Omega 3 and blood thinning medication
Answer
Anyone taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication should raise omega 3 with their GP or pharmacist before starting, particularly at intakes above the 250mg claim threshold.
Key takeaways
- Who needs to check?
- Anyone on anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, anyone with a bleeding disorder, and anyone coming up to surgery.
- Who should they ask?
- A GP or pharmacist, who can see the whole prescription. Not a supplement page.
- Does the dose matter?
- The caution rises with intake, and research doses of one to three grams a day are well above the claim threshold.
Why this question exists
Omega 3 at higher intakes has effects on platelet function, which is the same general area anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications work in. That is why the interaction question comes up rather than because of anything specific to fish oil as a food.
The practical point is that anyone already on medication in that area has a prescribing clinician who can see the whole picture, and a supplement page cannot.
Where the caution actually bites
At intake. Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil provides 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA per mini softgel, which is 300mg combined and clears the 250mg claim threshold at one capsule for 17p a day. That is a modest intake close to what a portion of oily fish supplies.
The figures quoted in sports content, one to three grams a day, are several times that and come from research protocols rather than any recommendation. Those are the intakes where raising it with a GP matters most.
The wider rule this sits inside
Anyone on prescribed medication should raise a new supplement with a GP or pharmacist before starting, and that applies across everything on this site rather than to fish oil specifically.
It also applies in the other direction. Some prescribed and over the counter medications contain substances controlled in sport, and a player who could be tested needs to check medications as well as supplements through governing body resources.
The full version
- How much omega 3 a day if you train hard?Where the higher figures come from and what standing they have.
- How to check a supplement against the banned listWhy medications catch more people out than supplements do.
The product
Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil
Futuro Labs Omega 3 Fish Oil is the 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA one at 17p a day. One mini softgel gives 300mg combined, clearing the 250mg threshold for the authorised heart claim.
- 300mg combined EPA and DHA per softgel
- Batch tested to ISO 17025 standards
- Deodorised mini softgel, one a day
- Bovine gelatin shell, not vegetarian
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Can I take fish oil on blood thinners?
Raise it with a GP or pharmacist first. They can see the whole prescription.
Does the amount matter?
The caution rises with intake, and research doses are several times the claim threshold.
Who else should check?
Anyone with a bleeding disorder, and anyone coming up to surgery.