Drug & supplement interaction

Avocado + Warfarin Sodium

Warfarin Sodium brand names: Coumadin, Panwarfin, Sofarin.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Avocado has a moderate interaction with Warfarin Sodium. Avocado may antagonize the anticoagulant effects of warfarin.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodUnlikely
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Avocado and Warfarin Sodium

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

WARFARIN (Coumadin)

Avocado may antagonize the anticoagulant effects of warfarin.
Avocado may antagonize the anticoagulant effects of warfarin; however, there has been only one case report of this interaction.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist: there's an old report suggesting that eating a lot of avocado might slightly weaken how well warfarin thins your blood. If that happened, your blood could clot a little more easily, which is the opposite of what warfarin is trying to do. But I want to be honest with you, this comes from a single case report way back, so the evidence is thin and this is unlikely to be a real problem for most people.

Because warfarin is one of those drugs where small swings in your INR matter a lot, the practical tip is simply consistency. Enjoy avocado, just keep your intake roughly steady from week to week rather than going from none to huge amounts suddenly. If you ever start a concentrated avocado supplement, give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up.

References
  1. Blickstein D, Shaklai M, Inbal A. Warfarin antagonism by avocado. Lancet 1991;337:914-5. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Avocado Also Interacts With Other Medications

Avocado has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — the Warfarin Sodium one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Avocado

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Avocado. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Avocado or Warfarin Sodium

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Avocado or Warfarin Sodium, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Warfarin Sodium

This page covers Avocado only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Warfarin Sodium page lists 361 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Alfalfa (major), American Ginseng (major), Beer (major) and Cannabis (major).

Open the Warfarin Sodium interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Avocado as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 68 real supplement products containing Avocado, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Avocado. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Warfarin Sodium too, on top of Avocado — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Avocado and Warfarin Sodium Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Avocado
Top half

#548 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Warfarin Sodium
Top 1%

#18 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Avocado

What is Avocado?

Avocado
  • Heart and cholesterol health
  • Osteoarthritis (as ASU)
  • General nutrition and healthy fats
  • Skin and hair care
  • Blood sugar support

Avocado is a nutritious fruit rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, and potassium, and eating it as part of a balanced diet may support heart health. A specific extract called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) has been studied for osteoarthritis, but evidence is mixed. As a food it is very safe for most people; talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Read the full Avocado monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Warfarin

What Is Warfarin Used For?

Brand names: Coumadin, Panwarfin, Sofarin

Warfarin sodium tablets and Jantoven tablets are both used to prevent and treat venous thrombosis (blood clots in the veins) and pulmonary embolism (a clot in the lungs). They are also used to prevent clot-related complications in people with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm) or who have had a heart valve replaced.

In people who have had a heart attack, warfarin is used to reduce the risk of death, another heart attack, stroke, or other clotting events. It does not dissolve an existing clot, but it helps prevent the clot from growing and stops new dangerous clots from forming.

See full Warfarin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Avocado

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Avocado — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
1Moderate
0Minor
2,828No known interaction
Moderate

1 interaction

No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Avocado and Warfarin Sodium Together: Common Questions

Can you take Avocado with Warfarin Sodium?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Avocado and Warfarin Sodium interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Warfarin Sodium and Avocado?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.