One in five adults over age 60 takes fish oil, a supplement extracted from the tissues of fatty fish and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which support heart, brain, eye, and joint health. But even though omega-3s have benefits, certain medications and supplements can interact with fish oil in potentially harmful ways. Here are five of them.\n<\/p>\n
Omega-3 supplements<\/a> can inhibit blood-clotting, which usually isn\u2019t an issue when they\u2019re taken on their own, Aaron Emmel, PharmD<\/a>, a pharmacist and the founder and director of educational programs at Pharmacy Tech Scholar, told Health.\n<\/p>\n However, mixing omega-3s with medications that have similar effects, such as\u00a0anticoagulants like warfarin<\/a> or antiplatelet drugs like aspirin, could increase the risk of bleeding, he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n If you take these medications, talk to your physician before adding fish oil. They may want to monitor your international normalized ratio, which measures how long it takes for your blood to clot, noted Amy Goldsmith, RDN, LDN<\/a>, a registered dietitian and owner of Kindred Nutrition & Kinetics in Frederick, Maryland.\n<\/p>\n Ginkgo biloba, an herbal supplement<\/a> often taken for brain health and conditions like anxiety or PMS, also has antiplatelet properties that make it more difficult for blood to clot, said Brynna Connor, MD, ABFM<\/a>, a board-certified family medicine physician and healthcare ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com.\n<\/p>\n That\u2019s why combining it with fish oil increases the risk of bruising or bleeding, she told Health.\n<\/p>\n Vitamin E<\/a>\u2014an antioxidant linked to immune, heart, and eye health\u2014also thins the blood. When taken alongside fish oil, it can further raise the risk of bleeding or bruising.\n<\/p>\n Most adults can meet the recommended 15 milligrams (mg) per day of vitamin E through foods like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, spinach, and broccoli. Supplements often provide more than you need, which may worsen the risk when combined with fish oil.\n<\/p>\n NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen<\/a> reduce pain and inflammation but can increase the risk of internal bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. Because omega-3s have anticoagulant properties, taking both at the same time can be risky.\n<\/p>\n \u201cNSAIDs have an increased bleeding risk with high fish-oil doses,\u201d Goldsmith said, so the pairing should be supervised by your provider.\n<\/p>\n