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Q: Can we take vaccines while taking blood thinners, some say we can and some say we can't. Which one is correct? 

Krishna: First click on this link and read the article.

https://kkartlab.in/forum/topics/what-might-happen-when-you-take-lo...

On blood thinners ....
First you should know what medicines you are taking and what vaccines you choose to take. We cannot generalise anything. You should mention about your medicine, medical conditions  before taking any medicine or vaccine and discuss it with your doctor. Don't just blindly do what others are doing. 
Because each vaccine is different , each medicine is different and each patient is different, we cannot generalise anything like that. 
That is why scientists ask you to read everything on the medicine label first, discuss in detail with your doctor by telling him all about your health conditions, medicines you take, and follow all the instructions on the labels and what your doctors tell you strictly and hope for the best ( because unknown factors like your gut microorganisms can create unpredictable reactions too.
In general this is what the physicians say....
 
Blood thinners also prevent clotting, however, which can lead to prolonged bleeding where people cut their skin. 
 In cases where people sustain significant wounds, this can be dangerous, but experts have confirmed a needle prick poses little risk.

The British Heart Foundation, a charity for heart and circulatory diseases, said the Covid jab poses less of bleeding risk than other types of jab.

They also said: "Like most vaccines, the coronavirus vaccine is injected into the muscle of your upper arm."As with any injection, there is some risk of bleeding."Injections into your muscle may bleed a little more than injections that are given under the skin, but less than those that are given into a vein."If you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin, or a new anticoagulant, the bleeding may take a little longer to stop and you may get more bruising on your upper arm.

Public Health England and the Department of Health have said that you can have the vaccine if your anticoagulant treatment is stable.

An injection needle doesn't cause much bleeding anyway.

Is the vaccine safe for people taking blood thinners like warfarin or other anticoagulants?

In general, yes, but you should let the person giving you the vaccine know that you are taking an anticoagulant. As with any injection, there is some risk of bleeding.

Like most vaccines, the coronavirus vaccine is injected into the muscle of your upper arm. Injections into your muscle may bleed a little more than injections that are given under the skin, but less than those that are given into a vein. If you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin, or a new anticoagulant, the bleeding may take a little longer to stop and you may get more bruising on your upper arm.

Public Health England and the Department of Health have said that you can have the vaccine if your anticoagulant treatment is stable. That generally means that you will have been taking the same dose for a while and that if you are on warfarin, that your INR checks are up to date and that your latest INR level was in the right range. Is the vaccine safe for people taking blood thinners like clopidogrel or other antiplatelet drugs? Yes, the vaccine is safe for people taking clopidogrel and other antiplatelet medications. You may experience a little more bruising around the injection site.

Is the vaccine safe for people taking heart medications?


Yes, the coronavirus vaccine is safe for people taking heart medications. We don’t have any reason to think that any heart medication will interact with the coronavirus vaccine itself. Your medication won’t stop the vaccine from working, and the vaccine won’t cause problems with your medication. People who take regular medication for heart disease are specifically included (amongst others with health conditions) as people who are prioritised to receive the vaccine, once over-65s and health and care workers have been vaccinated.

There is special advice about having the vaccine for people who are taking warfarin or other anticoagulants (see above).

Does my heart or circulatory condition mean I will get the vaccine sooner?


If you are under 65 and have heart or circulatory disease, you should get the vaccine sooner than other people your age without health conditions. You should receive the vaccine by May, whatever age you are, according to the government. If you are over 65, then you will already be in a higher priority group for the vaccine because of your age, so having a heart or circulatory condition won’t mean you get it sooner.

The heart and circulatory conditions that mean you are prioritised for the vaccine are as follows:

  • atrial fibrillation
  • coronary heart disease that means you take regular medication and/or have regular follow-up (this includes angina, heart attack and heart bypass, no matter how long ago)
  • congenital heart disease
  • dementia
  • diabetes (whether type 1 or type 2, even if you don’t need to take medication)
  • heart failure
  • you’ve had a blood clot in a vein  (such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism)
  • peripheral arterial disease
  • you’ve had a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

If you have high blood pressure (hypertension) you will only be prioritised for the vaccine if it has caused damage to your heart.

