Medications when donating blood

You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation. Unable to Give Blood? Consider volunteering or hosting a blood drive through the Red Cross. Your gift enables the Red Cross to ensure an ongoing blood supply, provide humanitarian support to families in need and prepare communities by teaching lifesaving skills.

Most chronic illnesses are acceptable as long as you feel well, the condition is under control, and you meet all other eligibility requirements. Wait if you have a fever or a productive cough bringing up phlegm.

Wait if you do not feel well on the day of donation. Wait until you have completed antibiotic treatment for sinus, throat or lung infection. Learn more about CJD. See under Travel Outside of U. Learn more about vCJD and blood donation. Acceptable after dental procedures as long as there is no infection present. Wait until finishing antibiotics for a dental infection. Wait for 3 days after having oral surgery. First-time male donors may be eligible to donate blood if they have not had sex with another man in more than 3 months.

All additional blood donation eligibility criteria will apply. Donors who were previously deferred under the prior MSM policy will be evaluated for reinstatement. It is important to understand that the donor reinstatement process involves potentially thousands of donors, and it will take time. Individuals with questions about their donation eligibility can contact the Red Cross Donor and Client Support Center at For the purposes of blood donation gender is self-identified and self-reported, which is relevant to the transgender community.

Consider volunteering , or hosting a blood drive through the Red Cross. In general, acceptable as long as you have been medically evaluated and treated, have no current within the last 6 months heart related symptoms such as chest pain and have no limitations or restrictions on your normal daily activities.

Wait at least 6 months after a change in your heart condition that resulted in a change to your medications. If you have a pacemaker, you may donate as long as your pulse is between 50 and beats per minute and you meet the other heart disease criteria.

You should discuss your particular situation with your personal healthcare provider and the health historian at the time of donation. Acceptable if you have a heart murmur as long as you have been medically evaluated and treated and have not had symptoms in the last 6 months and have no restrictions on your normal daily activities. American Red Cross does not accept individuals with hemochromatosis as blood donors.

Learn more about Hematocrit here. In order to donate blood, a woman must have a hemoglobin level of at least Separate requirements for hemoglobin level apply for Power Red. When you come to donate blood at the American Red Cross, we measure your blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and hemoglobin because the results provide information about your current health at the time of your donation. The Red Cross does not diagnose medical conditions or offer treatment.

Physical exam results vary throughout the day. Stress, nutrition, illness, hydration, weight, activity, environment and even consumption of certain ingredients for example, salt or caffeine may affect the results of the physical exam. If you have signs or symptoms of hepatitis inflammation of the liver caused by a virus, or unexplained jaundice yellow discoloration of the skin , you are not eligible to donate blood. If you ever tested positive for hepatitis B or hepatitis C, at any age, you are not eligible to donate, even if you were never sick or jaundiced from the infection.

If you live with or have had sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis, you must wait 12 months after the last contact. Persons who have been detained or incarcerated in a facility juvenile detention, lockup, jail, or prison for 72 hours or more consecutively 3 days are deferred for 12 months from the date of last occurrence.

This includes work release programs and weekend incarceration. These persons are at higher risk for exposure to infectious diseases. Wait 3 months after receiving a blood transfusion unless it was your own "autologous" blood , non-sterile needle stick or exposure to someone else's blood.

Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms and prevention of osteoporosis are eligible to donate. Acceptable if you were vaccinated for influenza, pneumonia, tetanus or meningitis, providing you are symptom-free and fever-free. Includes the Tdap vaccine. The second shot is administered months after the first shot. This distinguishes it from Zostavax, the live shingles vaccine, which is given as a single dose shot and requires a 4-week deferral.

Wait 21 days after immunization for hepatitis B as long as you are not given the immunization for exposure to hepatitis B. If you have a fever or an active infection, wait until the infection has resolved completely before donating blood. Wait until finished taking oral antibiotics for an infection bacterial or viral. Wait 10 days after the last antibiotic injection for an infection. Donors with diabetes who take any kind if insulin are eligible to donate as long as their diabetes is well controlled.

Wait 3 months after using IV drugs that were not prescribed by a physician. This requirement is related to concerns about hepatitis and HIV. Malaria is transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes found in certain countries and may be transmitted to patients through blood transfusion. Blood donations are not tested for malaria because there is no sensitive blood test available for malaria. If you have traveled or lived in a malaria-risk country, we may require a waiting period before you can donate blood.

