Bee pollen may interact with anticoagulant medication

The report describes that a 71-year-old man attended a warfarin therapy monitoring consultation, when an INR value compatible with a high risk of bleeding was detected.

You had been taking constant medication with warfarin and other medications for more than 9 months. The monitoring values throughout these months were within normal limits, and therefore all possibilities of interaction with warfarin were studied.

They ended up discovering that the patient had started taking, a month before the appointment, a spoonful of bee pollen granules (twice a day). It is suspected that some pollen components – flavonoids – with the ability to inhibit the liver enzymes CYP2C9, have led to an increase in the amount of warfarin in the blood, which is why the risk of bleeding has increased.

Despite the explanation of the risk of interaction between bee pollen and warfarin, the patient insisted on continuing to consume it, so it was necessary to reduce the weekly dose of warfarin. The patient continued to be monitored and eventually stabilized.

Anyone who may be taking therapy with this anticoagulant and also consume bee pollen is warned about the risk of interaction. It should also be added that other medications, such as some antihypertensives, some antidepressants, and even some medications for diabetes, may also be the target of this interaction.

Bibliography:

Hurren, K. M.; Lewis, C.L. Probable interaction between warfarin and bee pollen. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 2010 67:2034-2037.