Plavix

I have seen alot of ads for plavix as a blood thinner for people with cardio problems. It said it could be used along with an aspirin or standalone product. Obviously I don't think this would be as effective as warfarin but it doesn't have the dangerous side effects of bleeding as in warfarin either. What do you think of this medication as it relates to:

- a substitute for warfarin (plavix and aspirin)
_ just plavix without aspirin?

Thanks again.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Kevtt,

I referred to your earlier post to refresh my memory.

To my knowledge, there is no data to support stand-alone use of clopidogrel (a platelet inhibitor; Plavix) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.  While the use of clopidogrel may be effective, previous comparisons of another platelet inhibitor (aspirin) versus warfarin have demonstrated clear superiority of warfarin over aspirin for the prevention of strokes in atrial fibrillation.

Also, to say that clopidogrel does not have the side effect of bleeding is simply not correct.  The incidence of bleeding with clopidogrel is almost certainly less than that of warfarin, but the risk is still present.

Hope that helps.

[HealThySelf]

The heavy advertising of Plavix on TV is a blatant example of irresponsibility on the part of the drug industry.

This is a drug that has serious repercussions on health, serious side effects, and should only be administered to people at high risk for blood clots.

For the patient that you inquired about, it may be helpful, but they shouldn't be passing this stuff out to the general public like aspirin, which it is not.

You can't have a healthy endothelial system without healthy blood.  There is a reason for platelet aggregation and it should only be tampered with in the very high risk population.

  

[MacyMaid]

I agree.  Every time a drug company advertises their meds on TV,newspapers, magazines, the majority of the population reading this thinks it is something for them. Wrong....

The pharmaceuticals want the viewers to ask about their pills and sadly some physicians RX meds to these persistant patients that do not help or can hinder the patient.