{"id":631385,"date":"2025-02-24T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=631385"},"modified":"2026-03-22T21:13:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T01:13:52","slug":"what-happens-if-you-miss-a-dose-of-blood-thinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/what-happens-if-you-miss-a-dose-of-blood-thinner\/","title":{"rendered":"What happens if you miss a dose of blood thinner?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blood thinners are prescription drugs that keep your blood from thickening or clumping, preventing potentially life-threatening blood clots. They include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications like <\/span>heparins<\/span><\/a>, Coumadin (<\/span>warfarin<\/span><\/a>), and <\/span>aspirin<\/span><\/a>, as well as newer-generation anticoagulants like <\/span>Eliquis<\/span><\/a> (apixaban) and <\/span>Xarelto<\/span><\/a> (rivaroxaban). Although they don\u2019t actually make your blood thinner, these medications reduce your body\u2019s normal blood clotting response to prevent existing blood clots from growing and new ones from forming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blood thinners are often prescribed to people with conditions that put them at a higher risk for forming <\/span>blood clots<\/span><\/a>, says Sarah Bonza, MD, primary care and family medicine physician. These include medical conditions such as atrial fibrillation (AFIB), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), coronary artery disease, a history of stroke, and clotting disorders. But different types of blood thinners have different half-lives, Dr. Bonza adds, and it\u2019s important to follow a strict dosing schedule because missing a dose can lower your medication\u2019s effectiveness while increasing your risk for blood clots and complications like <\/span>stroke<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What happens if you miss a dose?<\/span><\/h2>\n

All medications work more safely and effectively when you take them according to the prescribed dosing schedule, but nearly everyone misses a dose of medication from time to time. For some medications, missing a dose is a minor problem: You take it as soon as you remember or hold off until your next dose and then get back on track with little to no side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blood thinners, however, need to be taken as consistently as possible. Missing even a single dose could lead to a stroke or blood clot, says <\/span>Brian Bostick<\/span><\/a>, MD, a cardiologist with the <\/span>University of Missouri Health Care, especially if you are managing a serious health condition or at high risk of clotting.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, there are varying degrees of seriousness when it comes to missing a single dose of blood thinner, and the effects may not be immediately obvious, says <\/span>Allison Hinkle, Pharm.D., CPH, clinical pharmacy manager with HCA Florida Healthcare. A missed dose of one type of medication can be more dangerous compared to others, <\/span>depending on the specific medication and your reason for taking it.<\/span><\/p>\n

People taking warfarin, for example, have to undergo <\/span>regular blood tests to monitor their international normalized ratio (INR)<\/span><\/a>, a measurement of how long it takes your blood to clot: \u201cMissing one dose can affect your INR for days or weeks, leading to under- or over-anticoagulation,\u201d Dr. Hinkle explains. \u201cMissing one or several doses of anticoagulants can cause blood clots that reduce or eliminate blood flow to extremities or vital organs, or even result in a stroke or <\/span>pulmonary embolism<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There is less room for error in dosing when taking warfarin because it’s processed out of your body more quickly, in just 20 to 60 hours, says <\/span>Dr. Bonza<\/span><\/a>. Newer generation blood thinners like Xarelto and Eliquis leave your system even more quickly: Xarelto in <\/span>five to nine hours<\/span><\/a>, and Eliquis in <\/span>about 12 hours<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heparin is also short-acting, she says, but aspirin\u2014which is often given to people with a history of heart attack or coronary heart disease\u2014lasts in the body for seven to 10 days. It may be less serious to miss a single dose of aspirin compared to warfarin or heparin, but you should always try to stick to your prescribed dosing schedule no matter which drug you\u2019re taking.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to manage a missed dose<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve missed a dose of blood thinner, you may be wondering: Should you take it as soon as you remember or wait until your next dose?<\/span><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve already been given instructions on how to handle this scenario, Dr. Hinkle recommends contacting your healthcare provider or pharmacist as soon as you realize you missed a dose: \u201cSince the half-life is different for each blood thinner, and the amount of blood thinner required in the bloodstream to achieve a therapeutic effect can be vastly different for each person, you need to take an individualized approach [to correcting your missed dose].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, she explains that someone taking warfarin for thrombosis prevention because of<\/span> atrial fibrillation<\/span><\/a> is managed differently than someone taking it for thrombosis prevention due to an artificial heart valve. <\/span>Your provider could tell you to take the missed dose as soon as you remember or wait until your next dose is due to catch up.<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, Dr. Bonza says the recommendation for a missed dose varies based on how often you normally take your blood thinner and how much time you have left until your next dose.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you take a once-daily blood thinner, like <\/span>over-the-counter aspirin<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n