Foods to Avoid When Taking Enoxaparin

If you have deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism, or if you had a certain kind of heart attack (among other conditions), your doctor may prescribe the blood thinner enoxaparin (Lovenox), per StatPearls.

Blood thinners prevent blood clots and lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, according to MedlinePlus. Your doctor may prescribe a number of different blood thinners, including enoxaparin. Along with other medications that thin the blood, several foods and supplements can interfere with enoxaparin and should be avoided unless your doctor indicates otherwise, per Iowa Health Care.

What Is Enoxaparin?

Enoxaparin is an anticoagulant used to treat and prevent blood clots, according to Iowa Health Care. It blocks your body's natural clotting factors, which are proteins in the blood. It is often prescribed to treat or prevent deep vein thrombosis, in which blood clots that form in the legs or arms break off and travel to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism.

Deep vein thrombosis is most commonly seen in people who are immobilized for long periods due to illness, as well as in people who have recently undergone a surgery that requires long periods of rest, such as hip or knee replacement. Enoxaparin is also used to prevent blood flow complications in people experiencing unstable angina (chest pain) or certain types of heart attack, per StatPearls.

Concerns

The risk of increased bleeding is a major concern when taking enoxaparin, according to Iowa Health Care. You should avoid taking any other medications that thin your blood, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve), per DailyMed. Talk to your doctor about other options for pain and inflammation relief.

Some herbal supplements can also thin the blood and should be avoided, including garlic, ginger, ginseng, and ginkgo biloba. Omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E supplements could interact with enoxaparin, per the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It’s recommended that you not take enoxaparin if you are allergic to pork products, heparin, or benzyl alcohol, per Mayo Clinic.

Foods to Avoid

While the vitamin K in foods promotes blood clotting, according to Iowa Health Care, only people taking the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) need to worry about a drug interaction with foods high in vitamin K, per Mayo Clinic.

According to the National Blood Clot Alliance, you should drink alcohol only in moderation while you’re taking blood thinners. That means sticking to two drinks or fewer per day for men and one drink per day for women. Your risk of bleeding is higher if you drink more than this, per Iowa Health Care. According to the Center for Family Medicine in Sherman, Texas, this is because alcohol also thins the blood; when mixed with enoxaparin, it can increase your risk of bleeding from injuries.

Foods with salicylates (compounds in plants that have blood-thinning properties) may interact with medications like enoxaparin. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, high concentrations of salicylates are found in many herbs and spices, and in coffee and tea. Most fruits, especially when dried, have high amounts, and some vegetables contain significant amounts of salicylates. These food groups, however, are important parts of a healthy diet. Talk to your doctor about how to weigh any potential risk versus your need to consume plant foods as part of a balanced diet.

Per Iowa Health Care, garlic and ginger can also interfere with enoxaparin. While this interaction is mostly discussed in the context of concentrated supplements, recipes that contain significant amounts of either ingredient can interfere with your medication and increase the risk of bleeding. Talk to your doctor about your ginger and garlic consumption.