulants.
Anticoagulants. Anticoagulants, such as heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, apixaban, and rivaroxaban, are medications that thin the blood and help to dissolve blood clots.
Medication: Anticoagulants, also called blood thinners, help prevent blood clots from forming. For life-threatening blood clots, drugs called thrombolytics can dissolve clots that are already formed.
Aspirin and ibuprofen both belong to a class of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Both of these drugs can be used to reduce inflammation and treat pain, but aspirin can also be used as an anti-platelet medication to help prevent blood clots from forming.
While aspirin prevents blood platelets from clumping together to form dangerous clots in blood vessels, non-aspirin NSAIDs can increase blood clot formation, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Conclusions: Platelet function seems to normalize within 24 hours after cessation of regular ibuprofen use in healthy individuals.
Thrombolytics are medications that dissolve blood clots. You can receive them through an IV, or directly into a blood vessel through a catheter. Currently, doctors use thrombolytics including: alteplase.
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.
It's not something you feel instantly. 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.
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.
Garlic is known as an effective anti-coagulant food as it prevents clotting of blood. Garlic helps in blood thinning, and reduces blood clot formation in the arteries. It further helps to prevent atherosclerosis.
Blood clots do go away on their own, as the body naturally breaks down and absorbs the clot over weeks to months. Depending on the location of the blood clot, it can be dangerous and you may need treatment.
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.
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.
Even though painkillers are widely used, they are by no means harmless. According to new research, the risk of developing blood clots in the legs or lungs is actually doubled when NSAID painkillers are consumed.
Aspirin may be used at a low dose to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke or to prevent blood clotting. Ibuprofen has less of an effect on blood cells or platelets so is not used for this indication.
Thrombectomy. This is a nonsurgical procedure your doctor can do to physically remove a clot from your vein. This may be a good option to treat sudden DVT that's causing issues. A cardiologist, radiologist, or vascular surgeon injects dye into the vein where your clot is.
Wear loose-fitting clothes, socks, or stockings. Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time. Wear special stockings (called compression stockings) if your doctor prescribes them. Do exercises your doctor gives you.
Antifibrinolytic drugs promote blood clotting by preventing blood clots from breaking down. Some examples of antifibrinolytic drugs are aprotinin, tranexamic acid (TXA), epsilon-aminocaproic acid and aminomethylbenzoic acid. Doctors sometimes give these drugs to patients having surgery to prevent blood loss.
You may notice the pain throbs in your leg, belly, or even your arm. Warm skin. The skin around painful areas or in the arm or leg with the DVT may feel warmer than other skin. Trouble breathing.
1) Constriction of the blood vessel. 2) Formation of a temporary “platelet plug." 3) Activation of the coagulation cascade.