As a plavix patient I am scared of bleeding not from an ulcer but recently got a accidental dog bite and it swelled with a hematoma over 1″ high and after 1 1/2 months is still apparent. If I had a trauma elsewhere, like in a car accident, I may not survive. I asked the doctor why 75 mg. had to be given to anyone, no matter your size? Ans. was only one and that’s how it works they have researched. So I took it 3 times a week, long before the bite and it still had bad results. Why no tests like coumadin or heparin? Why no smaller doses? And my cardiologist has me on 325mg of asprin, ASA, each day. He did a heart stent after I was not diagnosed for 5 days with a heart attack. No angioplasty was mentioned as an option. That was 2003 December, been on plavix ever since.

I had a second minor heart attack in Dec. 2003. Have been on plavix for 12 months, getting my Rx thru the VA. On the 12th mo. date they stopped allowing the Plavix.Said it was not approved for a longer period.I am also taking a 325 coated aspirin daily. My body has been checked with CT’s, MRI,PET etc and no adverse effects have been brought to my attention.I feel as well as I should at my age. I am now in the process of discussing this with my Primary.

We also had a similar situation as Donna Rivera. My husband had a stint in September. He too was put on Plavix, but was never monitored by his doctor. Less than 3 weeks later he had a hematoma on the right side of his brain. We too had to wait 4 stressful days for the plavix to leave his system before the surgery could take place. Throughout this time he was having extreme headaches, had to be kept calm so his blood pressure wouldn’t rise and kill him. Not to mention the stress it caused all of the family members. The surgeon told me the same thing. The plavix caused it and that he had seen alot of these cases. What is this drug doing on the market? Perhaps its time for a lawyer to look into it.

I’ve been on Plavix since the 26th March 2003 after suffering a stroke. I do not like to take medicine first thing in the am until I’ve had breakfast. If I’m in a rush and haven’t time for breakfast then I eat a banana, followed by my medicine. Plavix can be taken with food. So far no bleeding/ulcers and I’ve had a molar removed recently. I was instructed to go off Plavix for 5 days prior to the oral surgery. I healed quickly and had very little bleeding. I am allergic to aspirin.

My mother who was 61 had to have 3 stents put in due to blockages 9 motha ago. She was put on Plavix along with asprin.
She allready suffered with high blood pressure for years. About 2 months ago she started burisng very badly for no reason, then she had a nose bleed that would not stop. The doctors did an MRI and said she had a mini stroke but not to worry. The following week she started having severe headaches that would last day and night and could not control her blood pressure..
May 25, 2006 my mom died from a intracranial hemorrhage , which the doctor told us would not have happened if she was not on Plavix.
I have found other people online who have lost love ones from this drug WHY IS IT STILL BEING USED MORE RESEARCH NEEDS TO BE DONE ON THIS DRUG BEFORE BEING GIVEN TO PEOPLE. I lost my mom to this drug lets stop it from happening to someone else

Ms. Puleo & Ms. Rivera. WE SHOULD TALK! Unfortunately, I know exactly what you have been through and I know why. My father passed away on October 10, 2005. Cause of death…intracranial hemorrhage. Not one but two very large spontaneous hemorrhages in two different areas of his brain. He had been taking aspirin and Plavix for 4 months. I have done hours of my own research in an attempt to simply understand the “why” behind my father’s death. I have a stack of research three inches thick. The one thing that it keeps coming back to is Plavix. It affects the platelets in the body for the remainder of the lifespan of that platelet which is around the ballpark of 10 days. There is no reversal drug. My father also had a severe headache preceeding the hemorrhage and his surgery also had to be delayed while he received transfusions of platelets. I encourage you to request a copy of your family members’ medical records. I am willing to share with you the research I have found. I have not contacted an attorney yet because I have made every attempt to “let it go” and try to go on with my life. However, something won’t let me let this go and I do intend to share my information with an attorney, especially now that I see that I am not alone in my concerns and suspicions. The drug company has made billions of dollars off of this “miracle drug” and the excpense of the loss of our loved ones. Let it not be in vain. Our stories just may save the loved one of someone else.

