What are the four classes of anticoagulants?

Anticoagulants may be divided into four main groups: coumarins and indandiones; factor Xa inhibitors; heparins; and direct thrombin inhibitors.

What is the difference between an anticoagulant and an antiplatelet?

There are two classes of antithrombotic drugs: anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs. Anticoagulants slow down clotting, thereby reducing fibrin formation and preventing clots from forming and growing. Antiplatelet agents prevent platelets from clumping and also prevent clots from forming and growing.

What is the difference between thrombolytic drugs and anticoagulants?

To break a clot, you need a thrombolytic like tPA or Streptokinase. Antiplatelets, as the name implies, work by preventing platelets from clumping and forming a clot. Anticoagulants don’t work on platelets. They do their work by inhibiting clotting factors which are part of the coagulation cascade.

Is anticoagulant a classification?

Different types or classes of anticoagulants There are different types of anticoagulants, and they are classified by how they affect the normal coagulation pathway (see the mechanism of action section). The different classes are: Vitamin K antagonists (coumarin anticoagulants) Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH)

What is the best anticoagulant?

Warfarin is perhaps the best-known anticoagulant medicine. For many years, warfarin (brand names Coumadin, Marevan) was the only oral anticoagulant available. It may be needed for a short time or, in many cases, for life.

What is the most common anticoagulant?

The most commonly prescribed anticoagulant is warfarin. Newer types of anticoagulants are also available and are becoming increasingly common. These include: rivaroxaban (Xarelto) dabigatran (Pradaxa) apixaban (Eliquis)

What drugs are anticoagulant?

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet are the two classes of antithrombotic drugs used to treat thrombosis. Some examples of anticoagulant drugs are heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, apixaban, and rivaroxaban while the two types of antiplatelets are aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor used in dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

What is the most common blood thinner?

The most common blood thinner is aspirin, an antiplatelet drug that has been recognized as a blood thinner since the middle of the 20th century. Often, a daily dose of aspirin is the only required cardiac medicine for people who are at risk for heart attack, stroke or heart disease.