I have one month left on my prescription for Clopidogrel, which will be a year since I had my 3 stents. I assume I can just stop taking them ? I haven't been told to taper
I also will be coming off Ranexa in 2 months time, again I assume I just stop taking them. ?
Has anyone had any side effects when coming off these drugs.
Thanks in advance
bowler
I would never just stop taking any heart related medication! I would suggest you go to your GP and discuss.
Thanks for your reply,
As I said it states on my repeat prescription I month left to take, however I will ask at my surgery. But my question is " has anyone has had any side effects when coming off these drugs."
With Clopidogrel there is no need to reduce the dose you can safely just stop it.
Thank you, that's very encouraging, and nice to get other's experiences,
There should be no trouble coming off Clopidogrel, I take it in place of aspirin, so presumed it was a blood thinner.
As Shopman says there is no need to reduce you just stop taking them..l did and was fine...
My cardiologist just said stop taking clopidogrel the day after I saw her and haven't had any problems since coming off them she also took me off aspirin and statin bit scary really
Thank you kizza67
Apart from the Clopidogrel I'm also on Aspirin, Statins, Ranexa, and Isosorbide Mononitrate, It would be lovely to come off some of these meds.
bowler
I'm off my isosorbide mono nitrate as well its nice to be off a lot of my meds but I always felt safer on them strange really
Like you I will be a bit anxious coming of the Med, although I wont miss the clopidogrel, the bruises I have from it are really bad, it's amazing how often we knock ourselves and think nothing of it, but with the Clopidogrel I am covered in bruises.
Clopidogrel is only the half of the problem with bruising - I believe you will be on aspirin for the rest of your life as a blood thinner, so unfortunately you will always be prone to bruising. Furthermore MissisF was absolutely correct, whether you asked the question or not - no one should just stop taking medication without first discussing it with their doctor first - imagine - my relative just stopped taking """" and was fine until they just dropped dead three months later. So please irrespective of other experiences and since we are all different, consult your doctor.
As for reviews or renewals or coming to an end of prescriptions - most surgeries now have review dates for all medication, especially long term so just because a repeat prescription is coming to an end means absolutely nothing when it comes to whether you are coming off the prescription and could simply be a review date.
Thanks for your reply. Yes I was aware that I will have to see my GP, as my next Med. review isn't until Aug. But like I have said I I just wanted to know if anyone had any side effects when coming off these drugs, I know we are different, but that's why we use the site to share experiences, and having had 3 stents done , and I also have a severely leaky Mitral valve I would consult my cardiologist anyway.
Since you understand the ethics of the site, I (personally) think your reply to MissisF was a tad abrupt and judgemental and you still repeat in your answer to me your original question when I actually raised other matters as a reason for the reply you got. So I will just leave it at that.
I was wondering the same, Bowler, it’s 12 months on Good Friday since I had my bypass operation. It says on my repeat prescription to stop Clopidogrel in May but it doesn’t say when in May, I think I’ll have to ring the GP surgery to see what to do.
Jean
If you have had bypass surgery you have at least 1 blocked artery. I have had 5. I recommend that you watch the film "Forks Over Knives". It will show you that you can clear out your arteries. It is on a website of the same name, Netflix, YouTube. It is about medical dietary research, including a massive study of 800,000 Chinese people. You might find it helpful, I did.
The ideal BP is 120/80. Mine has been as high as 240/140 but went down to 190/100 with treatment in 2016. I still had a mini-stroke in 2017 though. I started a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) lifestyle in March 2018. My BP is now 120/80.
The ideal cholesterol is below 5. Mine was 6.5 for years, nothing budged it until this diet. It is now 3.7.
My weight was 14.5st and is now 12.5st, the same as when I was in my twenties.
We just went by the cardiologists advice to stop taking the tablets! Fortunately, hubby was still in hospital so I asked the cardiologist whether there would be any ill effects. He said no but as ticking ticker stated, hubby will be on 75mg aspirin tablets for life.
