Plavix - Results of new study indicate caution

[Blanche]

From my morning newspaper-
"Atlanta - People taking the blood thinner Plavix on top of aspirin to try to prevent heart attack, as many doctors recommend, now have a good reason to stop. The drug combination now only didn't help most people in the newly released study, but it unexpectedly almost doubled the risk of death, heart attack or stroke for those with no clogged arteries but with such conditions as high blood pressure and high cholesterol..."

For more information, see http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20060313/hl_hsn/doctorsrethinkingaspirinplavixcombination

The last few sentences of the article also caught my attention. I did not know that about Plavix and gastro bleeding.

Last year we learned that Plavix has a greater risk for gastrointestinal bleeding than previously thought," said Dr. Byron Cryer, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas.

"This year we learned that the combination of Plavix plus aspirin is not as effective for the prevention of cardiovascular events as we previously thought. In sum, this means that the benefit-to-risk ratio of Plavix has become even narrower," he said

Blanche

 

[Ross]

I've been sounding a warning bell against that stuff since I took it. It caused me to cough up blood and diarrhea like no other, but they insisted it wasn't that medicine. Strange how it all stopped when I discontinued it!

 

[hensylee]

no wonder my stomach is so upset - they gave it and lovenox to me in the hospital a week ago. I have a tendency towards ulcers.

 

[Blanche]

After Al's stroke, our dr. wanted him to take Plavix but I disagreed. He was none to happy and phoned me several times in attempts to change my mind. I understood his point, but disagreed and stayed firm. Had several people, none here, tell me that I was endangering my dear one. Sometimes it's easier to fight for your principles that it is to live up to them. Just glad this one worked out well for us.
Blanche

 

[Randy & Robyn]

My dad had a severe stroke last spring and he is now on aspirin and plavix. He's 92. Should I question this therapy?

 

[Blanche]

Randy and Robin:

I question everything. Just came from a dr. appointment with Albert, who has pneumonia. Right about now I think our wonderful doctor wishes he had become a rocket scientist! Seriously, the study listed is new stuff that comes directly from the annual meeting of cardio docs that is held every year at this time. It is likely that few of the doctors who are not at those meetings in Atlanta will even know of the study yet.

There is also another study that might apply to your dad. I have included it here. It also deals with Plavix, this time with the efficacy, I believe.

http://www.formkit.com/Daily/DailyDetail.cfm?chosen=64552

Kindest regards,
Blanche

 

[tobagotwo]

It was the combination that was deemed problematic in this instance. The study was plain that there's nothing to be gained by taking both aspirin and Plavix, or Plavix alone if you've never had a heart attack. The study did not find the same results from people who did have a heart attack previous to taking the combination. It was deemed to benefit those people.

If it were my dad, I would probably urge him to ask the doctor to drop the Plavix, if he hadn't had a previous heart attack.

I sure wouldn't take Plavix along with lovenox, heparin, or warfarin, either. It just sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Best wishes,

 

[Debster]

So confused! My mom had triple bypass during valve replacement last year-and has a stent too. She is on aspirin and plavix both. What to do? SHe has had no heart attack but obviously has disease. Suggestions? Thanks! Deb

 

[azpam]

As I have said on this website months before,I am not a fan of Plavix and apply a caution of GI bleed to any of my patients. My dad and uncle both almost died because of Plavix.Hemorrhaged,low H/H,etc. I told my mom to tell dr to stop plavix. Next day,he did. His Hemoglobin got down to 5,that is how bad it was.They almost couldn't stop the bleeding in time.So i caution those who must take it, to keep good eye on their stools,etc so bleeding doesn't go on for long if they do start GI bleeding.So many doctors prescribe this stuff without giving their patients the side effects to look out for.I see so many elderly patients who just believe what their doctors say/prescribe. They end up taking 15 medications with half of them "curing" the side effects of the other half meds."Doctor says I need this".

 

[Praline]

More on Plavix

More on Plavix

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aXhri01rubu4&refer=canada

 

[Christina]

That's why I decided a few years ago to stay away from doctors as much as possible, and if I can help it from taking prescription drugs. All doctors know to do is offer prescription drugs and they don't care to tell you about the dangerous side effects a drug can have. I landed in the hospital two years ago with Charley horses in my chest (I thought I was having a heart attack) because my previous doctor (he told me to find another doctor later) talked me into taking Actonel for Osteoporosis. I had so many low grade arguments with him because every time I saw him he insisted I needed to take some prescription drugs for some problems he thought I was having. I was able to resist most of the time.
A pill for this and a pill for that and, Oops, years later we hear: sorry, we were wrong, example HRT only caused harm to the people that took those pills. I believe statistics show that more than 200.000 die each year because of medical malpractise and prescription mistakes.
I see it with one elderly friend that I visit in the Assisted Living Place. She takes so many pills (15+) and she doesn't even know why she is taking some of them. Whenever she goes to her doctor for another appointment she comes back with yet another pill the doctor said she needs to take. Like AZPam said in her post above, They end up taking 15 medications with half of them "curing" the side effects of the other half meds."Doctor says I need this". Exactly that.
And the sad part is that my dear friend doesn't feel any better because she's taking all those drugs. But at 85 years of age, she's not going to change now, because in her head she believes that her doctor knows it all.

 

[hensylee]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aXhri01rubu4&refer=canada

I wonder who did the study. Often the company who makes the drug does the study. This one was called Charisma, but doesn't say who Charisma actually is.