Ms Davis, we should talk, i have done some research into plavix as well, my sister and brother in-laws are doctors, i have found that doctors are already aware of the fact that people can possibly die from intracranial hemorrhage, it was only 1% of people but a new study has increased it to 4% of people. Do to the fact that this is stated in the informtion given with the drug,( however no one really read the fine print) this is how the drug companies and doctors justify the possible dangers. Unfortunely alot of people taking this drug are unaware of this risk. I am not sure what can be done to stop this drug from being so widey given it actually was the #1 money making drug in the US last year.

As an ICU nurse I have witnessed otherwise healthy people, who have suffered Intracranial Hemorrhages because of Plavix. I can think of one woman in particular: she was admitted to the ICU because she had fallen on the ice and hit her head. When she was brought in, she was totally neurologicly intact. Then she suffered a massive bleed, was brain dead and eventually passed away. Cardiaologists might like plavix. Neurosurgeons don’t necessarily feel the same way. As stated above, there is no reversing it’s effects. You simply have to wait it out.
I hate Plavix.

I am really confused here on all of these comments..as we were just argueing with my husbands primary care doctor yesterday to keep him on plavix because his cardiologist insists it be taken long term along with asprin..the primary doctor tells us it is not needed..My husband had a stent put in 2 years ago and has been on it ever since..I am wondering now what really is the best..Any help would be much appreciated

My 67 year old father had two stents placed on June 20th 2006. After this procedure he was sent home on Plavix and ASA 81 mg. A week later he was back in the hospital with congestive heart failure. He stayed in the hospital for a day and a half. His cardiologist then sent him home on Plavix 75mg and increased his ASA to 325mg, as he stated that is what he should have been on when he was discharged the week before. Four days later after he drove himself home from my house after babysitting he entered the house and began to complain to my mother about a severe headache at the back of his head and dizziness he then began vomiting. My mother called 911 and he went to the ED. He was diagnosed with an intraventricular hemmorhage which affected 3 out of 4 of the ventricles in his brain. The neurosurgeon states it was caused by the Plavix and that it is a dangerous drug. He stated ” I see this happen several times a week. Its more dangerous than Vioxx – it needs to be taken off of the market and I don’t think this is ending up in the medical journals.” We can all guess why thats not happening Right! Yes because the Drug companies and Cardiologists prescribing it are making so much money from its use! My father has had a very difficult course and spent almost 5 weeks in the ICU. He coded around 8 hours after the initial incident and had to be resusitated. He underwent an emergency ventriculostomy and shortly after had a VP shunt placed permanently. He was also on and off a ventilator three times and needed to have a tracheostomy placed. He then went to a rehab facility for a month and a half and just came home two weeks ago. We are all so thankful that he survived, yet are saddened for him because he has short term memory loss and problems with his gait and balance so he cannot be left alone. All this from a man who was driving working part time and babysitting for his grandkids on a regular basis. PLAVIX SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF OF THE MARKET IMMEDIATELY!! How many more people and families will have to suffer before they realize that aspirin is cheaper, SAFER, and just as effective! We are consulting an attorney and I welcome anyone with research information or any other information to email me. danicasrn@optonline.net

For two years I have been taking aspirin and Plavix, after an angiogram revieled that I had a tremendous number of blockages (up to 80%) in all my coronary arteries. No surgeon wants to operate because I have no syptoms whatsoever. Southbeach Diet, lifestyle and Vytorin have reduced my LDL’s to less than 45%. Never have I had any symptoms…I exercise and run daily. One Cardiologist tells me the aspirin/Plavix is saving my life…the other says I don’t need the Plavix, and that the side effects are too risky. The first Cardiologist reminds me that a cardiac event for me could be my last, with 80% blockage of my main coronary artery. So I’m scared of the aspirin/Plavix, but terrified of a possible heart attack with sudden cardiac death. (I’m a 58 year old inventor that loves life..you have probably seen me on the Discovery Channel) If anybody has ideas or suggestions, please email me at bill@patentlab.us Thanks! Bill

I read through some of these before this comment began construction. I’m a 69 y.o. male, retired from clinical practice, of medium build, essentially a vegan and in good shape. I started Plavix in April last year secondary to placement of a coated stent.

