Author: Charles Frank

Clopidogrel Plavix: Uses & Side Effects

The pink film coating contains ferric oxide, hypromellose 2910, lactose monohydrate, titanium dioxide and triacetin. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment with Plavix. It is unknown if Plavix passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby.

Clopidogrel can slow down the removal of other drugs from your body, which may affect how they work. Examples of affected drugs include repaglinide, among others. Certain genetic factors may reduce the effect of this medication. Your care team may use genetic tests to determine treatment. These can be signs that your condition has gotten worse. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.

You likely won’t have blood pressure changes while you’re taking Plavix. However, sudden drops in blood pressure may be a symptom of serious internal bleeding, which is a possible side effect of Plavix. It’s possible to have blood in your urine during Plavix treatment.

However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to suit your needs. Stents are mesh tubes that are sometimes placed into your arteries to keep the arteries open. Stents are usually placed when someone has a blockage in their artery that is stopping blood from flowing through the artery. In addition to the uses listed above, Plavix may be used off-label. Off-label drug use is when a drug that’s approved for one use is used for a different use that’s not approved.

Allergy warning

Avoid direct blows to the head, as you might be at increased risk for intracranial bleeding with head trauma. Be sure to follow your healthcare provider’s instructions for taking clopidogrel and ask questions if you need to clarify anything. CLOPIDOGREL (kloh PID oh grel) lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, or blood clots. It prevents blood cells (platelets) from clumping together to form a clot. It belongs to a group of medications called antiplatelets. Although it’s not approved for this use, Plavix is often prescribed in combination with aspirin for people who’ve had CABG surgery.

Both Plavix and Effient are often prescribed for use in combination with aspirin. These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Plavix, with Brilinta, or with both drugs (when taken individually). Both Plavix and Brilinta are often prescribed for use in combination with aspirin. The Plavix dosage your doctor prescribes will depend on the type and severity of the condition you’re using Plavix to treat. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended.

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.

1. Clopidogrel may also increase the chance of serious bleeding in some people.
2. Consider use of another platelet P2Y12 inhibitor in patients identified as CYP2C19 poor metabolizers.
3. At the end of the study, 9.9% of people taking Effient and aspirin had experienced a cardiovascular event.
4. Discontinuation of Plavix increases the risk of cardiovascular events.
5. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Easy bleeding/bruising, stomach upset/pain, diarrhea, and constipation may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication unless your doctor or pharmacist says you may do so safely. Grapefruit can increase the chance of side effects with this medicine. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use.

Plavix may not work as well if you have certain genetic factors that affect the breakdown of this medicine in your body. Your doctor may perform a blood test to make sure Plavix is right for you. You’ll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox.

It keeps platelets in your blood from attaching to each other and making blood clots. Plavix is also indicated to reduce the rate of myocardial infarction or stroke in people with recent myocardial infarction, recent stroke, or established peripheral artery disease (PAD). If you’re taking certain blood thinners, you’ll need to have frequent testing to check how quickly your blood forms clots. It works by stopping your platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous blood clots. Taking Plavix with ibuprofen (Motrin) or other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can increase your risk of serious bleeding.

What happens if I miss a dose of Plavix?

Risk factors for bleeding include concomitant use of other drugs that increase the risk of bleeding (e.g., anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, and chronic use of NSAIDs) [see DRUG INTERACTIONS]. Use of drugs that induce the activity of CYP2C19 would be expected to result in increased drug levels of the active metabolite of clopidogrel and might potentiate the bleeding risk. As a precaution, avoid concomitant use of strong CYP2C19 inducers [see DRUG INTERACTIONS and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY]. Consider the use of a parenteral antiplatelet agent in acute coronary syndrome patients requiring coadministration of morphine or other opioid agonists.

Researchers followed the people to see if they would have a stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular-related death. In comparison, 4.8% of people taking aspirin had a stroke. Plavix is approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in adults who’ve had a recent ischemic stroke. With ischemic stroke, your brain doesn’t get enough blood flow because of blocked blood vessels.

Is Plavix an anticoagulant?

No adverse effects on breastfed infants have been observed with maternal clopidogrel use during lactation in a small number of postmarketing cases. Studies in rats have shown that clopidogrel and/or its metabolites are present in the milk. When a drug is present in animal milk, it is likely that the drug will be present in human milk.

Drug forms and administration

Clopidogrel is also sometimes used to prevent blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation (a condition in which the heart beats irregularly). Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition. Clopidogrel must be changed to an active form in your body so that it can treat your condition.

Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor’s approval.

Both drugs belong to the same class of medications called platelet inhibitors. A generic form of Plavix, called clopidogrel, is available for use. However, a generic form of Brilinta is not yet available.

If you have a blood clotting disorder or other risks of bleeding, your doctor may monitor you more closely by performing blood tests while you’re taking Plavix. Otherwise, you likely won’t need to have routine blood tests to check your clotting ability. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. These lists contain examples of more common side effects that can occur with Plavix, with Effient, or with both drugs (when taken individually). These lists contain examples of more common side effects that can occur with Plavix, with Brilinta, or with both drugs (when taken individually).