DEAR DR. GOTT: Is it safe to have blood drawn while on a blood thinner?
DEAR READER: Yes, it is. When you cut yourself, the body’s defenses kick in to halt the bleeding by forming a clot. The process is known as coagulation and is how things should happen. On the other hand, without that cut and with blood moving through your veins and arteries, clots should not occur. Unfortunately, they do, and for a number of reasons. When they occur, a physician will likely prescribe a drug to bring the disorder in line. Some of the causes are inherited, such as sticky platelet syndrome or factor V Leiden; some are acquired, such as occurs with HIV/AIDs, inflammatory bowel syndrome, obesity, trauma and hormone-replacement therapy. These conditions and a host of others must be checked periodically with laboratory testing so a primary-care physician or hematologist can correctly monitor a patient. The testing performed is commonly a PT/INR and may include a PTT. Simply put, a physician will be able to determine through test results how fast your blood is clotting and whether your medication should be modified.
As an example, people may take prescription Coumadin (warfarin) to reduce the formation of blood clots. This anticoagulant works to prevent heart attack and clots from occurring. There are specific ranges a physician wants a patient to remain in, and the only way to achieve that goal is by testing on a regular basis while the patient is on the drug. Once the fine-tuning occurs and a patient is stable on a specific dosage, testing might only be necessary on a monthly basis.
While we commonly refer to Coumadin or warfarin as a blood thinner, the drug is actually an anticoagulant, as there is no medication that actually “thins” the blood.
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