Hi guys
I had a mild heart attack in feb and on clopidogrel aspirin and bisprinol. Do I have to have a mix of aspirin and clopidogrel? I’m finding these meds have really upset my stomach Can I leave out the aspirin ?
Would welcome your views
Many thanks
Kimbo
I was prescribed Lanzaprozole for stomach problem prevention whilst I take combination of Clopidogrel and aspirin.
Hi Cruise, I took Clopidogrel, after a mini stroke and an Op for a clogged artery. Came off it due to bad dose of the 'Squitts' and put on Asprin. Because I had previous for ulcers, I was given Omeprazole as well. I was told that long term use of Omeprazole was not a good thing, especially for CLL sufferers.
So I asked to be given Lanzaprozole as I was told that it was the better one to take for CLL. sufferers. I then had a prolonged month dose of the Squitts, excacerbated by Antibiotics. My GP said that Lanzaprozale is bad for this, so I was put back on a lower dose of Omepr.zole. After a month of Lavatory Lingering, my GP told me to stop eating a bland diet, and start eating normally. Within 2 days everything cleared up.
A complex tale, and not very articulatlely put, I suspect. However the lesson to be learnt as far as I am concerned seems to be, Stick with the lower dose of Omeprazole, and after two or three days of eating dry toast, mashed potatoes, jelly and white cornstarch pudding, or indeed any other cardboard tasting food, Fill your boots with big boys/girls breakfast, if that is your want. All the best Ron
I was about to post exactly the same! Then, a year and a scan later, the Consultant took me off the Aspirin and Lanzaprozole. He recommends to take the Clopidogrel for life. Latest thinking seems to be that it's the Aspirin that irritates one's stomach lining, hence the need for Lanzaprozole
I asked my consultant about Clopidogrel for life as that’s what it stated on my discharge note from hospital and aspirin for stents but he said it was the other way round. I believe you can get gastro resistant aspirin though.
Maybe different as I don't actually have stents. When I had my angiogram it was found that my blockage was in a "side road" not a "motorway" as the Consultant described it 
and a stent was neither necessary nor practical
nhs.uk/medicines/clopidogrel/ See "9. Common Questions"
Hi Cruise1, after a month of excessive toilet visits and bland diets, I was told to eat normally, and with two days I was almost back to normal. I returned to the GP , who had intially told me that the cause of all this was a course of Antibiotics he had put me on. He tells me that Antibiotics can trigger 'Diarrhoea' . However I had, at about the same time, changed from Omerprazole to Lansaprozole. He now tells me that he is sure that it was the Lansaprozole that caused it. He put me back on a lowerdoze of Omerprazole, and things are now fine. However, I am still not sure what the cause was, a choice of two, it seems. All the best Ron
Me too as they say. Ticagrelor and aspirin. Lansoprazole too but still getting acid reflux. Quite unpleasant but necessary. At least the Ticagrelor is only for 12 months. Not sure how well I’d cope without the Lanzoprazole. I think I’m going to ask my GP for some more antacids.
I have Gaviscon Advanced and Lansolrozole fir my reflux.
Sorry I mean Lansoprozole.
After having heart attack or any heart procedure Clopidogrel is an really vital blood thinner that is used for a bout a year. And Aspirin is for life! Your body needs to adjust to this medicine and I was simply given a. Stronger dose of oMeprazole which made it so much better. It is fabulous that we all use this forum to ask each other information but I urge people to talk to professionals. Sometimes medicine is not right for you but you are on primarily a combination of these drugs and sometimes a statin as well to keep you alive!! Good luck and I hope you get it sorted but please don’t stop taking anything unless advised by a doctor
Thank you for replying, I have never needed meds before and finding it really difficult to adjust. I have probably read too much about side effects and scared myself lol I have read that when you come off clopidogral it’s can be dangerous as your blood thickens more than before!! So do they advise a gradual withdrawal ie cut them into small pieces. Some good news though the Bisporol is working really well , it feels good to be so chilled !I’ve gone back to work and stress levels are the lowest they have ever been
☺️
NO, when you stop the blood thinner after a year you do it immediately; no cutting down; just stop. It's not a problem. I find the aspirin plays havoc with my stomach and am presently on double stomach protector to let a peptic ulcer heal. I've been put on an enteric coated aspirin which dissolves in the cut rather than the stomach but they don't like to do that because if you have normal bowel movements, it may not stay inside long enough to work
Ok that makes sense. I had read that stopping clopidogeal abruptly causes blood to be very thick, thicker than before for a short while is this not true?Thanks
Hope you keeping well 😄
NO idea but never heard that. My GP had no hesitation in stopping it straight off. Either that or aspirin had t o be stopped as they were ruining my stomach and he said they know more about the side effects of aspirin than they did about clopi so he'd like me to stay on aspirin. About 3 months after my HA I begged them to change ticagrelor for clopidogrel as I couldn't breathe on ticag. It got so bad I stopped it myself a week before I had to go for another angiogram. The surgeon was furious but only because he had to give me a big loading dose of clopidogrel before he could do the angiogram. Well I had kept on begging and he'd just ignored me. TIcag was like having severe asthma for me.
Wow that sounds v scary, why didn’t they listen to you! I think sometimes u have to do whatever's necessary and trust yourself.
