Do you know someone who takes Plavix® to help prevent heart attacks and strokes?
Sharing this information could be helpful to him.
Plavix® (clopidogrel) can help prevent a heart attack or stroke in people who have had angioplasty, especially when that angioplasty requires placement of a stent. Because Plavix® keeps your blood from clotting, it may cause bleeding in the stomach. To offset the risk, doctors often prescribe heartburn and ulcer medications known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for people taking Plavix®.
New evidence suggests that PPIs may reduce the effectiveness of Plavix® and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke for people taking Plavix® with a PPI. In fact, the risk may increase by 51 percent compared to people who are not taking a PPI. Because the evidence is new, many people, including doctors, may not yet be aware of the risks.
Important! Abruptly stopping medications can be harmful. Make sure your friend or loved one continues to take all medications as prescribed by his doctor until the doctor instructs otherwise. While there may be other treatments for these conditions available, have him talk to his doctor to see if such a change is right for him.
Which combinations are a concern?
If you know someone who is taking Plavix® to help prevent heart attacks and strokes in combination with any of the listed drugs, you can help by sharing this information and encouraging them to speak to their doctor.
Clinically used proton pump inhibitors that may interact with Plavix®
- AcipHex®
- Dexlansoprazole
- Esomeprazole
- Kapidex
- Lansoprazole
- Nexium®
- Omeprazole
- Pantoprazole
- Prevacid®
- Prilosec®
- Prilosec OTC®
- Protonix®
- Rabeprazole
- Zegerid®
What you can do to help
1 If you have a friend or loved one who has had an angioplasty procedure, especially with a stent, and is taking Plavix®, you might want to ask him if he is also taking a stomach medicine to prevent bleeding.
2 Compare his drug to the list above. If the drug is on the list, then proceed to step 3.
3Print out this summary of the risks written for doctors, and have your friend discuss it with his doctor. 
4 Make sure a conversation with the doctor takes place to close the loop.
