Is Papain Safe with Warfarin?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid concurrent use of papain supplements with warfarin. If papain cannot be discontinued, notify your anticoagulation clinic for increased INR monitoring. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice blood in stool, prolonged bleeding from cuts, or severe bruising.
Why this interaction occurs
Papain, derived from papaya, possesses proteolytic and fibrinolytic properties that can degrade fibrin and potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. Case reports and pharmacological data suggest additive antithrombotic activity, which may cause INR elevation and bleeding complications.
Evidence
Evidence level: limited.
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 Papain interactions → · All Warfarin interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.