It’s important to follow your doctor’s recommendations. Once you have
had a heart attack or stroke, or been diagnosed with P.A.D., your risk of a future heart attack or stroke never goes away, even if you feel better.
So ask your doctor about the importance of an antiplatelet medication like PLAVIX
as part of an ongoing plan to reduce your risk. PLAVIX starts working soon after
you take it and will continue to help protect you as long as you take it as your
doctor prescribes. To learn more about taking antiplatelet medications like PLAVIX, review our Frequently Asked Questions.
If your doctor has prescribed PLAVIX to help keep platelets from sticking together
and forming clots, here are some tips that may help you remember to take PLAVIX
daily:
Establish a routine
- Make taking PLAVIX a part of your daily routine.
- Keep your medicine in a convenient location where you’ll see it first thing
every day.
- Take it the same time, the same way, every day, and it will become second nature
to you.
Be persistent
- Follow your treatment plan carefully. This gives you the full benefit of the program
your doctor recommends to keep platelets from sticking together and forming blood
clots.
- Staying with your course of treatment to help reduce the formation of blood clots
offers you obvious health benefits. It also offers you the satisfaction and peace
of mind that comes from treating yourself well.
- Stay with your program. It’s a way of thanking everyone who cares about you:
your family, friends, and doctors. If you’ve had a heart attack or stroke your doctor may recommend
ongoing antiplatelet medication to help reduce the formation of blood clots,
since your risk of another heart attack or stroke does not go away.
Adapt to any changes in your schedule
- When you travel or when circumstances arise that can disrupt your schedule, you
may need to make a special effort to be sure you don’t forget to take your
PLAVIX pill. Write yourself a note and leave it where you’ll see it. Or ask
someone in your family to remind you.
Keep in touch with your doctor
- Your doctor is the single best source of information regarding
you and your health. Talk with your doctor about your health and the medicines you
currently take, and before starting or stopping any medicine.
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.
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