My main problem has been hot-flashes or small night sweats. I also got the occasional spontaneous bloody nose where I would feel something wet on my lip, reflexively wipe and see a thin red sera on my hand. Thus I wondered at the need to take a full dose as obviously in this case I was too well medicated.

I got these mini-night sweats or hot-flashes upon getting up to void at night, worse in the mid morning around 3:00. It was the getting up not the voiding will start these sweats in about 2 –4 minutes of my arising and thus upon returning to bed I’m now starting to sweat and am unable to return to sleep. None of the docs that I know had any clue about the cause of this hot-flash. Annie, however thought it was some medication and I agreed. Thus I variously withdrew each med I’m on with no result. The only one I was unable to withdraw was Plavix. I’ve been running on 4 to 5 hours of sleep for months and that has taken a tremendous toll on my performance and cognative capacity.

To change out my ICD battery, I needed to go off Plavix and I’m now off 8 days and have not experiences night sweats for the last 2-3 nights. Nice to be able to sleep again. I will re-challenge to see what happens and report back. Now, as to the questions on alternatives to Plavix. I would suggest that readers go to PubMed and Google Scholar and look at platelet activating factor (PAF), what it is all about, and what might be effective. I’m currently looking at ginkgo biloba as a potential replacement. I will remain on 81 mg of aspirin. The literature indicates that this level will acetylate the platelets in about 15 minutes and that seems to be the right amount, although there is also some discussion about the range between ¼ and ½ aspirin. I think you will find some abstracts on ginkgo and Plavix when combined. Thus one alternative might be to get a pill splitter, cut the Plavix in half and substitute 120 mg ginkgo for the other half of the Plavix, 60 mg ginkgo BID. Also, keep in mind that about 4 of each hundred people on plavix have adverse coagulation problems when they go off the drug—you will need to verify this statistic, however. This whole discussion is strictly experimental and not a recommendation, thus anyone trying this must assume all responsibility for the result. However, ginkgo at Trader Joe’s for example is something like $8 for a 60 count bottle of 60 mg, or about 26 cents a day. For those on small available funds, that saves about $1.75 a day or about $53 a month, $630/yr. The young woman who wondered about the need to take the full 75 mg of Plavix may wish to pursue this area of inquiry.

Im just starting to research plavix, and would appreciate any advice anyone can give…
Our family’s ordeal began just over a month ago when my dad had a coated stent placed and was started on a regimen of plavix and asprin. Up to this point he had been active each day, in good health, and not overweight. In fact he had had no major hospitalizations during his lifetime.

The severe headaches began only about a week after returning home from the stent surgery. Thinking the pain was due to a blockage in his carotid artery, the doctor performed a carotid endarterectomy and removed the plaque from that artery. When the headaches did not go away, a CT was finally performed and showed a severe subdural hematoma covering his entire right side of the brain. He was admitted to the hospital and had to wait 5 days for the plavix and asprin to wear off enough for the brain surgery. During the surgery he also recieved platelets. Despite this, his blood would still not clot and he went back in for repeat brain surgery the next morning because the hematoma had returned. After receiving large doses of platelet during the second surgery he finally stopped bleeding. He had just come home from the ICU this last wednesday.
Today he is back in the hospital with severe back/abdominal pain. The platelets combined with the bed rest at the hospital caused blood clots to form in his legs. One of these moved and blocked off an artery in his lungs…

I am not exactly sure where to turn… Its upsetting to see that we are not the only family dealing with such severe side effects from this drug. Has anyone found the journal papers that discuss incidence of hematoma with plavix?
email: rascal_cs@yahoo.com

Edo, my mother is on plavix due to a medicated stent to her kidney. This procedure was over a year ago. Since that time, she went off the plavix in consultation with her Gen. Practioner. The plavix made her feel terrible. She, too, has much trouble sleeping while on plavix.
She has an allergic reaction to aspirin and all NSAIDS. I read your previous post, and I wondered what your thoughts might be for my mother. They said her stent is possibly failing. If she has to have it re-done, will they take the old one out, and can we opt for a non-medicated one? We go tomorrow to the cardiologist (6/12/07). Could you email me a response to this at timcarolyn@bellsouth.net? Thanks so much, and I wish you well.

