Medications to stop before a procedure

Certain medications have to be held before spinal procedures such as epidurals, facet injections, radiofrequency ablation, sacroiliac joint injections and hip injections to name a few. The following is a list of medications that needs to be held prior to a procedure. We will give you instructions in the office as to length of time for each, however, for the several blood thinners listed below we will have to call your prescribing physician to get a letter of clearance as well as the time frame for which to stop prior to the injection. Do not hold such medication on your own. In some instances, your doctor may not allow you to discontinue the medication. If you have any questions with regards to stopping one of your medications please do not hesitate to ask Dr. Sobel or one of his staff.

This list is a sample of medications that has to be held. It is not intended to be all inclusive.

1. Aggrenox® (dipyridamole)

2. Aspirin

3. Coumadin® (warfarin)

4. Effient® (prasugrel)

5. Fragmin® (dalteparin)

6. NSAIDS (see below)

7. Herbal blood-thinning medications

8. Heparin

9. Lovenox® (enoxaparin)

10. Plavix® (clopidogrel),

11. Pradaxa® (dabigatran)

12. Ticlid® (ticlopidine)

NSAIDS (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, nabumetone, diclofenac, etodolac, indomethacin, ketorolac, meloxicam, piroxicam, ketoprofen, oxaprozin)