Policosanol

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jul 13, 2024.

What are other common names?

• 32-C
• Cotricontanol
• Dotriacontanol
• Heptaconsanol
• Hexacosanol
• Nonacosanol
• Octacosanol
• Polycosanol
• Tetracosanol
• Tetratriacontanol
• Triacontanol
• Tétracosanol
• Tétratraicontanol

What is this product used for?

Policosanol may help to prevent blood clots and to help with circulation. It may also help lower cholesterol in certain people based on their genes.

What are the precautions when taking this product?

• Always check with your doctor before you use a natural product. Some products may not mix well with other drugs or natural products.

• This product may interfere with some lab tests. Be sure to talk with your doctor about this and all drugs you are taking.

• Be sure to tell your doctor that you take this product if you are scheduled for surgery or tests.

• Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on getting pregnant, or are breastfeeding. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using this natural product.

• Take extra care if you are taking drugs to thin your blood. These are drugs like warfarin, heparin, or enoxaparin.

• Take extra care if you are taking drugs to dissolve blood clots. These are drugs like alteplase, reteplase, or streptokinase.

• Take extra care if you are taking drugs to help with swelling or inflammation. These are drugs like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen.

• Take extra care if you are taking drugs for high blood pressure. These are drugs like captopril, atenolol, furosemide, and amlodipine.

• Take extra care and check with your doctor if you have:

  • Bleeding problems

  • Blood pressure problems

What should I watch for?

• Weight loss

• Trouble sleeping

• Rash

• Feeling very tired

• Too much urine or trouble passing urine

When do I need to call the doctor?

• Signs of a very bad reaction. These include wheezing; tightness in the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat. Go to the ER right away.

• Very bad throwing up

• Very bad loose stools

• Very bad headache

• Bruising or bleeding that is not normal

• Changes in your menstrual periods like lots of bleeding, spotting, or bleeding between cycles

Last Reviewed Date

2024-09-01

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