Long term use of plavix

[nanfitz55]

I had an MI in '05, and had a RCA stent placed. I was on plavix apox. 4 yrs because of family hx and my paranoia of another MI. I recently have been experiencing tingling and numbness in my hands upon awaking and have noticed small spider veins appearing on my thighs. I am a nurse on a MedSurg unit. I am concerned that my stent is becoming occulded. My doctor took  me off plavix Jan'10 and kept me on 325 Aspirin. My physician told me to keep some plavix on hand and take only if I have that feeling I had in '05 before my MI. I have recently done so.  My question to you is how long can you take plavix and what are impending side affects due to long term use???

[ed34]

There is no scientific evidence to support plavix having any use for stents after 12 months. You should have grown a new lining well within that time. However, there have been a few alarms raised from the US saying some people have formed clots very soon after plavix was stopped. This is now a strange time because some Doctors feel its best to take it for life, some believe 3 years, some 2 years and some 1 year. I had 5 stents put in last year and today I questioned my cardiologist if I can stop taking this medication. The answer was NO, because they feel safer in the knowledge that I am taking it, especially having had so many stents. There are no extra side effect for long term usage.
I think I would rather be on plavix and a smaller dosage of aspirin, but that's a personal thing. I would worry about the long term effects of higher dosage aspirin on my stomach.

[jrbon]

I was out of plavix 14 months after stents implant (5 too, 3 years ago). I has left with 100mg aspirin.

No problems so far.

Jesus

[kenkeith]

The risk is excessive bleeding, and the benefits don't outweigh risk after a year with aspirin and plavix regimen. Internal bledding can be deceptive and life threatening before there are any symptoms and require an emergency treatment.  

There is no medical published literature that supports excessive doses of an antiplatelet medication. I take 67mg aspirin and discontiued plavix a year after the stent implant 7 years ago. I have a totally occluded LAD, 70% occluded circumflex, and moderate to severe mitral valve regurgitation.  I don't know why someone who has several stents is higher risk than someone who has had congested heart failure.  I read one doctor who stated the plavix medication was justified because of a history of heart failure..

[cowboy345]

I have 3 stents now. I just received the 3rd. Before I got this last one, which was Sept.11,2012, I was having some of those same symtoms you described. They did a heart cath and seen that my stents were stopped up. That's when they went in there with the 3rd stent to open it up. The new one they put in was the new medicated one they have now.

[Mudflap65]

I had a doctor who would not remove my gall bladder until I got off Plavix. I talked to my cardiologist and he said he had talked to the surgeon and for me to come off the Plavix for 10 days. Three weeks after stopping Plavix for the surgery I was back in the cath lab and had a stint inserted. I do not come off Plavix for any reason now. I have 6 stints in my heart and one in my neck. Last week they would not remove my cataract because it was only 3 months since I had 2 stints inserted in my heart. Could not do it until six months had passed. I had open heart in 2004.
Jerry at 75 years old  

[Mudflap65]

I had a doctor who would not remove my gall bladder until I got off Plavix. I talked to my cardiologist and he said he had talked to the surgeon and for me to come off the Plavix for 10 days. Three weeks after stopping Plavix for the surgery I was back in the cath lab and had a stint inserted. I do not come off Plavix for any reason now. I have 6 stints in my heart and one in my neck. Last week they would not remove my cataract because it was only 3 months since I had 2 stints inserted in my heart. Could not do it until six months had passed. I had open heart in 2004.
Jerry at 75 years old  

[ed34]

From what I've read, there seem to be a variety of opinions regarding plavix. I have read some reports which give conclusive evidence showing that death rates increase from plavix+Aspirin from bleeds internally, in particular the brain. It seems a bit odd to me that when you are prescribed Warfarin, they go through a strict regime of monitoring your INR and getting the balance right. However, with Plavix+Aspirin this doesn't seem to ever happen. Surely any anticoagulant medication should require monitoring. I have no idea why you had to come off plavix for 10 days pre-surgery. My Cardiologist tells me just 24 hours is necessary because Plavix only has a half life of around 6 hours. So a 75mg daily dose would mean 38mg after 6 hours, 19mg after 12 hours and obviously just 4-5mg after 24 hours which is very low. In fact I had 2 teeth pulled on Monday this week and stopped my Plavix Sunday morning in preparation. My bleeding stopped very quickly and I was back on plavix 3 hours after.