If you have traveled outside of the United States and Canada, your travel destinations will be reviewed at the time of donation. Please, come prepared to discuss your travel details when you donate. You may download the travel form and bring it with you to help in the assessment of your travel. You can call to speak with an eligibility specialist about your travel. The FDA has developed guidelines on deferrals due to medications.

Pharmacists can utilize these guidelines as well as their drug knowledge to both reduce unnecessary deferrals and ensure the safety of donors and recipients. Blood donation centers in the United States collect over Even though the deferral is only temporary in most cases, it discourages volunteers, who often do not return to donate blood.

One study found that Healthy individuals who are over the age of 17 years 16 years if they have a signed parental consent and weigh at least lb can be screened further for donation eligibility. In addition to checking for recent travel outside the U. Blood from donors on medication may contain drugs that could pose a risk for the recipient or affect the quality of the transfusion.

The loss of high numbers of donors underscores the need for healthcare professionals to screen donors more comprehensively before deferral. One of the first papers on this issue was published in and updated in Various factors affect the final decision to defer, including 9 :. Types of Blood Transfusions: In the early days of medicine, whole blood was used in transfusions. With improvements in medical technology, it is now possible to isolate different components of blood and transfuse only what is required, including red blood cells, platelets, plasma, or granulocytes.

Red blood cell transfusions are the most common type used, whereas granulocyte infusions are fairly uncommon. Information on the type of transfusion the blood is being drawn for may affect deferral, since not all drugs affect all types of infusions.

For example, the presence of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel in donor blood will only affect a platelet infusion; therefore, the donor may not have to be deferred if a plasma-only transfusion is required. The following paragraphs discuss the drugs that may result in deferral of a blood donation. Teratogenic, Fetotoxic, and Embryotoxic Drugs: Generally, donors taking drugs that may be teratogenic, fetotoxic, or embryotoxic to pregnant women, including retinoids, thalidomide, valproic acid, and vitamin K antagonists, are deferred.

It has been suggested that donors who have a concentration of more than 0. It takes 28 plasma elimination half-lives from the last dose for the drug concentration to fall below this level. They are Pregnancy Category X drugs, and therefore deferral is recommended for blood donors on either of these medications.

Retinoids: Retinoids such as isotretinoin, acitretin, and etretinate are commonly used to manage dermatologic conditions. Isotretinoin inhibits the function of the sebaceous gland and is indicated for the treatment of severe, recalcitrant cystic acne. It is a Pregnancy Category X drug that can cause neurologic and cardiovascular abnormalities in the unborn fetus.

Etretinate Tegison; no longer available in the U. Acitretin Soriatane is regulated by the Do Your P. The manufacturer of acitretin recommends that patients taking the drug wait for 3 years after the last dose before they donate blood.

Inhibitors of Platelet Aggregation: It has been shown that there are a considerable number of donors who have taken medications that affect platelet activity. Some states allow legal minors to donate with parental permission.

You must be in good health and able to pass the physical and a confidential health-history assessment to help make sure blood donation is safe for both you and the recipient of the blood. Those who have tested positive for COIVD antibodies but didn't have a diagnostic test and never developed symptoms can donate without a waiting period or having a diagnostic test done before donation.

Travel to some countries may make you ineligible to donate blood for varying periods of time, depending on whether certain diseases, such as malaria, are common in the country visited. The criteria concerning foreign travel are subject to change, so please discuss your eligibility with donor center staff.

You may be eligible to donate, depending on your condition. Donation is acceptable after routine teeth cleaning or dental work.

Most medications do not prevent you from donating blood. Common medications — such as those used to control blood pressure, birth control pills and over-the-counter medications — do not affect your eligibility. If you plan to donate platelets, you need to have stopped using aspirin or any aspirin-containing medicine 48 hours before your appointment.

If you're taking antibiotics, you must complete the course before donating. For more information about other medications, contact the Blood Donor Program. If you made the injections of growth hormone at any time in your life, you are completely disqualified as a blood donor. To be more precise, you should stay away from Aubagio. Nevertheless, this med is considered dangerous unless the researches prove it to be safe. Active components of Aubagio will completely fade away from your blood only in about two years.

Most drugs do not have a serious impact on the quality of your blood. Most antibiotics, birth control pills, and blood pressure treatments are acceptable. Working Hours 12 am-7 pm. Acne Drugs They all contain isotretinoin, which is very helpful for the severe cases of skin conditions. Hair Loss Pills Finasteride is the main component of the drugs destined to help you restore your hair and deal with benign prostatic hypertrophy. Psoriasis Meds Stay away from acitretin containing medications.

Thrombosis Medications They are used in cases if you suffer from atrial fibrillation or blood clots.