Could a home remedy interact with a common OTC drug to make bleeding worse? Doctors might have a tough time figuring out exactly what a patient was drinking, eating or taking that led to excessive bleeding. One reader came up with a hypothesis about an unusual remedy involving pectin and grape juice for nocturia (excessive urination at night).
Pectin and Grape Juice for Nocturia:
Q. I read about a treatment for nighttime urination. The suggestion was a teaspoon of pectin in three ounces of grape juice every day.
My physician prescribed 81 mg of aspirin per day after I had a possible TIA. I didn’t think there would be a problem taking it with pectin and grape juice.
I tried half a teaspoon of pectin in 3 ounces of grape juice once a day. It worked perfectly: no middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom. Awesome!
Trouble with Nosebleeds:
However, I have had a problem with intermittent nosebleeds, which have always stopped after a short time. I had a nosebleed after starting the pectin and this one definitely did not stop quickly.
I am reducing the quantity of pectin to find the minimum level that solves the nocturia problem. The good news is that pectin and grape juice fixed a really bothersome problem for me. But the bad news is pectin and aspirin appear to prolong bleeding, at least for me.
Does Either Pectin or Grape Juice Make Bleeding Worse?
A. You have certainly thrown us a couple of curve balls. The idea of using pectin such as Certo mixed into grape juice has a reputation as arthritis remedy. We have never before heard of using it to reduce nighttime urination. Thanks for sharing this.
Aspirin, of course, is recognized as a “blood thinner.” It keeps the sticky blood platelets from clumping together to form a clot. To our surprise, purple grape juice also inhibits blood platelets (Journal of Nutrition, Jan. 2000). This may explain why the combination caused your bad nosebleed. Perhaps you could try reducing the “dose” of grape juice, since it might be adding to the effects of the aspirin.
Other Remedies for Nighttime Urination:
There are some other options for dealing with nocturia. Readers of this column report that eating a handful of raisins in the evening can be helpful. Another possibility might be consuming beets, beet soup or beet juice.
You will find details about both of these approaches along with a beet soup recipe in our eGuide to Favorite Home Remedies.
