In many cases, yes. Aspirin and other blood-thinners prevent your blood from clotting. It is important that you tell the surgeon or his/her staff that you are taking these medications. Your surgeon will decide whether you have to stop it before surgery. Your surgeon will coordinate with your internist before stopping any medications. One or two days after surgery, you may resume taking them based on your physician's recommendation.

There are specific guidelines regarding when blood thinners (Coumadin/warfarin, low molecular weight heparin/lovenox, plavix, ticlid, aspirin, garlic, ginko,ginseng, etc.) should be stopped before surgery. Please make sure you reveal the use of these medications during pre-assessment so that the proper measures can be taken. If not, your procedure may be postponed until enough time passes so that the blood resumes normal clotting function.

Yes they are safe. However, we ALWAYS recommend that Coumadin patients have their clotting time checked on on a regular basis. Essential Fatty Acids, fish oil and vitamin E have been reported to reduce clotting time - therefore, it may be necessary to slightly lower the amount of prescription Coumadin taken on a daily basis. We do NOT recomment that patients ever reduce the amount of Coumadin they take without physician knowledge.

Usually, patients are given aspirin during the first six weeks after surgery. Coumadin may be necessary for other conditions, but it is not routinely prescribed following the Maze procedure.

Please notify the phlebotomist, so more pressure may be used when the blood draw is finished, in order to prevent heavy bruising.

It is advised that you cease consuming, aspirin, large to medium doses vitamin E, Echinacea and a host of other anticoagulants, sedatives and homeopathics at least 2 weeks before surgery. It has been said that since alcohol is expelled relatively fast you should cease drinking any alcoholic beverages at least 4 days before your surgery, but 2 weeks truly is better.

Dr. Gordon: Everybody in the country is being told by their doctors to take aspirin to prevent blood clotting. They're all doing it. But it's not hard to get the figures (because they are well-published) that there are 3,000 deaths a year from aspirin poisoning. There's no human being that can swallow an aspirin who will not have a corrosive effect on the membrane of their stomach and cause a microhemorrhage right where the pill hits the stomach. That's a simple fact.

You should not delay calling 9-1-1 to take an aspirin. Studies have shown that people sometimes delay seeking help if they take an aspirin (or other medicine). Emergency department personnel will give people experiencing a heart attack an aspirin as soon as they arrive. So, the best thing to do is to call 9-1-1 immediately and let the professionals give the aspirin.

If you take blood thinner medications such as Coumadin, Plavix, Ticlid, etc., please let your physician know before scheduling your procedure for appropriate instructions regarding stopping the medication. Return

Stop taking the aspirin ten days before surgery. [Please refer to treatment page, pre-operative preparation section.]

Some over-the-counter medications, such as vitamin K in multivitamins, may change the way your medications work. Aspirin can also thin your blood. Taking two medications (even if one is over-the-counter) that thins your blood may increase your risk for excessive bleeding. Always check with your health care team before taking any other medications while taking anticoagulants.

It now appears that not everybody responds equally to aspirin's anti-platelet effects. Some people require higher doses, some don't respond at all. Fortunately, we are now able to determine, with a simple in-office blood test, whether someone's aspirin therapy is effective. For further information about this new test, click here (you will need Adobe Acrobat to view the link). Maybe not.

It is very important that you run this question by your physician because when you take a blood thinner (or anticoagulant), such as Coumadin you must maintain a consistent vitamin K intake everyday. Since Adora Calcium contains 40 ug of vitamin K per disk, this supplement could potentially interact with your medication and limit its effectiveness. However, by working with your doctor, you may be able to adjust your medication levels therefore allowing you to take Adora Calcium.

You should continue to take prescribed medications as you normally would. This procedure should not cause you to miss or skip doses of your daily-prescribed medications. **Do NOT skip your blood pressure or heart medications** If needed, you can take over the counter medications such as aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin), and Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Avoid taking your regular medications within 2 hours of your virtual colonoscopy prep medications to avoid absorption issues.

Some medicines need to be stopped before surgery, and we will go over these. Some medicines will need to be changed, so have a complete list of your medications available. We will work with your primary care doctor to determine when you should restart some medications and in what form. You probably will not need to restart medications for cholesterol or lipids after these surgeries, and we want these stopped at least a week before surgery (Lipitor, Pravachol, etc.).

Yes. It is important to stop taking anticoagulants (or blood thinners), certain vitamins and to stop smoking for a period of time prior to a procedure. These are discussed in detail during pre-operative teaching.

Two weeks prior to surgery do not take any medications without approval from Dr. Creasman. Medications including but not limited to Aspirin, Motrin, Ibuprofen or Aleve should be discontinued. Vitamin E, herbal medications and diet medications containing Mahuang or Ephedra should also be discontinued. Avoid Garlic in your diet. Tylenol is okay to take for pain.