PLAVIX (clopidogrel bisulfate)
Help fight back with PLAVIX

For U.S. Residents Only

Caregiver Tips

If you are caring for a heart attack or stroke patient, these 10 tips for caregivers may help support you, as you supply the help they need.

Caregiver Tips
  • Learn as much as you can about the heart attack or stroke patient's medical condition so you know what to expect, how best to help, and how to communicate effectively with his or her physician.
  • Practice patience with the heart attack or stroke patient. Understand that the person for whom you are caring may also be feeling frustrated and burdened by his or her condition. Also, acknowledge that progress takes time.
  • Accompany the heart attack or stroke patient on doctor visits. Your assistance may go beyond the drive to and from the doctor's office. If he or she agrees, you could ask questions and take notes. Talk to the doctor about his or her condition, note any progress, and be honest!
  • A heart attack or stroke patient may have trouble remembering all they need to do during recovery. Help keep track of his or her medicines (including PLAVIX), diet, exercise, and other day-to-day activities.
  • Understand that being a caregiver to a heart attack or stroke patient sometimes creates a role reversal. For instance, if you are caring for an elderly parent, you may feel as if you're the parent and he or she is the child. Be prepared to expect less and give more to someone upon whom you've always depended.
  • Make lifestyle changes with the heart attack or stroke patient, to encourage him or her. Offer to be an exercise buddy, quit smoking at the same time, or develop healthier eating habits together.
  • Go for training if the situation appears to require it. If the heart attack or stroke patient for whom you are caring is going or has gone for rehabilitation, speak to doctors, nurses, or therapists at the facility about training in the proper technique of helping someone walk or get from a wheelchair to a bed, and how to help them with their daily activities.
  • Cast your net among family and friends for help. The larger the social net of the heart attack or stroke patient, the more friends and family he or she has who are willing to be helpful. Or check out resources in your area such as church groups, support groups, and any agencies that offer services, such as home health-care or Meals on Wheels.
  • Take time off. It can be exhausting caring for a heart attack or stroke patient. Take a break and try to get out and take care of yourself. Take a long weekend and find someone to stand in for you. Get plenty of rest and exercise and eat a healthy diet.
  • Find support for you and your loved one. You may be feeling sad or blue. The heart attack or stroke patient you're caring for may also feel this way. This is understandable. Having a medical condition is difficult, and caring for someone who has one is also difficult. As a start, talk to your family doctor and discuss your feelings.
Questions for Your Doctor
Could PLAVIX help reduce your risk? Get a customizable list of questions to bring to your doctor.
Click Here

What to do next:

PLAVIX is a prescription medicine recommended for people who have suffered from a recent stroke or recent heart attack or have been diagnosed with peripheral artery disease, or P.A.D. (poor circulation in the legs).*

Always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with PLAVIX, especially if you?ve had a stroke.

*PLAVIX is not indicated for the treatment of symptoms of P.A.D.

x close

Please note: You are about to leave a Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership site.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership does not review the information on this Web site and/or database for content, accuracy or completeness. Use of and access to this information is subject to the terms, limitations and conditions set by the Web site and/or database producer.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership makes no representation as to the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained on such Web site and/or database, nor does Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership necessarily endorse such Web site and/or database.


sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC
©2008, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership.

All Rights Reserved.