Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

2

Those of you with either personal experience or patients - what do you recommend?

How soon before/after scheduled surgery do you stop fish oils?

How does this apply to pregnant women near their due date?

When do you reintroduce fish oils?

Thanks.

flag	asked Dec 9 2011 at 22:45 Lady_Arwen 7,531●12●40

	Most would likely be better off discontinuing their usage permanently unless it's in trace amounts because quality meats and eggs simply can't be sourced. – Travis Culp♦ Dec 9 2011 at 22:47
	I'm a bit confused as to what meat and eggs has to do with fish oil and blood thinners. – Lady_Arwen Dec 11 2011 at 1:11
	Yes, absolutely. Excessive post-surgical bleeding is a complication you want to avoid. Also ditch NSAIDs 7+ days out for aspirin and at least 2-3 for naproxen, ibuprofen, etc.--while aspirin is notable for thinning blood, other NSAIDs can inhibit platelet function... – Daniel Kirsner Dec 11 2011 at 2:17

The Quilt · Answer 1 · 2011-12-10 02:13:12Z UTC

2

I used too recommend it and no longer do. The benefits outweigh the risks. In six yrs no bleeds from fish oil as yet. That includes vitamin E too.

answered Dec 10 2011 at 2:13

The Quilt
27.4k●1●13●82

TQ is right. Bleeding risk = mega hype. – Dorado Galore Dec 10 2011 at 5:28

Stephanie · Answer 2 · 2011-12-10 00:17:00Z UTC

I stop my patients 1 week before elective cases and did the same for myself when I had surgery. It may increase bleeding risk which can complicate your case. As far as restarting you can start the next day or as soon as your risk of bleeding is low, depending on what you had done.

Theoretically I suppose it would be similar for pregnancy/delivery but I'm not an OBGYN, I would check with yours to be sure.

As always ask your surgeons preference.

daz · Answer 3 · 2011-12-10 00:28:15Z UTC

best to ask your doctor/surgeon.

i stopped fish oil 1 or 2 days before i had surgery, tho i cannot recall if i was told to do this or just read it somewhere.
i no longer take fish oil in any form, i just eat fish & minimise omega 6's.

a few weeks prior to my surgery i received a pre-hospital admittance letter from my doctor which read;
"Certain drugs interfere with normal control of bleeding, or response to infection. If you are taking any of the following drugs, you should follow these instructions carefully prior to surgery."

There was a long list, but fish oil was not mentioned.

on a side note, it did mention two Herbal medicines;
for "herbal medicines containing Ginko or Ephepra" - "Please cease 3 weeks prior to surgery."

Should fish oil be discontinued shortly before or after surgery due to possible blood thinning effects?

3 Answers