This is not the same as the list of who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

More here: https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/ne...

Please note that this information is for the vaccines given in the UK. 

And this is what CDC (USA) says: 

Do you have a bleeding disorder or are you taking a blood thinner?
As with all vaccines, COVID-19 vaccine may be given to these patients, if a physician familiar with the patient’s bleeding risk
determines that the vaccine can be administered intramuscularly with reasonable safety. ACIP recommends the following technique
for intramuscular vaccination in patients with bleeding disorders or taking blood thinners: A fine-gauge needle (23-gauge or
smaller caliber) should be used for the vaccination, followed by firm pressure on the site, without rubbing, for at least 2 minutes 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-scr...

On Indian vaccines: 

Covaxin, like other vaccines, is delivered as an intramuscular jab injected into the skin, which, for some people may result in slight bleeding. However, for people who have been prescribed or using blood thinners for long, it can lead to profuse bleeding, swelling and redness, since anticoagulants prevent clotting. Therefore, even a needle prick can require additional treatment.

As with the other coronavirus vaccines right now, people who may be using blood thinners right now have been asked to seek proper guidance from their doctors first, or check for possible side-effects of the medication they are on.

Those with pre-existing allergies have been found to suffer from the most consequences right now, globally. An allergy could alter your body's immediate reaction to the virus, lead to shock, anaphylaxis, extreme redness, atopy, fainting, swelling which requires hospitalization and counted as a severe reaction. In some rare cases, it can also be fatal.

People with allergies have also reacted badly to the Pfizer vaccine. If you have a history of allergies spiking up with any vaccination, consider waiting or alerting officials before getting the shot.

Those who record adverse reactions after the first shot have also been asked not to get the second one right now.

Immunosuppressant drugs, such as the ones given to Cancer patients alter the body's immune response, or compromise it, leaving a patient vulnerable to developing bad reactions, chronic infections or turn minor ailments into major ones. In some cases, a lack of healthy immunity may also fail the vaccine's workability. Hence, these people have asked to wait or delay inoculation, if possible.

Another guideline which has been mentioned in the Covaxin fact-sheet is that people not get a shot of Covaxin if they have already been administered any other Covid vaccine. Not only does this create logistical problems, but the vaccine may also react differently if the body has been dosed by a different vaccine mechanism.

Covershield is okay to take says UK guidelines as it is oxford -developed (UK). But we are not being given an option right now.

Those on blood thinners can receive vaccine, says ICMR

Precautions for people taking anticoagulants

Fact-sheets of both Covaxin and Covishield will be revised soon so that people on blood thinners like aspirin and clopidogrel can receive the vaccines, while those on anticoagulants may also take the shots with certain precautions, Indian Council of Medical Research director general Dr Balram Bhargava said on Thursday.

Currently, fact-sheets of the vaccines mention use of blood thinner as contraindication. Though vaccination of people above 50 years is still some way off, questions were raised whether the blood thinner caveat will rule out many of these beneficiaries.

‘Just swelling at injection site, nothing more’
Those on blood thinners may experience a swelling at the injection site but not much more.

“Anti-platelets such as aspirin or clopidogrel are not a problem at all. For anticoagulants like heparin, those patients may have a tendency to bleed. There may be a risk of developing a local hematoma (swelling post-inoculation). It is a relative contraindication,” ICMR director generalDr Balram Bhargava added, while specifying that even anticoagulants “can be stopped for one or two days”.

According to the Covaxin fact-sheet, those who are on blood thinners or have bleeding disorders cannot get the shot. For Covishield, the factsheet asks potential recipients to inform their physicians in advance if they are on blood thinners, even though it is not directly contraindicated for them.

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/those-on-...

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