FAQ Minerals & Supplements: Can I Take Krill Oil with Eliquis?Atrial Fibrillation: Resources for Patients

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FAQs Minerals & Supplements: Krill Oil

Minerals & Supplements

“I’m interested in the supplement, Krill Oil, that has natural blood thinning properties. I’m taking Eliquis for my risk of A-Fib stroke. Is It OK to take Krill Oil along with Eliquis?”

I wish I had a more definitive answer for you. Here’s what we know.

Krill Oil and Eliquis Work Differently

The supplement, Krill Oil, is similar to fish oil. Both contain omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty acids are thought to make blood platelets less sticky, and thus are less likely to form clots. Krill Oil is considered superior to fish oil for not accumulating toxins the same way fish do.

How Blood Clotting Works: First, platelets clump together to temporarily ‘plug’ the wound; Next, a cascade of coagulation stages reinforces the plug with fibrin threads that act as a ‘molecular glue’ during healing.

Eliquis is an anticoagulant, a ‘Direct Factor Xa Inhibitor’, and affects only one stage in the anticoagulation process (the stage after platelets do their part). It works to slow or stop clotting proteins (like fibrin) from binding together and forming a clot.

Eliquis: No Method to Measure Anticoagulant Effect

The anticoagulant, warfarin, has ‘one’ but Eliquis doesn’t. The effectiveness of warfarin can be determined by blood tests measuring INR levels. By comparison, there’s no method to measure Eliquis’ anticoagulant effect (or any of the new NOACs).

Unlike warfarin, there’s no method to measure Eliquis’ anticoagulant effect.

Antiplatelets vs Anticoagulants

We know that Krill Oil and Eliquis work differently. Krill Oil affects the clumping of blood platelets. Eliquis (and all NOACs) affect the anticoagulant process.

Intuitively one would think that since Eliquis and Krill Oil affect different stages in the anticoagulant process, it might be OK to use them together. But Eliquis is so new we have little research to definitively say this.

Bottom line: We can’t measure how Krill Oil affects the anticoagulation process when taking Eliquis.

Discuss with your Doctors

Ask your doctors about taking Krill Oil along with Eliquis (but they probably won’t know the answer). Most doctors consider nutritional supplements, like Krill Oil, of dubious value and little more than ‘snake oil’. (But this is changing in today’s medical schools.)

Most doctors consider nutritional supplements of dubious value and little more than ‘snake oil’.

If you and your doctor agree to start Krill Oil, begin with a low dosage, then increase it gradually.

IMPORTANT: Keep accurate, scrupulous records of how you react to taking Krill Oil with Eliquis. Be prepared to stop the Krill Oil, if necessary.

(Thanks, Ralph, for this question. Please share your experience with us.)

References for this article

10-Step Process of Blood Coagulation. Thrombocyte.com.

10-Step Process of Blood Coagulation

Best Natural Blood Thinner. Healthline website. Medically Reviewed by Mark R Laflamme, MD on January 20, 2016. http://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure/best-natural-blood-thinners#Overview1

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Last updated: Monday, June 18, 2018