Why would a neurosurgeon prescribe 4×75 mg (4 times the daily dose) the day before an angioplasty to stent and coil a large intracranial aneurysm? It seems the risk of bleeding is significant if the weakend basal arties rupture during surgery.

In February of 2007, on Valentine’s day to be exact, my mother complained of a severe headache to my dad, said it “felt like her head exploded.” He rushed her to the ER where they told her she had a stroke, the began to treat her for the stroke, but the awful headaches never went away, they could not find out what was causing her head to hurt like that, she eventually began to vomit, this lasted for 3-4 days, with intense pain on her part and them afraid to give her anything, becuase they didn’t know what was wrong with her. She got up that Saturday morning and wanted to come home, and by the time I got there she was unable to speak and her body movements were uncontrollable, she reminded me of a dog that has been hit, but not died. It was horrible to watch. They flew her to Parkland Hospital, in Dallas, Tx. When I arrived there she was unconcious and brain dead. It took my mother 10 days to die. They told us that Plavix that she was on made it impossible to operate, and that even if they could operate, her brain damage would be so extensive that she would be blind and unable to communicate. I watched my mother die, and I wish that on no one would ever have to go through anything like this again. My mother was 69 years old. She and my father had been married 52 years, and now I take care of my dad, who still grieves the loss of his love every day. I HATE PLAVIX!!!!! It is killing peoples mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons, it is destroying peoples lives, we need to do something about this. My mother was in good health till then.

My father had a stent operation about 4 or 5 years ago. He has been on Plavix constantly since then. Plavix is recommended along with Asprin for the first 12 months. Not longer.

Asprin alone results in a 5.5% rate of problems but Plavix decreases that to about 3.5% I read somewhere. However, Plavix causes extra bleeding — so that on average, it is actually worse than asprin alone.

So a few weeks ago my father had bleeding in the brain. Now he is unable to move or tell us what is wrong and he is subject to what is called “Central Pain Syndrome” where he feels like he is being burned alive or cut by knives. But all he can do is lay there and scream. That is what being on Plavix too long did to him.

If you take Plavix, find out if you are at risk for bleeding in the brain. The results are worse than dying.

My mother had 4 by passes on her heart in June of this year and stints put in her leg and kidney in October. She was put on 75mg of Plavix in June. I am writng this email from the hospital where she has been transported from one hospital to this hospital and had surgery Saturday night and is still in a coma. She was standing at my bar in the kitchen Friday night and she fell. She did bump her head, there was a knot on the side of her head about the size of a quarter, but not raised. I put an ice pack on it and kept her awake for about 3 hours. She played on her computer and watched a movie before falling asleep. I heard her talking to my dog at 1:30 am and I checked on her at 3:00 am. Thinking that she was breathing and was fine I went back to sleep. When she did not wake up by 10:30 the next morning (which is not unusual) I went to wake her to visit with family and she would not wake. She had a LARGE bleed to the brain and surgery had to be performed immediately, we could not wait, which was a danger due to the Plavix. She made it through the surgery, and off the resprirator within 10 hrs. but however, it has been 49 hours and she has NOT woke up. The CT shows to not have any fresh blood but still has a small amount that should dissolve. We were never given any information about the plavix other than it could cause “free bleeding” if cut or scratched. Head injuries not resulting in bleeding or any bruising was not discussed with us. This is a MOST dangerous drug that is not discussed well with patients and famalies that are taking the drugs. I just wish to make sure EVERYONE is very careful when taking this drug.