I assume the cardio chap expected it would wait until he saw me. It didn't cause asthma but it felt like it; that's a well known side effect of ticagrelor. He just didn't realise how badly it was affecting me and how badly I was coping with it.
Yes I have lots of meds questions but don’t see consultant until I’ve had perfusion scan . Not sure what that entails. GP won’t change anything without checking with consultant. So where are u with everything now then?
After having stomach problems with Aspirin, even the gastro resistant one, my cardiologist took me off Aspirin and I am on Clobidigrel for life.
Hi ChristineK, did the switch improve your stomach aches? I’m thinking of doing the same since we think it’s the aspirin that is causing the problem
Thanks
Yes it improved my stomach ache, but I am also on Clobidogrel, so I do take 15mg of Lansoprazole daily to protect my stomach. After HA I was prescribed Clobidogrel for one year and Aspirin for life. Now that I am off the Aspirin, I have to take Clobidogrel for life. Hope this helps in some way, and good luck.
Yes Thanks Christine, did you also have a chest ache/ tightness when you were on Aspirin?
No nothing like that, just sharp stomach pains.
Clopidogrel did exactly the same to my stomach and with ticagrelor I struggled to breathe. Now on the aspirin that dissolves in your gut but have no idea what damage that could be causing.
You have my sympathy. All these blood thinners seem to have horrible side effects. I have an even bigger problem with them now, as I have to take 30mg of Lansoprazole daily to protect my stomach. I have osteoporosis and Lansoprazole causes your bones to get thinner when taken long term. I feel I just can't win. The frightening thing is that the medics don't warn you of the dangers of the interactions before they prescribe these drugs. I have learnt most of what I now know about these drugs from this forum. There are so many knowledgeable people on here. I also google on the drug interaction site with every new drug that I have to take. I think I am getting paranoid!
I don't blame you getting concerned. you get one thing to help another which ends up doing its own damage. Mind you I'm not telling my husband about Lansoprazole. He was put on it by ENT for silent acid reflux which is eroding his oesophagus. He wouldn't wear his hearing aids so he couldn't hear the consultant explain and he refused to take them. His voice is now so bad I can't understand him so I had to get the GP to send him a copy of the report. Luckily he doesn't have to take it long term. I'm allergic to PPIs so can only take famotidine since ranitidine was banned. Itdoesn't work anywhere near as well which is why I had to change the type of aspirin.
I also have acid reflux and I know that Lansolrazole helps, but if I have a flare up, I also have Gaviscon Advanced. One thing that has helped me immensely is a wedge shaped pillow that I bought a couple of months ago. It raises your torso, neck and head at an angle, so the acid drains down properly. My GP advised me to sleep on lots of pillows, but that just gave me a stiff neck. It may be worth a try for your husband. There are lots of different companies that make them. Mine is Puttnams, a bit expensive, but made of really good quality foam and very comfortable. It does take a few nights to get used to it. You could also try raising your bed head by about 4 inches. I hope this helps, and good luck
Thanks but he insists there's nothing wrong with his stomach because he has no symptoms.
Yes, I was wrongly diagnosed with silent reflux by an ENT consultant, when I was persistently clearing my throat and my voice was hoarse, but I linked it with being on the BP medication, Losartan. When I stopped taking this, things came back to normal. It just shows how wrong the medics can be. I was told that silent reflux is when acid from the bottom of the stomach travels up the oesophagus and hits the back of the throat. Sometimes, you have to self diagnose to get things right. Having said that, I do suffer from acid reflux together with the symptoms.
I am taking a tablet which helps prevent stomach problems called Lansoprazole - be worth asking your Dr about that. Good luck
Thank you for your advice Hope you are keeping well 🙂
Please continue with doctor's prescription, I also got same treatment 7 years ago, after a heart attack, but my treatment was changed later.
Thanks Rabbit, I will carry on with them How are you doing now?
Had to give up work when my spine got so bad. I hadn't had any heart or BP problems at all when I had the heart attack but I do have a family history of heart problems. My grandad was the only one of 13 siblings to survive past 50.
I had HA Jan 2020, was on Clopidogrel and Aspirin and suffered stomach problems. Spoke to cardiologist, who put me on Lansoprozole to protect stomach. Still had stomach problems, so he stopped Aspirin. Everything OK now. Only thing worrying me is that taking Lansoprozole makes Clopidogrel less effective. ( I looked it up). You just can't win. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Thanks Christine So you are on just Clopidogral with no aspirin added. Cos that’s what I was concerned about that the 2 meds are generally prescribed together and work in tandem and thought it may my be essential to have both. looks like clopindigrel will still give a high level of protection just by reducing the stickiness of the blood 😀
Yes, I guess not everyone can tolerate Aspirin, good luck.
Thanks 😊
They are only prescribed together for the first 12 months then normally clopidogrel ( or ticagrelor) is stopped. MY GP said he preferred to keep people on aspirin purely because they know more about its side effects.
Gosh Qualipop I thought I was bad, but the list of your symptoms has cheered me up no end. I admire your resolve and ability to 'Keep on Keeping on'. Inpirational stuff. All the very best. Ron
Inspirational? Hahahaha. What else can anyone do but carry on carrying on? Times I'd just like to give up but too much of a coward.
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