Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Precautions
It is very important that your doctor check you at regular visits after you leave the hospital for any problems or unwanted effects that may be caused by this medicine. Be sure to keep all appointments.
Do not take aspirin while using this medicine. Many nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and some prescription medicines contain aspirin. Check the labels of all medicines you take. Also, do not take ibuprofen unless it has been ordered by your doctor. There are many other medicines that may change the way heparin works or increase the chance of bleeding if they are used together with heparin. It is best to check with your doctor before taking any other medicine while you are using heparin.
You may bleed and bruise more easily while you are using this medicine. Stay away from rough sports or other situations where you could be bruised, cut, or injured. Tell your doctor about any falls, blows to the body or head, or other injuries, since serious bleeding may occur inside the body with this medicine. Brush and floss your teeth gently. Be careful when using sharp objects, including razors and fingernail clippers. Avoid nose picking and forceful nose blowing.
Since many things can affect the way your body reacts to this medicine, you should always watch for signs of unusual bleeding. Unusual bleeding may mean that your body is getting more heparin than it needs. Serious side effects can occur, even up to several weeks after you have stopped using this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have any unusual side effects while you are using heparin and after you stop using it.
Tell all medical doctors and dentists that you are using this medicine.
It is recommended that you carry an identification card stating that you are using heparin. If you have any questions about what kind of identification to carry, check with your doctor.