My GP confirmed just to stop taking them after 12 months. I did, no side effects at all, but a lot less bruises!
When I was getting close to the year I asked the Cardiologist if I should just stop then and they confirmed yes, just stop. I went a week or so after the anniversary to the end of the month it just seemed neater. I had no observable side affects and am still on aspirin, isoprolol and isosorbide mononitrate. I had 2 stents fitted after a silent heart attack.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, I'm glad you had no side effects, Hope you keep well,
I only have one month to go before my last prescription and see my GP . and hope I will be off some of the meds, and like you have no side effects, fingers crossed, most reply's have been positive, better to get the info from this forum " the horses mouth" so to speak rather than google it,
I've just come off clopidogrel, 6 months after heart attack as suggested in my discharge letter but mainly because of severe stomach pain. I would never stop any medication without my GP's say so. Do go and se your GP. Don't just stop them. Sorry- should have read your replies. I see you are going to your GP. I had no side effects when stopping apart from suddenly realising hey had been the cause of my severe constipation which has now gone.
Hi Qualipop, I too am getting stomach pains, waking me at night and feel a bit nauseous. Did you just put up with it as the lesser of two evils or can it be lessened at all? Thanks.
I've already had an ulcer so my GP took me off clopidogrel completely. I assume you are taking either ranitidine or omeprazole to protect your stomach. My GP kept having to double the dose or ranitidine and decided the risk to my stomach was too great so he stopped it and left me on just aspirin. Speak to your GP, they may be able to tweak the dose of stomach protection.
Yes it can get a bit confusing when there are a lot of post's, "tooing and throwing" things get confused, Thanks for telling me you had no side effects of when stopping Clopidogrel
The dreaded constipation with Clopidogrel, I wont miss that one bit.!!!! glad yours has gone.
thanks for your reply
Probably most patients don't have a problem abruptly stopping clopidogrel, but, like most patients, my husband was eventually swapped to aspirin. He then had to be put back on it by his cardiologist because he rapidly became ill with angina-like symptoms.
However, until he stops it again (which he will eventually do), this couldn't be entirely blamed on clopidogrel and we may never know whether it was entirely the cause, especially since he also has a rare blood-clotting condition (also routinely controlled by aspirin).
I think I would just endorse what everyone else has said and get advice. In hindsight I feel it wouldn't have done any harm to have tappered the dose.
With some, I suppose it's trial and error especially if you are dealing with other health issues, I have to take steroids for adrenal failure, but when I have to go up on these for a reason, I have to come down [ taper] very slowly, Like you say it wouldn't be a bad idea to taper the Clopidogrel especially if you have to be on them for a year. I'm in contact with my GP and Cardio, but it's nice to hear all the input from this site, very interesting.
Thanks
bowler
Thanks for posting this question as I know many forum users think the same but have not asked, and some responses show the reason why.
I have many months to go before my ‘time in up’ with this medication regime and often look forward to that day and wonder. I can’t wait but also I’m sure I will be apprehensive. The level of bruising with aspirin does not compare to that of clopidogrel so that’s another thing to look forward to.
All the best to you and enjoy your drug free days to come.
When I started down this road with heart disease I didn't realise how much it would change my life, It's been almost a year since having my 3 stents, and all that time I have wished my life away waiting for the time to stop some of my drugs, [I take so many apart from the heart ones ] Don't get me wrong, I know I have to take them to save my life. I also have a mitral valve leak and I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb, I'm under Papworth hospital and it's a watch and wait with that at present.
Keep well
bowler
Thank you Gunsmoke123,
even better, Papworth is soon to move to Addenbrook's hospital, in Cambridge, which is half hour drive from me, and we have a park and ride.
