Clopidogrel metallic taste

[shiftzz]

A few weeks ago, my consultant changed my meds from aspirin to clopidogrel , recently I have been struggling with a metallic taste in my mouth...

I may revert back to aspirin...

Lost 14 pounds in three weeks... Really gone off my food

[hunter5582]

Apparently that is one of the side effects of clopidogrel. There are other option should that one not work for you and aspirin is not suitable. Eliquis (apixaban) is one example that has fewer side effects, but is more expensive. Hope you find a solution soon.

[shiftzz in reply to hunter5582]

Hi Hunter, thanks for the post.

I was on low dosage aspirin and Lansoprazole, it was working fine, then I had a telephone consultation with my consultant, who asked about all my medication, I updated her, made the mistake that I took them all at the same time in the morning. She was concerned that the aspirin could give me issues taking before food, so she changed the aspirin to Clopidogrel, my GP then noticed that I should not be taking Clopidogrel with Lansoprazole and then changed that to Omeprazole. I then started to get issues, so the GP suggested that I drop the Omeprazole and go back to Lansoprazole as this could cause the side effect, this I did but it’s still there. Rang the GP who is unaware that Clopidogrel could cause the metallic taste. So I have gone back to Aspirin and Lansoprazole.

The problem is that the Consultant does not look at the bigger picture and the GP is reluctant to ask too many questions. Plus they don’t know enough about the medication they prescribe. Even three of my haematology consultants were unaware that pegalated interferon can cause a cough.

The metallic taste is very slowly diminishing..

[ciye in reply to shiftzz]

I am so glad you posted, I have a metallic taste and on clopidogril/lansoprzole, both prescribed by haemo can't take omeprazole or asprin. I have to consult coming up will see about different meds.

[hunter5582 in reply to shiftzz]

Maybe the doc should read the NHS website advice on aspirin.

"Take low-dose aspirin once a day. Don't take it on an empty stomach. It's best to take it with or just after food. This will make it less likely to upset your stomach."

nhs.uk/medicines/low-dose-a...

Aspirin is the standard anti-platelet treatment for MPNs, but some cannot tolerate it. The risk/benefit profile of Eliquis (apixaban is generally considered to be better than clopidogrel, which has a significant bleeding risk. Unfortunately, Eliquis (apixaban) is more difficult to access due to its cost. Based on what you describe, going back to aspirin makes sense. There are also other proton pump inhibitors to consider (e.g. Nexium/esomeprazole) that may be more favorable should what you are taking not work out.

It sounds like you may need some new docs. You need docs who understand MPNs and who treat MPNs in a holistic fashion. They also need to be familiar with the meds they are prescribing. Consultation with a MPN Specialist is certainly in order.

All the best to you.