Dangers of Stopping Clopidogrel (Plavix) for Patients with Sten...

[toby45]

Utterly frustrated and despondent reading these posts! I had an acute MI caused by 100% blockage of the LAD, medicated stent, in Jan 08...by Nov had similar symptoms, another Cath but all clear.

Bloody tired and fatigued all the time. It's depressing to wake up after 8 hrs of sleep feeling exhausted! Taking Plavix/Lipitor/Toporol/Asprin3 25/Niaspan and it doesn't make sense any more....we're all put on a similar cocktail of drugs with similar side effects.

Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results...I question the efficacy of our dr's...well intentioned, no doubt, but make our daily living somewhat misadventurous.

Has anyone tried alternative therapies - Acupunture/Herbal Meds/Ayurveda...please help, I'm tired of carrying on like this. life is too cumbersome and the future bleak.

[ranrah]

Toby 25 My husband went off of the plavix after 2 1/2 yrs of it. did a gradual slow down then started asprinin, the normal bp and cholesterol meds were stopped because his bp was causing him to pass out too low. same with the cholesterol meds. he started Cheation Therapy, look into it on the computer, he was not sold on it until he went to his first appointment and he saw the other patients. it is an alternative therapy. 2 years after the stent he had another cath, everything was clear Dr said he can't say it was the chelation but he can't say it was'nt Heart specialist told him the AMer Heart Asso. does not approve it because they have not done their own testing.

[Russell Steinman]

I just had all of my teeth extracted this morning at 11 AM. It is now 11:22PM and I am still alive and doing well.
Cardiac doctor insisted I NOT get off of the plavix for the oral surgery.
While I did have some constant rather aggravating bleeding for about 6 hours after the dentist was done... I am now healing and the bleeding has almost slowed to nothing at all. IV sedation was painless as was the whole ordeal.
I wish my cardiac doctor would have answered the dentists FAX a bit sooner and had be taken off of ASPIRIN 10 days ago instead of the 5 which I ended up getting due to the lack of response of my cardiac guy. My oral surgeon was well aware of all of the gossip and problems of Plavix, but said, being on PLAVIX was no big deal at all... and he was right. I diet and exercise, and my blood pressure is low even without cardiac drugs. I think many of the problems people have are caused by the patients LACK OF TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES... as all our bodies want to heal themselves... but we have to do our part and take care of the body we were given.
I still have all my hair, and I'd have all my teeth as well .... if it wasn't for some very poor dental work done years ago when a not so hot dentist crowned my teeth and did a lousy job.
Food particles get trapped into crowns when the crowns are not done 'expertly'... and after root canals and lots of pain... I'm glad I had everything removed today... and the Plavix did not interfere with anything.

Russell

[Scottie]

Does Plavix cause upper back pain. Wake up every morning at 5. Goes away after I get up

[Terri]

MINNIE BROWN wrote:

I HAD 1 STENT PUT IN THREE YEARS AGO. I'M HAVING BACK PROBLRMS AND IN ORDER TO HAVE AN EPIDORAL FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT I WOULD HAVE TO BE OFF PLAVIX 10 DAYS BEFORE THE PROCEDURE AND I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE TWO PROCEDURES.

Did you go off the Plavix and what was the result? My husband is having an orthepedic surgery on Wed and was told to stop the Plavix as of Friday + could not reach his coronary Dr. over the weekend. What are the dangers of stopping the Plavix?

[Terri]

Has anyone been the possible dangers of stopping Plavix before surgery? My husband is having surgery next Wed and was told to stop last Friday (5 days before).

[Margaret Greene]

My husband has horrible side effects to Plavix.HIS Dr. treats me like I am a idiot.He told me he was putting stents in without Plavix for my husband's legs,BUT DID ANYWAY..His muscles are damaged from statins.He can no longer walk and the plavix stents has made it worse he was going to have amputation so they did this to save the leg and caused him a lot of grief and the leg will still have to be amputated....WHY IN THE HELL DO DR.S NOT LISTEN TO THEIR PATIENT. I AM SO FLUSTRATED WITH HIS DR.I AM MAD AS HELL AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO.

[Janet Snipes]

I have had chelation.Had to pay out of pocket.My arteries are clean, and I feel great.I did chelation instead of bypass.It is expensive but well worth it.The traditional Dr. are the quacks.I highly recomend it.

[donbl]

Friend of mine has the same Cardiologist and has stents.

He has refused to take the medicine and never been back and he is fine after a couple of years.

Me, on the other hand, had a colonoscopy after stopping Plavix for 5 days and I had a close call.

Staying on the Plavix.

[Margaret]

I had a stent 2 1/2 years ago and have been on plavix since. I haven't so far had any problims. My Doctor says i have to stay on it the rest of my life. I am at retirement age and don't think I can efford to pay even 47 dollars copay amonth. what do we do??????????