Remember, your doctor is the single best source of information regarding your
health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health,
your medicines, or PLAVIX information.
General Questions about PLAVIX
What is PLAVIX?
PLAVIX is a prescription antiplatelet medicine that is proven to help keep platelets
in the blood from sticking together and forming clots. This helps your blood to
flow more easily, reducing the risk of a future heart attack or stroke.
What is an antiplatelet medicine?
Antiplatelet medicines help keep platelets from sticking together and forming clots,
which helps keep blood flowing. Clots are the direct cause of most heart attacks
and strokes. Doctors often prescribe antiplatelet medicines for patients who have had a heart attack or stroke or for those diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease.
What Important Risk Information should I know?
Certain genetic factors and some medicines such as Prilosec reduce the effect of PLAVIX, leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. Your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment.
Click here for additional Important Safety Information.
Do certain genetic factors affect PLAVIX?
Certain genetic factors reduce the effect of PLAVIX, leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. If you have these genetic factors, this may influence how your body responds to PLAVIX, potentially reducing its effectiveness.
Your doctor may use genetic tests to determine appropriate treatment. Don't stop taking PLAVIX without talking to your doctor, as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase.
I'm currently taking Prilosec®, can this affect how PLAVIX works?
Certain medicines like omeprazole (Prilosec®) can affect how your body breaks down PLAVIX. Your doctor may change the medicine you take for stomach acid problems while you take PLAVIX.
If you have questions about how PLAVIX works in your body, talk with your doctor about your concerns. Tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking, including prescription or over-the-counter Prilosec® or other Proton-Pump Inhibitors (PPIs).
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What are some possible serious side effects that may occur
when taking PLAVIX or PLAVIX with aspirin?
Taking PLAVIX alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may
increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. Tell your
doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you’ve had a
stroke. If fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor
promptly. These may be signs of TTP, a rare but potentially life-threatening
condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting PLAVIX.
What are the symptoms of TTP?
- purplish spots (called purpura) on the skin or in the mouth (mucous membranes) due to bleeding under the skin
- your skin or the whites of your eyes are yellow (jaundice)
- you feel tired or weak
- your skin looks very pale
- fever
- fast heart rate or feeling short of breath
- headache
- speech changes
- confusion
- coma
- stroke
- seizure
- low amount of urine, or urine that is pink or has blood in it
- stomach area (abdominal) pain
- nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- vision changes
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
Call your doctor right away if you have any of these signs or symptoms of bleeding:
- unexpected bleeding or bleeding that lasts a long time
- blood in your urine (pink, red or brown urine)
- red or black stools (looks like tar)
- bruises that happen without a known cause or get larger
- cough up blood or blood clots
- vomit blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds
Click here for additional Important Safety Information.
How may PLAVIX help protect me from a future heart attack or stroke?
Your doctor may have prescribed PLAVIX because you have had a recent heart attack
or recent stroke, or have Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.)—also known as poor
circulation in the legs. PLAVIX is proven to help keep platelets in the blood from
sticking together and forming clots—the cause of most heart attacks and strokes.
Taking PLAVIX once a day can help reduce your risk of a future heart attack or stroke,
so ask your doctor for more PLAVIX information.
How should I take PLAVIX?
- Take PLAVIX exactly as your doctor tells you.
- Do not change your dose or stop taking PLAVIX without talking to your doctor first. Stopping PLAVIX may increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.
- Take PLAVIX with aspirin as instructed by your doctor.
- You can take PLAVIX with or without food.
- If you miss a dose, take PLAVIX as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of PLAVIX at the same time unless your doctor tells you to.
- If you take too much PLAVIX, call your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
Talk with your doctor about stopping your PLAVIX before you have surgery. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking PLAVIX at least 5 days before you have surgery to avoid excessive bleeding during surgery.
What if I miss a dose?
Take PLAVIX exactly as prescribed to help reduce your risk of a future heart attack or stroke. If you miss a dose, take PLAVIX as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of PLAVIX at the same time unless your doctor tells you to.
If I’m feeling better, can I stop taking PLAVIX?
If you've had a heart attack or stroke or have P.A.D., you may be feeling better, but your risk never goes away. Do not change your dose or stop taking PLAVIX without talking to your doctor first. Stopping PLAVIX may increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.
How is PLAVIX different from my other blood pressure and cholesterol medications?
Many people take cholesterol and blood pressure medicines to help reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. PLAVIX works differently by helping to reduce your risk of a future heart attack or stroke by keeping blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots.
Always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with PLAVIX, especially if you’ve had a stroke.
See how different cardiovascular medications work using the
Understanding Heart Medications Chart.
What should I do when my PLAVIX prescription runs out?
Should your PLAVIX prescription end, ask your doctor if a refill is needed. If your doctor does not renew your prescription, make sure you ask—or fully understand—the reasons behind your doctor’s decision not to continue you on PLAVIX.
If you have questions about your PLAVIX prescription, you should feel confident asking questions, raising concerns, and seeking information from your doctor.
Why is PLAVIX the #1 prescribed antiplatelet
medicine?*
For more than 13 years, doctors have written PLAVIX prescriptions to over 115 million people. PLAVIX has been the focus of extensive research, studies,
and scientific findings. The effectiveness of PLAVIX has been proven and the safety profile supported by 3 large clinical studies involving 77,000 patients. PLAVIX is the #1 prescribed antiplatelet medicine.
* IMS Health, NPA Plus™, TRxs. February 2010.
What clinical data support the FDA-approved uses for PLAVIX?
In one clinical trial consisting of about 19,000 patients, PLAVIX was shown to be
more effective than aspirin at reducing the risk of another heart attack or stroke
for those who:
In another study involving about 12,000 patients, it was determined that PLAVIX taken
with aspirin and other heart medicines provided more protection against a future
heart attack or stroke than aspirin and other heart medicines alone for patients
who:
- had a certain type of heart attack (non–ST-segment elevation heart attack)
- were hospitalized with heart-related chest pain
Two heart attack research studies involved about 48,000 patients. These studies determined
that PLAVIX taken with aspirin goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone to
provide greater protection against a heart attack, stroke, or even death for patients
who:
- had a heart attack due to a completely blocked artery
Click here for additional Important Safety Information.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Certain genetic factors and some medicines such as Prilosec reduce the effect of PLAVIX leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. Your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. Don’t stop taking PLAVIX without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. People with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use PLAVIX. Taking PLAVIX alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk which can potentially be life-threatening. So tell your doctor when planning surgery. Tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you’ve had a stroke. If fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. These may be signs of TTP, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting PLAVIX.
Click here for US Full Prescribing Information Including BOXED WARNING
and Medication Guide
Remember, your doctor is the single best source of information regarding your health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medicine.
What to do next: Learn about heart attack
or heart-related chest pain (ACS) Get information
on stroke Find out more about P.A.D.
Already taking PLAVIX