Is Fish Oil (Omega-3) Safe with Warfarin?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Do not take fish oil supplements if you are prescribed warfarin without explicit physician approval. If you are currently taking both, seek immediate medical review. Inform your doctor and pharmacist about all supplements before starting or continuing warfarin therapy.
Why this interaction occurs
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) in fish oil inhibit platelet aggregation and promote bleeding. Combined with warfarin's anticoagulant effect, this combination can produce severe, potentially irreversible coagulopathy, as demonstrated in a case where warfarin-induced coagulopathy could not be reversed after traumatic brain injury in a patient taking both.
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Data source
PubMed - PMID 28033135
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 134,328 reports mentioning Warfarin. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Warfarin + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Fish Oil (Omega-3) interactions → · All Warfarin interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.