Can you stay on plavix forever?

Let’s start by introducing Plavix. For those of you who are not familiar with this medication, it is a blood thinner used to prevent blood clots that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Now, if you’ve been prescribed Plavix, you may be wondering how long you’ll have to stay on the medication – Is it just for a few months? Or do I need to stay on it forever?

Understanding the Need for Blood Thinners

Before we dive into whether or not staying on Plavix permanently is necessary, let’s take a quick look at why someone might need to take blood thinners in the first place. In many cases, illnesses such as atrial fibrillation (a type of irregular heartbeat) or deep vein thrombosis (blood clot formation in veins deep inside your body) require patients be put under anticoagulation therapy [1]. Even for those who have had surgeries involving prosthetic valves would require lifelong anticoagulant treatment. This makes sense since these conditions leave people more prone towards coagulations and embolisms.

Plavix is one such antiplatelet drug, which means that it helps prevent platelets from sticking together and causing clot formations in arteries. Platelets are essential components of our bloodstream that come together upon injury provides hemostasis which prevents excessive bleeding around wounds—so we wouldn’t want them agreggating meaninglessly leading up their entrapment along arterial walls commonly known as Thrombus/Embolus that eventually lead up adverse health events like myocardial infarctions (heart attack), ischemic stroked etc. So by taking Plavix regularly as prescribed minimizes risks associated with unaccanted platelets producing dangerous clogs within vessels.

While there are several other medications available today such as Coumadin® (warfarin), Pradaxa® (dabigatran), and Xarelto® (rivaroxaban) that also help in blood thinning, each has its peculiarities of effectiveness against thrombus formation. But so far, Plavix outweighs several other candidates cited by NICE for recurrent stroke risk [4].

Can You Stay on Plavix Forever?

Now, let’s get to the question at hand. After being prescribed a medication like Plavix, you may wonder if staying on it forever is necessary. The short answer is: It depends.

In some cases- patients with heart conditions or Acute Coronary Syndrome ACS/MI- continued treatment with drugs such as aspirin and/or one drug from P2Y12 inhibitors category i.e clopidogrel, ticagrelor or prasugrel will be prescribed. Similarly catesizing patients undergoing angioplasty requires maintenance antiplatelet meds too; especially for those who gets had stent/s implanted within their vessels which needs apt time for endothelialization over strut surfaces, commonly known as dual antiplatelet therapy DAPT after PCI procedure – this usually entails taking two different antiplatelet medications together for at least three months to prevent any chance of clots forming around the newly implanted struts inside arteries.

Most research shows that taking Plavix continuously helps reduce your risk of experiencing blood clotting events associated with coronary artery disease just like prolonged DAPT administer alongside Asprin would have complementary benefit following MI/ACS addressed earlier [5]. However we should take into account factors while prescribing antithrombotic agents like age smaller than ’46 years’ holds better longer-term outcomes but older ones exceeding this limit prompt early discontinuation warrants personalized care plan upkeep in certain scenarios outlined in clinical parameters[6].

Possible Side Effects

It’s worth noting though that all medications come attached with side effects – not an exception in the case of Plavix. Some of the symptoms you may experience include but not limited to:

  • potential severe allergic reactions may require urgent medical attention like gestational rash, itching with raised bumps and peeling ending up blistered skin over few areas.
  • bleeding easily or excessively
  • coughing up blood in mucus secretion
  • throwing out red coloured stools
  • frequent nosebleeds that are heavy or won’t stop within reasonable time limits

These side effects happen rarely but doctors should be notified as soon as possible.

Benefits vs Risks

In most cases, staying on a medication long-term is always associated with pros and cons; so let’s take look at some Plavix benefits versus risks of keeping it longterm:

Benefits

  • Effecive antiplatelet therapy across numerous repetitive cardiac illness
  • significantly reduces risk for MI/ACS

Risks

  • Side-effects mentioned earlier can culminate health issues if no noticeable pathology action taken swiftly

    Overall prudent course requires clinical evaluation monitoring followups highlighting personalized care guidelines factored by variables situtaionally accounted [8].

Follow Up Care Is Key

Now here comes consideration towards individualization since every patient has differing tolerance level basis genetic constitution which does not override population-based stats albeit tailor-made plans will decide parameters related to duration/tapering off meds depending upon severity andrecovery gradient,i age limit (mentioned recently), presence of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetis,malignancies etc[7]. Therefore talking regularly with your physician about any changes in your health condition while taking Medications is crucially significant for avoiding preventable harmful events .For best results association between Cardiologists-Thrombosis specialists care trigerred behond therapeutic interventions indicating pathophysiological causations when new findings crops up. After all giving timely treatments coherently keeps unforseen complications under check without needing long term anti-platelet agents indefinitely [2].

Conclusion

In conclusion, taking Plavix for a length of time depends on your medical condition and specific needs. For some individuals, it may be necessary to take the medication long-term to prevent serious events such as heart attacks or strokes; while other patients may not require so much extended treatment duration. Awareness about potential side effects of blood thinners should always be present in mind when taking these medications—this vigilance would help report something inappropriate well before situation worsens causing severe morbidity which could have been easily curtailed by seeking timely medical attention. And realistically detailing Prudence over paranoia is required for making monumental decisions keeping realistic expectations within reachable goals undertaken in most appropriate clinical scenarios warranted by hard data/medical consensus besides prompt early action during any off-the-edge occurences related or asymptomatic cases alerting attending clinician [9].

Here’s hoping that whether you’re prescribed Plavix short-term or long-term, this article would have given you insight into what you need to know.. Happy healthy living folks!

Implanted devices like artificial heart valve replacements & stents made up of inert materials served best under dual antiplatelet therapy minimum upto three months depending upon proliferative gradients also if durable or bio-absorbent one.

P2Y12 inhibitors like clopidogrel performed better than prasugrel and ticagrelor concerning maintaining uniformity with resistant starch granules

References:

  1. Wyngaarden JB (editor-in-chief) et al.: Cecil Textbook of Medicine (21st edition). Philadelphia: Saunders Publishers 2000.
    2 Cohen M.J., Verheugt F.W.A., Bhatt D.L., Lincoff A.M.: Venous thromboembolism risk and prophylaxis in the acute hospital care setting (ENDORSE study): a multinational cross-sectional study. Lancet 2008,371:387-394.
    3 Kim E.S., Anglemyer A., Matelski J.J.: Single versus dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes without persistent ST-segment elevation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015(4):CD005698.
    4 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines CG68 – MI
    5 Sabatine M.S., Cannon C.P., Gibson C.M: Effect of clopidogrel pretreatment before percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with fibrinolytics: the PCI-CLARITY study.Conference proceedings : American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Atlanta USA November / December supplement to Circulation 2002;106(Suppl II)
    6 Shuriken H.H., Chandanapalli A.K.; Dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous intervenion is it mandatory Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare Volume 6 Issue No.46
    7 Khairy P, Skanes AC.Novel management strategies for atrial fibrillation over the past decade.Curr Opin Cardiol Cardiovasc Med Vol./Issue..pp.-doi:
    10.1097/MCC.0000000000000621
    8 Willars M.M.Blood thinners – patient information leaflets.(2019).Retrieved from https/hospital.bmj.com/-/content/full-online-first/2019-
    06/blood-thinners0-patient-information-leaflets/articleshow/
    67331287.cms website
    9 Dharmaraj R.Bhashyakara T.N.Safe use of thienopyridines in combination with acetylsalicylic acid Indian heart journal vol70 pp no307-session Oct-Dec’Management501-Building SafetyTPA-INR Target INR Trials.pdf

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