What Medications Disqualify You From Donating Blood?

In addition to being ineligible for donation, certain medications can prevent you from donating blood. This article explains what medications may prevent you from giving blood and why. It also discusses the disqualification of people with HIV/AIDS, Multiple sclerosis, and Hepatitis B or C. If you’re concerned about the potential risk of infection, read on to find out the guidelines.

Medications That Disqualify You From Donating Blood

Accutane.
Antibiotics *Donors who are taking antibiotics are eligible to donate 24 hours after their last dose.

Antiplatelet Medications.
Avodart.
Blood thinners (such as Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox, Warfarin)

Bovine insulin.
Hepatitis B Immune Globulin.

acitretin containing medications

There are several medications that disqualify you from blood donation, including acitretin-containing ones. For example, the prescription acne medication isotretinoin is not permitted if you are pregnant. This drug is known to cause birth defects, and donating blood from a pregnant woman may result in harm to the fetus. Therefore, people taking isotretinoin cannot donate blood until at least one month after the last dose of the drug.

In addition to acitretin, other blood-thinning drugs can disqualify you from donating blood. Some of these drugs include dabigatran (brand name: Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (brand name: Xarelto), edoxaban (Plavix), and warfarin, which is given via injection.

Donors with certain medical conditions can donate blood. They should mention any serious illnesses that may prevent them from doing so. People with epilepsy can donate blood as long as they have not had seizures for at least six months. People who have undergone recent surgery may donate blood after their recovery and are back to normal activities. However, people who have recently had a transfusion may not donate blood for up to a year. Additionally, women who are pregnant cannot donate blood for six weeks after giving birth.

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis B and C medications may disqualify you from blood donation if you have a recent infection with HBV. Positive laboratory tests may also mean that you have chronic hepatitis. However, there is a safe vaccine that can prevent the spread of HBV. If you have a positive test, you should contact your health care provider for further information about the potential risks and the appropriate screening and vaccination process for your contacts.

If you take any of the following medications, you should consult your doctor about your eligibility for blood donation. People with COVID-19 vaccines can donate blood as long as they are free of symptoms at the time of donation. However, those with different versions of COVID-19 vaccines may be subject to a waiting period. Therefore, you should consult your physician before donating blood if you are uncertain whether your current medication status will disqualify you from donating blood.

In the Western Pacific and African regions, there are more than 116 million chronically infected people. The European and South-East Asia regions each have approximately fourteen million chronically infected people. The Americas, however, have a relatively low number of people infected. The disease is usually not fatal, but it may lead to severe complications and may disqualify you from donating blood.

HIV/AIDs

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS. Blood donors are screened for risk factors for HIV infection using various screening tests. Among these risk factors are the use of non-prescription IV drugs, sexual intercourse with prostitutes, getting a tattoo in an unclean environment, or sharing intimate contact with another male. If you take any of these medications, you are unlikely to be able to donate blood.

Before donating blood, a brief physical examination is performed to check for any obvious signs of illness and to check vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure, and temperature. Donors are not allowed to donate blood if they are feverish, have a high blood pressure, or have an irregular heartbeat. It is also not recommended to donate blood if you have an existing disease, even a minor one.

Those with HIV infection can be screened for the virus by taking a spit or blood test. These tests can be done in the comfort of home, at your healthcare provider’s office, or at a community testing center. If the HIV/AIDs test comes back negative, you should take retesting to ensure that you are truly HIV free. It may take a few days for a blood test to show you are not infected with HIV, but it is still better than donating without knowing the truth.

Multiple sclerosis

If you’re wondering whether Multiple sclerosis (MS) disqualifies you from donating blood, you’re not alone. While this condition does not technically disqualify you from donating blood, some blood donation centers may not accept you for various reasons. If you’re concerned about your ability to donate blood, call the center ahead of time and ask them whether they’ll accept people with MS.

The blood bank may also disqualify you if you’ve taken teriflunomide, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis. This drug can be dangerous to an unborn child, so donors with teriflunomide in their system must wait two years before they can donate blood. If you’ve never had multiple sclerosis before, you may be able to donate blood after you’ve completed the treatment.

Some other conditions may also disqualify you from donating blood, including autoimmune disorders like lupus or multiple sclerosis. People with multiple sclerosis cannot donate blood if they are taking human pituitary-derived growth hormone (HGH). In addition, people with autoimmune diseases are often advised against blood donation, since certain medicines and surgical implants may interfere with blood donation. Those with autoimmune diseases may also be taking biologics and immunosuppressive drugs, which increase their risk of infection.

Traveling to, living in, or contracting malaria

While malaria is rare in the United States, transfusion-transmitted cases of malaria can affect your ability to donate blood. To donate blood, you must have been free of malaria symptoms for at least three years. In addition, you must be free of symptoms of malaria and have lived in a country that has experienced at least one case of malaria in the last five years. In April 2020, this period will be reduced to three months.

Although there is no medical test for malaria, it is possible to tell if you have contracted the disease by visiting a country with a high malaria risk. However, you should not donate blood until it has been 12 months since you returned to a non-malaria-risk country. In addition, if you have contracted malaria while abroad, you should not donate blood until at least six months after you are fully recovered.

Although the majority of malaria cases occur in immigrants who recently traveled to countries with malaria-endemic areas, a small number of travellers from other countries have contracted the disease. It can also be present in donated blood. Although you might not experience any symptoms when you travel to a malaria-risk country, malaria-related blood transmission typically has severe symptoms and appears very quickly.

Teriflunomide

When considering blood-donating, it is important to consider whether a woman taking teriflunomide is a good candidate. This medication can cause birth defects in the fetus. Women should take effective birth control during treatment and for two years afterwards. In addition, it is important to inform your doctor if you’re planning to get pregnant. Some other blood-donating medications can cause similar problems, so you should make sure that you’re aware of any medical conditions you may have.

While teriflunomide is usually safe, you should still discuss the possibility of liver damage with your doctor. If you have liver disease or if you’ve had a severe skin reaction to another medication, you may be at risk for liver damage. Your doctor may advise you to skip this medication if these conditions are present. It’s also important to tell your doctor about any other medications you may be taking, including vitamins and herbal remedies.

Another drug to consider is leflunomide. This medication is used for treating multiple sclerosis. Donating blood while taking this drug can cause serious complications in a developing baby. It may affect the ability to clot blood, resulting in excessive bleeding and bruising. Blood-donating medications should be avoided while taking teriflunomide. The risk of an adverse reaction is small. Therefore, it’s best to consult with your doctor before you decide to donate blood.

Intravenous drug use

If you’re planning to donate blood, you may be wondering if you should wait until you’ve finished taking an intravenous drug. This is not true, but there are some things you should know before you donate. For instance, you need to wait at least two weeks after the last time you used an intravenous drug. People who have taken anti-platelet drugs (also known as blood thinners) should avoid donating blood for two to 14 days. Anti-clotting drugs, or blood thinners, like dabigatran (brand name: Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (brand name: Xarelto), apixaban (brand: Eliquis), and low molecular weight heparin products, like edoxaban and apixaban, must also wait

While malaria is rare in the United States, it is still common in some areas of the world. People who have malaria, for example, are not eligible for blood donation for three years after they have recovered. They must also have lived in malaria-prone countries for five years before they can donate. Travel history is another factor in determining eligibility. Donors from certain countries with high risk of malaria and people who have recently received blood from an infected area may be asked to wait three months after they’ve returned home.