Hope you are well
bowler
I am joining in this thread because I have just been prescribed Clopidogrel by my GP and am very dubious about it. This time last year I was diagnosed with heart failure folllowing a strange episode now being described as a severe infection which put me in intensive care with all organs shutting down and prognosis bad. However, against all expectations, I am now much better -- almost ok. -- and have been taken off all meds by my consultatant but there is general agreement I will have to go back on something for high blood pressure. My GP has prescribed the clopidogrel because I have some intermittant claudication in my legs which doesn't bother me much. Hearing how keen everyone here is to get off it I feel very unsure about starting. Do you think she is being over cautious?
I don't think your Dr is being over cautious, For most people it is a life saver, but we are all different, I have to take it for a year after having 3 coronary stents., It thins the blood so as not to cause any clots in the stented artery, Yes a lot of people do want to come off it, but for different reasons, my problem is sever bruising and constipation which isn't much of a price to pay if it's stops any heart attacks/angina and rejection of the stents. I'm not a medic, but only relaying my experience and taking in all those who posted their experiences, please be guided by your GP.
I’m also on clopidogral and due to stop it at the end of June , I was told when I was put on it to stop it after a year , I’m also on aspirin but I’ll be on that for life . I also bruise very easily since being on the two, hoping the bruising gets less once I’m off clopidogral ..
I also take aspirin which I know I will probably be on for life, and I take steroids for adrenal failure, [ I'm steroid dependent ] which also causes bruising, That's why I was interested in other peoples reaction/side effects opinion of Clopidogrel, The feedback has been really positive with hardly any side effects, so I hope I come off them without problems.
I'm surprised I haven't had any side effects from being on them, apart from the bruising/constipation, I have been fine, and as meds have to go through the liver and kidneys I'm doing OK as I also have stage 3 kidney disease, with one kidney smaller than the other. I hope I get a few more years, that's if my mitral valve doesn't get any worse, I'm 74.
I hope your bruising get better once off the Clopidogrel
good luck. bowler
Thank you , I’m sure we’ll both be fine ..
Good luck to you too ..
I had bleeding in my wee and told to come off clopidogrel as I’d had the tests on bladder and kidneys and they were great. Came off them for 3, weeks I had no problem at all but cardiologist confused my dr and he ended up having to ring the cardiologist himself and rang me to say the cardiologists didn’t want me off the clopidogril, I hated the thought of going back on them as I have mood swings with them. I come off, them on June 7 which is a year after my Heart attack but I have the rivauxoiban increased, to 20 instead of 15.
Just goes to show that you have to be guided by your Dr. before coming off any meds,
I assume the cardiologist wanted you to do a full year on them which is the norm, especially as your bladder and kidney tests came back OK.
I only have one more month on them, and hopefully I wont have any side effects,
Thanks for sharing your experience of Clopidogrel re the mood swings, I was surprised how many people answered my question about "side effects when coming off clopidogrel" The good seems to out way the bad.
Good health to you and all on this site for the future.
bowler
How long did you took clopidogrel and did you took with aspirin together..and did you stop both..
I was told by the Cardiologist to stop Clopidogrel after one year, but continue with the Aspirin.
My coronary artery disease was picked up following a CT abdomen with contrast for a bowel obstruction. It showed diffuse calcification in the abdominal arteries so a CT coronary angiogram was done which showed 70% blockage in RCA and LAD and a calcification score of 629. I was started on 75mg clopidogrel and 75mg enteric coated aspirin daily. I am already on Lansoprazole for oesophageal reflux ( had surgery for removal tumour of pancreas 8 years ago)I had no coronary symptoms whatsoever but now I keep feeling discomfort in my chest which I wonder is stress with this unexpected problem and the meds are definitely causing stomach pains.
I should have had bowel surgery on 12 August but it’s been postponed and I’m have coronary angiogram/ pressure wire testing/ stents on 25 August.
I haven’t had a face to face consultation with cardiologist but will hopefully be able to ask questions when I go to the cath lab.
After stents I get the impression from replies you are required to stay on clopidogrel and aspirin for life possibly?
I need a tooth extraction does anyone know if I can have it done while on clopidogrel and aspirin?
I am so confused so would appreciate any advice. Xx
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