Anticoagulant drugs are a type of medication that is used to eliminate or reduce the risk of blood clots. They are often called “blood thinners”, but these medicines don’t actually thin the blood. Instead, these medications help prevent clots from forming or current clots from getting worse.
Clots form when platelets stick together and proteins in the blood bind together to form a solid mass. Blood clots can be good, such as when you get a scrape or cut. However, when blood clots form in your blood vessels, they can be dangerous because they can block your circulation. When blood clots form in your arteries or heart, they stop the flow of blood. This can cause a heart attack. If a blood clot clogs the blood vessels in your brain, this can cause a stroke. Anticoagulant drugs work by stopping platelets from adhering to one another and clotting proteins from binding together.