On my recent hospitalization, I had chest pains. I have GERD, was in terrible anxiety about my current family crisis, and told them it was probably GERD and not heart pains. A cardio jumped right on it, gave me all these drugs (Plavix plus BIG aspirins, plus Lovenox shots, plus whatever else I can't recall and did tests, one of them more than once). When the emergency was over (pain left while still in the ER) the cardio didn't want to let me out of the hospital! We argued and he relented when I threatened to leave AMA, but I was kept against my will for 2 1/2 days and 2 nights. Not ONE dr checked to see anything about GERD! Believe it or not. pROBABLY not enough $ in GERD.

 

[JeanneImp]

Just yesterday, I was at CVS filling a script. The older lady in front of me was talking to the pharmacist about hearing something to the fact of plavix and aspirin should not be taken together.

The pharmacist told her, it was fine. If there was a notice about it, they all (CVS pharmacies) would know.

Obviously, they do not. hmmmmmmmmmmm?????

 

[DavesMom]

That's why I decided a few years ago to stay away from doctors as much as possible, and if I can help it from taking prescription drugs. All doctors know to do is offer prescription drugs and they don't care to tell you about the dangerous side effects a drug can have. I landed in the hospital two years ago with Charley horses in my chest (I thought I was having a heart attack) because my previous doctor (he told me to find another doctor later) talked me into taking Actonel for Osteoporosis.

Hi Christina,

Hope you don't mind if I pry a little into your problem with Actonel. : ) I've been taking it for over two years. Since January, however, I've had about a dozen episodes of chest tightness/discomfort and sometimes it does feel like I'm about to have a heart attack! I'm trying to find an explanation for this.

The discomfort is located right in the center of my chest and it sometimes extends into my back between my shoulder blades. It's not a throbbing pain - it's constant and lasts anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. I don't experience any shortness of breath or other symptoms along with it.

Is this something similar to the "charley horses" you experienced? Just wondering if Actonel might be the culprit. How long were you on it before you began to have problems?

Thanks for your help.

Hope everyone is well.

Cheers,
Michelle

 

[Praline]

If I were you,

If I were you,

I would have those chest pains checked ASAP.

 

[Randy & Robyn]

This study also makes me wonder just how beneficial the current FDA trial with the On-X would be. Under the current guidelines, those with low-risk aortic valve replacements would be placed on plavix and aspirin therapy. Considering the risks cited in this study, perhaps standard coumadin therapy would be safer anyway.

Randy

 

[Christina]

That's why I decided a few years ago to stay away from doctors as much as possible, and if I can help it from taking prescription drugs. All doctors know to do is offer prescription drugs and they don't care to tell you about the dangerous side effects a drug can have. I landed in the hospital two years ago with Charley horses in my chest (I thought I was having a heart attack) because my previous doctor (he told me to find another doctor later) talked me into taking Actonel for Osteoporosis.

Hi Christina,

Hope you don't mind if I pry a little into your problem with Actonel. : ) I've been taking it for over two years. Since January, however, I've had about a dozen episodes of chest tightness/discomfort and sometimes it does feel like I'm about to have a heart attack! I'm trying to find an explanation for this.

The discomfort is located right in the center of my chest and it sometimes extends into my back between my shoulder blades. It's not a throbbing pain - it's constant and lasts anywhere from ten to twenty minutes. I don't experience any shortness of breath or other symptoms along with it.

Is this something similar to the "charley horses" you experienced? Just wondering if Actonel might be the culprit. How long were you on it before you began to have problems?

Thanks for your help.

Hope everyone is well.

Cheers,
Michelle

Michelle,

I had only taken two doses of the Actonel (35mg once a week) when I began to have the chest pains/discomfort. And that discomfort increased by the minute until I couldn't stand it any longer and decided to go to the ER. Once there they right away did an ECG test and there it was concluded that I was not having a heart attack and sent me back to the lobby to wait another three hours. By then the pain was so bad that it was almost unbearable. I was there for 9 hours in excruciating discomfort, a pain that to me felt like charley horses in the center of my chest. I was on oxygen the whole time because of SOB. I was sweating profusely because I was in such pain. They did a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) test, but that came back negative. Finally after what seemed hours, a new crew came on the floor and another female doctor came to my bed and asked if if I had done or taken anything different. I told her about taking Actonel. My husband and I had already thought about the side effects of Actonel, but everyone that spoke with us earlier had discounted that. This female doctor however, showed us on her little hand computer that these chest pains are one of the first side effects of Actonel. But she did not actually say it as they are not allowed to do that.
These pains/discomfort gradually went away but lasted for about two weeks.
Fosamax is no better as this is a sister drug to Actonel.

Hope this helps you.

 

[DavesMom]

Hi again,

Christina, that is some story. Sorry for your ordeal. I seem to tolerate Actonel well but like you, I don't want to take any more medicine than is absolutely necessary. I take my coumadin, Tegretol (for complex partial seizures), Actonel and a multi-vitamin.

Praline, I have been debating whether or not to see my doc about the discomfort. I guess the absence of other symptoms (sweating, shortness of breath, etc.) made me think that perhaps it's just something muscular or maybe inflammation. However, I suppose there is a chance that it's angina and I will get it checked out.

I just had my annual physical in December and my valve was ticking away loudly. Had an echo soon after. It was also normal and my yearly blood work was good, except for slightly elevated cholesterol. My BP is also good. So based on the tests I'm doing great! But I'll give the doc a call even though I don't want to seem like a paranoid alarmist. : ) Better safe than sorry.

Best wishes to everyone,
Michelle