Supplements and Clopidogrel.
Clopidogrel, sold under the brand name Plavix, is an antiplatelet agent: it reduces platelet aggregation.
Below are the 3 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Clopidogrel in the Distil database: 3 amber. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Additive antiplatelet effect. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.
Documented interactions
Additive antiplatelet effect
Garlic has mild blood-thinning activity that can add to clopidogrel's. Stop high-dose garlic supplements at least a week before any surgery and tell your GP if you take garlic alongside clopidogrel long-term.
Both ginkgo and clopidogrel reduce platelet aggregation, so combining them increases bleeding risk additively. The combination is worth stopping six weeks before any planned surgery or dental procedure.
Standard supplement doses of fish oil (under 1 gram of EPA+DHA per day) add only marginally to the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel. At higher cardiology doses (3 grams per day and above), the combination meaningfully increases bleeding risk.
What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.
For adults over 18.
This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, pharmacist, or specialist before making them, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.
How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.
Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.
Read the full methodologySomething missing?
If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us and we'll add it in the next quarterly update.