After receiving 5 coronary stents in May & June of 2005, my cardiologists prescribed Plavix. Last month I was bleeding out in my sleep. I asked myself, “Lord, what does this mean.” Actually my dog was waking me up by incisively whining as if she wanted to be let out to pee. In fact, she knew something is wrong. It’s a good thing that she was whining which was difficult to understand as I was attempting to see to her problem. For suddenly I was too weak and dizzy to get up to go to my bathroom. As I recovered some strength, I was perspiring profusely as I creped off to the john. The worst part was that I was extremely desperate to go and relieve myself through numbers #1, #2 and #3, (I had to vomit too). However, I couldn’t move any further than the bathroom. Worst yet, I could not gain any relief at all except for putting a cold wet wash rag to my face. I called my wife, who called 911 immediately. We were mistakenly convinced it was probably a heart attack, although I never had one. There were no clues that I was loosing blood. It was not going out by mouth or any place else. At first, even the paramedics thought I was having an attack. Even so, from the time the EMT people took me to the nearest ER, my pulse raced up to 180 BPM while my blood pressure dropped below 50 over 30. I did this a few times for the next few hours even as an attending cardiologist held in his hand what he that was a stellar echocardiogram. “The stents were clear,” he said, “and they were not causing any of my heart problems.” As I told him I was loosing it, my monitor alarms went off with their bells and whistles, ringing and dinging. I could see some lines go flat and the perplexed doctor couldn’t tell me what real problem was. As he stood looking bewildered in the midst of his call for ICU to come help, several nurses suddenly appeared. One of them said that my blood results were on the way. “Yup,” said a nurse, “You lost at least ten units of your blood.” More blood was immediately ordered by the specialist on call. Then the ICU nurse turns to me and says, “If you want to impress another ICU nurse, tell her you took five units of blood on your first night in here.” What does this mean? This means that after having a stomach ulcer appear over an artery, this body will lose over ten units from the fifteen units of blood my body needs to stay alive. It was apparent to me on the spot is that it was a good thing that I listened to my dog whine instead of returning to sleep, which would have made my event a whole lot messier. This loss of blood was actually discovered during an emergency search for the cause using a GI endoscope by the attending gastroenterologist. I learned from the GI doctor that there were two ulcers that had already sealed themselves before his performance. One developed right over an artery in the lower inside of my stomach. He presumed this was the cause of my physical debacle. Undisclosed to me was what caused the ulcers to appear in the first place? My best guess, (as a layman after talking to all the doctors) is that I did this to myself. How? I did not know the true course of the side effects of the drugs that I was taking. There was a combination of Plavix, aspirin and an occasional ibuprofen 800. All of these are known to cause stomach ulcers. What amazes me is that as I was bleeding to death in my sleep, only my dog, an attentive, dedicated black German shepherd, knew the gravity of the situation. This raises my sense of gratitude for a human’s best friend, the dog. I am additionally the wonderful nursing care I received while I was staying in their ICU. Astounding me, they let Raven in, who is now known as my proven “service dog” in the hospital. She stayed with me four days in ICU and one day in a recovery room. Finally, I am grateful to my wife who never left my side except to take our dog for a frolic among the dog’s favorite dog walks. For me, there is no reason to take Plavix. For those still on it, at least get yourself a good dog near a good hospital with a great ICU with the best nurses they can employ.

What are the side effects of plavix?
I have taken it for over four yeaRS AND WONDER IF i REALLY NEED TO BE TAKING IT
iS THERE SOMETHING AVAILABLE TO TAKE IT’S PLACE OTHER THAN ASPIRN?
jOHN R wARNER

my grandmother had stints put in in june and was put on plavix and aspirin. about 2 weeks later she fell and I took her to the er. She had a subdural hematoma. They took her off the plavix while she was in the hospital she also had a seizure and a stroke while in the hospital.She was finally released with home care coming to our home. She went back to see her heart dr today and he was furious about them taking her off the plavix.He wants her back on it both she and i are against it because we do not want the bleeding to start again. Does anyone have any advice? you can email me at shellygarvin70@aol.com. Thank you.

MY DAD HAD A MILD HESRT ATTACK ABOUT3 WEEKS AGO. THE DOCTOR PUT HIM ON PLAVIX AND SENT HIM HOME. HE WENT TO HIS OFFICE THAT NEXT MONDAY FOR A CHEMICAL STRESS TEST. WELL THAT SAME WEEK HE HAD A MILD STROKE. I WENT TO PICK HIM UP FOR LUNCH AND HE WAS WALKING LIKE HE WAS DRUNK AND HIS LEFT EYE WAS SAGGING AND HE COULD ONLY SEE OUT OF IT HALF WAY. HE HAS BEEN VERY WEAK AND CONFUSED. HE HAS ALSO VOMITED A DAY OR TWO AGO. HE IS SCHEDULED FOR A HEART CATH NEXT WEEK. WHAT SHOULD I DO. I ASKED THE DR. ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECT TTP. HE JUST BLEW ME OFF.

