Cranberry Juice

[starone]

I have been happily drinking two glasses of cranberry juice a day for years at the suggestion of the professor at the hospital to help with recurrent cystitis. It worked and I do not now suffer from it. However, I recently read that you should not drink cranberry juice if you are taking blood thinners, with no other explanation. I take clopidogrel, which is a blood thinner, prescribed when I had one of those small strokes. Does anyone know why I am not supposed to drink cranberry juice? Thanks for any help.
P.S. I am still drinking it!

[baza]

When I started on Warfarin I was told NO cranberry in any shape or form, noone said why, it only made a slight difference to my Christmas dinner. Others I have spoken to have been told no Brocolli but thet is no loss, who eats it anyway.

[Buenchico]

Well I've just spent ten minutes googling it and reading loads of stuff and the ONLY references I can find relate to the interaction between WARFARIN and cranberry juice (rather than to problems with ANTIPLATELETS, such as clopidogrel).

For example, this is one of many sites which warn against consuming cranberry juice while taking Warfarin (because it increases the effects of the drug, leading to bleeding) but makes no mention of problems with antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/315547-foods-to-avoid-when-taking-blood-thinners/

[Mamyalynne]

The reason some may warn against it is probably because...


//Cranberry, as well as many other fruits and vegetables, contains significant amounts of salicylic acid, which is an important ingredient in aspirin.//


However whether the amount you are drinking would interfere at all with your Clopidogrel, you'd need to ask your GP or Pharmacist.

[Sqad]

starone...I often think about you...glad to see you posting.
About Cranberrry juice and Clopigogrel........you take your pick.......some say that it does raise your INR (bleeding tendency) some say it doesn't.
Bottom line is that in my opinion there is no "credible" evidence that Cranberry juice and blood thinners are dangerous.....and come to that, in my opinion there is no credible evidence that Cranberry juice reduces urinary infections in women.
Again, nice to see you posting.

[starone]

Thanks everyone, and sqad, it is nice to see you are still here. I don't come here much only to take advantage of you all with your vast knowledge of, well, everything. 90 next year sqad, getting a bit more of a struggle but all these pills keep me alive. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and again thanks very much.

[grasscarp]

Starone. Happy Christmas. I hope you have a great year and 90th birthday.

[gingejbee]

....one minor point is that the stuff that you buy isn't actually cranberry "juice" - it's cranberry juice drink, containing water and sugar and as little as 25% cranberry juice...

[Sqad]

90 years old....not bad ;-)
Yes, I still put my pennyworth in.........for what good it does.
Have a nice Christmas and a healthy New Year.
sqad.

[Jackdaw33]

Talking of juices, I read somewhere that people on statins should not drink grapefruit juice. Is this the case?

[Sqad]

Jackdaw....so they say.
Only Simvastatin and another one Atorvastatin I think.
If i enjoyed grapefruit juice with my breakfast ans was taking either of the above two statins, it wouldn't bother me.....I would continue.
An occasional glass of grapefruit juice would be fine.

[ethandron]

Ginge, I've searched high and low for cranberry juice with nothing added, to make a particular cocktail, can't find it anywhere, ridiculous isn't it?
As for cranberry and UTIs, I swallow a cranberry pill everyday, Boots own brand, at the suggestion of my GP. She's not convinced it does any good and neither am I but I feel it's not doing any harm even if it's not doing any good.
The thinking is that it can stop bacteria sticking to the bladder wall and help prevent bladder infections...maybe there's something in it starone, as you've not had any recurrence since taking it :)