Husband quit taking plavix

[myheromylife]

Husband quit taking plavix now he may be in trouble.
On October 28Th,2007, my husband at the age of 54 had a heart attack, He had mentioned that he was overheated due to mowing the lawn however I noticed that he did not look hot at all. He was real pale. He jumped in the shower. I went and checked on him and asked him I thought you were going to take a shower? He said I did. I felt his pulse and just the feel of his skin I knew he was in trouble so I brought him two aspirins and said take these. I said I am calling for help he said no I will be alright and he locked the door and yelled just leave me alone. I unlocked the door and told him to sit up that is when I realized waiting for an ambulance was not an option the hospital is around the block from my house. He was in serious condition with 3 arteries 99%blocked and a 4Th artery partially blocked. So he was life flighted to a specialist at Queen of the valley in Napa. Dr. put 3 stints and left the partial alone. He was prescribed plavix. The surgeon said as a rule after this type of surgery he has to be faithful at the very least one year. But do not stop taking it until you consult with your Dr. my husband did just that and told me he went to talk to this Dr. and Doc asked how are you feeling ? my husband said Great. To my surprise Dr. Williams in Vallejo was very complaisant. Not even one mention of the partial blockage. He told my husband that it was my husbands choice to stop. My husband asked do you recommend it and Dr. Williams told him "sure why not" ???? We are now six months off his Plavix and have been noticing red flags in his behavior. So i made him call he left a couple of messages. Then a few weeks later we did receive the appointment rep. return call and she informed us that Dr. Williams retired approx 6 months ago. I am angry that he was so wrapped up in his retirement that he failed to see that quitting the plavix was not a good idea. So now they made a new appointment for Nov.11,2010. I feel a strong feeling that he is not going to make it that long his color looks the same as when he had his heart attack he also told me that he has been experiencing dizziness on occasions. When I asked how long he said not everyday just some for the past month. Then he said he has also been seeing black spots floating in his eyes allot. I am so scared I am going to lose him, Please advise me what to do to speed the process up to get help. I am sad that that Dr. seemed to really not care about my husbands well being. I believe he is in trouble again. Please just guide me in the right direction.

[kenkeith]

Yes, there is a generic (Clopidogrel), and I was on it for awhile.  By law it contains the same chemical ingredients.  You can search the internet for clopidogrel prices.  I found the following that is available over the internet, however, I haven't compared the generic prices with a resident drug store.

5mg × 30 pills $28.95 $0.96  
75mg × 60 pills $50.74 $0.85 $7.16
75mg × 90 pills $74.04 $0.82 $12.81
75mg × 120 pills $94.94 $0.79 $20.86
75mg × 180 pills $136.75 $0.76 $36.95

I remember buying the drug before there was a generic...outrages price!  Hope this helps, and thanks for sharing.  Take care

[amando]

does anyone buy Plavix online?  My husband needs to take it (had heart attack), but he does not have health insurance.  one month's supply is $186.00, we are buying it, but it puts a strain on our budget.  Any reliable website that i can order from?  Is generic plavix ok to take?

thanks
DER

[kenkeith]

For some insight regarding another blockage of the stented lesion only occurs with less than 1% of the stent implant population and almost exclusively within the first month after BMS (bare metal stent)  implantation. By limiting (neointimal hyperplasia, lesion buildup) within the stent, the current generation of DES (drug eluding stent) have reduced the occurrence of clinical restenosis by 50% to 70% (that would be the percent of the 1%)

However, there is concern that DES might be associated with increased risks of delayed stent thrombosis (clot at site of stent). The risk of thrombosis appears to be within a year using DES.  Plavix medication is an attrempt reduce the risk of thrombosis with a stent implant. The risk/benefit is not completely settled according to the JACC 2008, and I don't know of any relevant information to the contrary.

So going off plavix may not be of any major concern.  After my stent 7 years ago, I was on aspirin and plavix for one year.  I continue on low dose of aspirin daily.  The proability of going off plavix is very low for any current vascular problem(s).

It is more probable that opening the stented vessels have stressed other marginally vulnerable vessel segments.  However, your husband should contact a cardiologist for the present condition.  Also, if the symptoms disappear does not indicate there is not a problem, and there is a possibility some heart damage may have happened but don't cause any further symptoms until it is too late.

Hope this helps and if you have any followup questions, you are welcome to respond.  Thanks for sharing, take care.

[ireneo]

Plavix is typically prescribed after a procedure like your husband had, all those stents put in. But the stents are settled and he's healed from the surgery. However, Plavix will not stop restenosis (narrowing) of the vessels. Your husband could be building plaque again in the heart vessels, even in the stented area. Most of my heart friends see their cardio every year, some go in every 3 months to be checked. My Dad who had 4 heart attacks was monitored closely by his cardio.

Your husband doesn't like being sick and we all understand that. But ignoring it won't help. It could get a lot worse that way. Better to nip it in the bud.

Is he taking aspirin daily? I do hope he stays stable till the appt.

[ed34]

well, the plavix thing should be fine. he has been on the medication a long time.
has anyone looked at his blood pressure?