Brenda. If you are on a beta blocker such as lopressor or a generic of it, that is causing your asthma to act up. Albuteroll, advair and other asthma meds are beta enhancers (agonists). I had problems with both lopressor and lisinopril (an ace inhibitor). However, Plavix and aspirin can both cause asthma to act up. The way I found ou is I took each pill individually 3 hours apart with food. If you get symptoms within a half an hour, that is the culprit. I have lived with asthma all of my life, but never had problems as bad until starting these meds. The docs put everyone on the same medication regimen and when someone has a problem, most are either clueless or insensitive.

Hi. I am a 45 year old juvenile diabetic. I started having shortness of breath and unusaul on and off chest pains in 2002. Went to Cardiologist. He did a cath test and saw blockage in two arteries. Put me on toporal, and other drugs. I could not tolerate them. All of the meds made me really sick in one way or another. The Topral made my blood sugars go up really high. I had to take more insulin, which made me gain weight really fast, but most of all, if slowed my heart down, and late at night I felt like I was not getting oxygen when I breathed. My cardiologist was a jerk and refused to belive me. He just kept notating that I was a non-compliant patient. After about 5 years I went to a new doctor and had all the non-invasive tests done. I kept telling him I was havng chest pains and shortness of breath. I went back to him about 5 times in a 2 year period and he just kept blowing me off telling me I looked fine. I am an attractive women, trim and well kept. I exercise and eat really healthy foods, dont’ drink or smoke. My blood sugars are not all that stable but my H1C test was at 7 last time I had it done. I have been diabetic for almost 35 years. On December 1st of 2008, I starting having really bad chest pains that would not go away, no mater what I did. Exercise, aspiring, lots of water, no salt, low stress, lot’s of rest, deep breathing, whatever!!..nothing helped. So I went to see my cardiologist, for the last time. He did an EKG and said I was fine. I left so angry.. When I got home I called a Dr. that my mom recommended. He was great! I told him my story and begged him to do a Cardiac Cath test, which the other doctor refused to do. By the way, my cholesterol was 200 at that point. I am of perfect weight. Anyways, the doctor agreed to do the cath test the next morning at 6am. Of course, he found major blockage in four of my arteries. They did angioplasty in all four and put 4 stents in. I am so glad that I was persistent and found another doctor. I begged the other doctor to do a cath test every time I saw him and he refused, saying that the non-invasive tests showed that I had no heart problems, (even though he new I HAd blockage from the previous cath done a few years before! what an idiot!!). Anyways, I ended up in the hospital on Christmas Eve and Christmas day of 2008. The doctor prescribed the Plavix and I have been terribly constipated every since. I have tried everything and the only thing I can get out is tiny M & M’s about once a week. I did some research and found that Plavix does stay in your sytem for a while, so I decided that I was only going to take it once every 4 days. Now I have been able to go, with a little help, but at least I won’t die from the constipation, it was really inbelievably bad!!!!!!The other problem I have been having and didn’t realize is that I think I am getting an ulcer. My stomach was really hurting and I was getting heartburn and bloating and I could not eat but a cup worth of food without my stomach felling super full. I had to start taking antibiotics for somehting and took them for about 3 weeks, and I think it healed the ulcer becasue my stomach feels all better now. I do think that the plavix has been causing all of this. I have not heard of anyone getting constipated, only the opposite. They both are terrible side effects though. So now, after reading all of these posts, I am going to check with my doctor and get the full doctors notes to see what type of stents were put in, and then fromt here I will decide if I will completely stop the plavix and go on aspirin or continue to take the plavix once every four or five days. I am not sure, but I will try and report back. I hope this post helps another juvenile diabetic close to my age. I will repost after I find out what type of stents I have. I didn’t even know they had different kinds. Good luck to everyone…I wish you the best.

(whoops)….and opted out of Plavix. He is using gingko instead.

Personally, I don’t have the confidence to make that change. But it reminds us once again how much we don’t know, and how hard reliable information on drugs is to find.