Medication Deferral List
Some medications may affect your eligibility to donate blood.
Please tell us if you...
Are being treated with the
following types of
medications....
or have taken.... which is also called.... anytime in the last....
Anti-platelet agents
(usually taken to prevent stroke
or heart attack)
Feldene piroxicam 2 days
Effient prasugrel
14 days
Brilinta ticagrelor
Plavix clopidogrel
Ticlid ticlopidine
Zontivity vorapaxar
Anticoagulants or “blood
thinners” (usually to prevent
blood clots in the legs and lungs
and to prevent strokes)
Xarelto rivaroxaban
7 days
Fragmin delteparin
Lovenox enoxaparin
Pradaxa dabigatran
Eliquis apixaban
Savaysa edoxaban
Coumadin
Warfilone
Jantoven
warfarin
Heparin,
low molecular weight heparin
heparin
Arixtra fondaparinux
Acne treatment
Accutane
Amnesteem
Absorica
Claravis
Myorisan
Sotret
Zenatane
isotretinoin
1 month
Hair loss remedy Propecia finasteride
Prostate symptoms
Proscar finasteride
Avodart
Jalyn
dutasteride 6 months
Basal cell skin cancer Erivedge vismodegib 2 years
Relapsing multiple sclerosis Aubagio teriflunomide 2 years
Psoriasis
Soriatane acitretin 3 years
Tegison etretinate Ever
Hepatitis exposure Hepatitis B Immune Globulin HBIG 12 months
Experimental Medication or Unlicensed (Experimental) Vaccine
12 months, or as
indicated by Medical
Director
Growth hormone from human pituitary glands* Ever
Insulin from Cows (Bovine or Beef Insulin) manufactured in the United Kingdom* Ever
Stroke prevention Aggrenox dipyridamole 14 days
* No longer available in US
Do Not discontinue medications prescribed or recommended by your physicians in order to donate blood.
©2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research MC1402-50rev0717
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MC1402-50rev0717
Some medications affect your eligibility as a blood donor, for the following reasons:
Anti-platelet agents affect platelet function, so people taking these drugs should not donate platelets for the indicated time; however, you may
still be able to donate whole blood.
Anticoagulants or “blood thinners” are used to treat or prevent blood clots in the legs, lungs, or other parts of the body, and to prevent strokes.
These medications affect the blood’s ability to clot, which might cause excessive bruising or bleeding when you donate.
Isotretinoin, finasteride, dutasteride acitretin and etretinate can cause birth defects. Your donated blood could contain high enough levels to
damage the unborn baby if transfused to a pregnant woman. Once the medication has been cleared from your blood, you may donate again.
Erivedge (Vismodegib), Aubagio (teriflunomide) can cause birth defects or the death of an unborn baby if transfused to a pregnant woman.
Once the medication has been cleared from your blood, you may donate again.
Growth hormone from human pituitary glands was prescribed for children with delayed or impaired growth. The hormone was obtained
from human pituitary glands, which are in the brain. Some people who took this hormone developed a rare nervous system condition called
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD, for short).
Insulin from cows (bovine, or beef, insulin) is an injected medicine used to treat diabetes. If this insulin came to the United States from the
United Kingdom (where “mad cow disease” has occurred) it could contain material from cattle that have “mad cow disease.” Although no cases
of the human type of “mad cow disease” have been reported in people treated with bovine (beef) insulin, there is concern that someone exposed
to “mad cow disease” through beef insulin could transmit it to someone who receives their blood.
Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) is an injected material used to prevent hepatitis B infection following a possible or known exposure to
hepatitis B. HBIG does not prevent hepatitis B infection in every case, therefore, persons who have received HBIG must wait to donate blood.
Experimental Medication or Unlicensed (Experimental) Vaccine is usually associated with a research study, and the effect on the safety of
transfused blood is unknown.
Donors Should Not discontinue medications prescribed or recommended by their physician in order to donate blood.
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