What does clopidogrel do for the heart?

The clot can stop blood flowing to the heart or brain and cause a heart attack or stroke. If you take it every day, clopidogrel stops platelets clumping together to form unwanted blood clots. This helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Clopidogrel works within 2 hours of taking it.

How long should you be on clopidogrel for?

Clopidogrel and low-dose aspirin

The key question for your doctor is whether the benefits outweigh the extra risk. This combination treatment is prescribed for a limited period of time, usually up to a maximum of 12 months.

What should you not take with clopidogrel?

Clopidogrel may interact with other medications

• Diabetes drug. In most cases, repaglinide should not be taken with clopidogrel. ...
• Stomach acid drugs (proton pump inhibitors) ...
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ...
• Blood thinners.
• Drugs used to treat depression. ...
• Salicylates (aspirin) ...
• Opioids.

What is the best time to take clopidogrel?

You can take clopidogrel at whatever time of day you find easiest to remember, but take your doses at the same time of day each day. Most people prefer to take it in the morning, as they find this helps them to remember to take it regularly. You can take the tablet either before or after a meal.

Does clopidogrel affect the heart?

Plavix is approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people who've had a recent heart attack. Heart attacks occur when your heart doesn't get enough blood flow because of blocked blood vessels or other heart problems. This results in a lack of oxygen in your heart muscle and causes damage in your heart.

What is Clopidogrel?

What is the most serious adverse effect of clopidogrel?

The main side effect of clopidogrel is bleeding more easily than normal. You may have nosebleeds, heavier periods, bleeding gums or bruising. You can drink alcohol with clopidogrel.

Is it safe to take clopidogrel long term?

Safety Announcement

[ 11-06-2015 ] A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review has determined that long-term use of the blood-thinning drug Plavix (clopidogrel) does not increase or decrease overall risk of death in patients with, or at risk for, heart disease.

Does clopidogrel affect sleep?

The organic nitrates (isosorbide) and the antiplatelet agents (acetylsalicylic acid, clopidogrel) are among the most prescribed drugs in cardiology and are not cited as causing insomnia or sleepiness.

What are the most common side effects of clopidogrel?

Clopidogrel may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• excessive tiredness.
• headache.
• dizziness.
• nausea.
• vomiting.
• stomach pain.
• diarrhea.
• nosebleed.

Should aspirin and clopidogrel be taken together?

Aspirin combined with clopidogrel has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in patients at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as in those with acute coronary syndrome.

Which is better aspirin or clopidogrel?

Clopidogrel is another guideline‐recommended antiplatelet agent²¹ and has been shown to be superior to aspirin in preventing composite vascular events and reducing hemorrhagic complications in a randomized controlled trial, CAPRIE (Clopidogrel versus Aspirin in Patients at Risk of Ischaemic Events).

Which is safer aspirin or clopidogrel?

Aspirin combined with the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel is no better than aspirin alone for stroke prevention in people with a history of lacunar strokes, and the combination carries a greater risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to results of a trial funded by the National Institutes of Health.

What is the difference between aspirin and clopidogrel?

Aspirin and Plavix (clopidogrel bisulfate) are drugs used to prevent blood clots. Aspirin and Plavix belong to different drug classes. Plavix is an anticoagulant and aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

How do you know if clopidogrel is working?

Talk to a pharmacist or your doctor before buying any over-the-counter medicine to check if it is compatible with clopidogrel. You may notice that you bruise or bleed more easily and it will take longer to stop bleeding while you are taking clopidogrel. This shows that clopidogrel is working.

Can you drink alcohol when taking clopidogrel?

️ Yes (within the recommended limits). Alcohol doesn't affect clopidogrel itself, but just be aware that drinking alcohol can irritate your stomach lining. This could increase the risk of getting a bleeding in the stomach.

Does clopidogrel affect the kidneys?

Conclusions. In summary, among patients hospitalized with ACS and treated with clopidogrel, lower levels of kidney function were associated with a greater risk of death, hospitalization for AMI, and major bleeding.

Can clopidogrel cause anxiety?

headache, fever, weakness, feeling tired; little or no urination; a seizure; low blood sugar--headache, hunger, sweating, irritability, dizziness, fast heart rate, and feeling anxious or shaky; or.

Is clopidogrel a blood thinner?

Clopidogrel (Plavix) is a blood thinner that's used to prevent heart attack and stroke in people who are at higher risk for those events.

Does clopidogrel make you gain weight?

Weight changes, including weight loss, are not commonly seen with Plavix. However, Plavix has been shown to cause loss of taste in a few individuals within the first two to eight weeks of taking the medication. Patients who lose their sense of taste may also have decreased appetite, leading to weight loss.

Does clopidogrel cause leg cramps?

It frequently occurs in the legs and often causes claudication or pain in the legs upon walking. Plavix is used to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in these patients.

Does clopidogrel cause joint pain?

Arthralgia and backache are also known to occur with its use. There have been case reports linking arthritis with the use of clopidogrel. We describe the case of a 64-year-old man who reported symptoms of fever and joint pains following initiation of therapy with clopidogrel.

Is it safe to stop clopidogrel after one year?

Contrary to some recent reports indicating a full 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unnecessary, a large Danish registry study shows that halting clopidogrel after 1 year raises the risk of death and reinfarction in myocardial infarction (MI) patients.

Does clopidogrel affect blood sugar?

These results could indicate that clopidogrel has glucose lowering effect and the FSG level in placebo treated group significantly elevated after the same course of treatment.

Is clopidogrel a statin?

Statins are lipid-lowering agents, whereas clopidogrel is an antiplatelet agent. Clinicians commonly prescribe both medications for patients to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).