Lee Kirksey, MD

Lee Kirksey, MD
Male
Cleveland , OH

Specialties: Peripheral Arterial Disease, PAD

Interests: vascular, specialist, treatment options

The Cleveland Clinic Foundation

cleveland, OH

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Is plavix really a life saver?

Jul 09, 2009 - 12 comments
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Below is an exerpt from a direct to consumer advertisement on clopidogrel----

If you have been diagnosed with P.A.D., you need to learn how to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke. Individuals with P.A.D. have more than double the risk of heart attack or stroke compared to people who don't have P.A.D. Now is the time to explore all your treatment options to help reduce that risk, including P.A.D. medications like Plavix® (clopidogrel bisulfate).

PLAVIX is the only antiplatelet therapy FDA-approved for patients with established P.A.D. to help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Medical guidelines recommend antiplatelet therapy, like PLAVIX, in addition to other risk-reducing medications for P.A.D. patients. Together, you and your doctor can design a plan that's right for you and may include P.A.D. medication, diet and exercise.

PLAVIX is prescribed to lower the risk of future heart attack or stroke in patients with established Peripheral Artery Disease.

________________

I frequently have patients on fixed incomes that ask me if they should be on plavix because they have seen a commercial, print advertisement or direct mail. The company has done a great job of convincing people that if they are not on plavix, they should be. There is no doubt that plavix is a good medication and is essential in some patients. However, there are some patients who would best be served by a single aspirin per day at several cents per tablet as opposed to clopidogrel/plavix at $1-2 per pill. Another example of pharmaceuticals fleecing of America

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There is some evidence that PLAVIX helps prevent restenosis from drug eluding stents up to about a year...then discontinue and remain with aspirin.

I think plavik is good for what it is designed to do but not if there is a underlying problem. My father was first diagnosed with a stroke in May of 2005.....he was taken off the plavik for a short time. He went thru rehabilitation at Sister Kinney for a month and was started back on the plavik. The end of June he was showing signs of seizures so we took him in to the hospital and they found he had a brain bleed so they kept him that night.....he collapsed the next morning and was taken into surgery where they found a major brain tumor which was later diagnosed as Melanoma......he was given 8 units of plasma during surgery. He eventually passed away 10 months later. Guess the Plavik just caught my eye as we had experience with it.........sara

I'm not definite if it's really a life saver, but my dad takes it because he almost had a heart attack back in December '08.

I have a few problems with this med. My husband had stents, the medical controversial ones, was put on Plavix and told he would be on them forever. After years of problems he was taken off and he is in better health than he ever was. When I turned 55 and went to the doctor, he put me on it also as I was at the age of risk. I threw it away. I think this drug is abused in a terrible way as well as many others these days.

My husband has 3 "plain" stents which were put in 6 years ago due to blockages. Then a year ago he had another (new) blockage and a drug coated stent put in. He's been on Plavix and aspirin for 6 years and they are talking about taking him off. I'd like to know of others who went off and how they're doing, also if you went off "cold turkey" or gradually? If you had drug coated stents, how long after did your doctor say you should be on?

About 5 years ago I had a stent implant (DES) in the RCA. I was on aspirin and plavix for a year and then just aspirin.
Aspirin is recommended continuously for individuals that have had a heart attack. Plavix was discontinued "cold turkey" without any problems nor were there any problems expected.

Thanks kenkeith. Are you taking baby aspirin or regular 325mg?

I s there a riskof a stroke if u take plavix with lovenox?

Is there any correlation between Plavix and varicose veins? I took it for about 1 1/2 years and developed varicose veins in my right leg. Once you have them they don't go away. I was on Plavix & the coated 325 aspirin which I think is overkill. I am now just on the 325 aspirin.

what if you were allergic to aspirin? Is there anything else to wean away from Plavix that keeps the platelets from "clotting"?
Is 75 mg the baby dose for Plavix and why is it so expensive. Is production really costly or is it really marketed by the pharmaceutical company that produces it for maximum profit?

I was in the hospital yesterday for what I could have been a TIA or ocular migraine. I agreed to participate in a study which calls for taking plavix with aspirin. I started with 8 plavix pills in the hospital and aspirin yesterday. I was released today and saw that one of the veins in my leg has become a varicose vein and looks terrible and is warm to the touch. I feel that this is a result of the plavix. Could this be true? I check the veins in my legs regularly and know that it "popped" out today.
Thank you

My husband was taking plavix and experienced a seizure and is now still being treated with keppra, has anyone had any experience like this?

Is plavix really a life saver?

aspirin

atrial fibrillation

Plavix

Chest Pain

Heart Attack

Stroke



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