This belongs to the group of medicines known as antiplatelets.
Plavix is used for patients who have recently had a heart attack or stroke or for those at risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke.

When you cut yourself, the platelets stick to each other (clot) to seal the wound. Plavix, taken regularly, reduces the stickiness of these platelets, therefore thinning the blood slightly and helping to prevent unwanted blood clots from forming within the body.

Plavix is available in tablet form.

It is also sometimes known as: Plavix. You may notice the use of any of these names on the packaging of your medicine.

Why is this drug prescribed?

Plavix tablets contain the active ingredient clopidogrel hydrogen sulphate, which is a type of drug called an antiplatelet sometimes referred to as a 'blood-thinning' drug). It stops blood cells called platelets from clumping together and forming blood clots. Clopidogrel works by preventing a natural substance called ADP from binding to its receptors on platelets. ADP is one of the chemicals in the body that cause platelets to clump together and start the process of blood clotting. As clopidogrel stops ADP from binding to platelets, it reduces the likelihood of clots forming in the blood. A blood clot that forms inside the blood vessels is known as a thrombosis and can be dangerous, as it can cause a blockage that cuts off the blood supply to an organ. A blockage in the arteries supplying blood to the heart or brain can cause a heart attack or stroke. A blockage in the blood vessels in the extremities, eg legs, may result in gangrene. Blood clots and blockages mainly result from a build up of atherosclerosis on the inside of blood vessels. Atherosclerosis is a build up of cholesterol and fat cells that narrows the blood vessels and makes their interiors rough and bumpy. This makes it more difficult for blood to flow through the vessels, and increases the likelihood of clots forming in the vessels. People who have already suffered a heart attack or stroke are at risk of having another because of the atherosclerosis in their arteries. People with unstable angina are also at risk of a heart attack because of the atherosclerosis in their arteries. Similarly, people who have narrowed arteries in their extremities, eg legs, are also at risk of blood clots. These events are known as atherothrombotic events. Clopidogrel is used to prevent blood clots forming within blood vessels, and therefore reduce the risk of further atherothrombotic events in these groups of people.

Treatments

* Reducing risk of atherothrombotic events in people who have had a heart attack * Reducing risk of atherothrombotic events in people who have had an ischaemic stroke * Reducing risk of atherothrombotic events in people with unstable angina * Reducing risk of atherothrombotic events in peripheral arterial disease

What side effects can this drug cause?

* Bleeding, for example nosebleeds, blood in the urine, bleeding in the stomach or bowels. Very rarely, bleeding in the eye, lungs or joints. * Increased time taken to stop bleeding * Bruising * Disturbances of the gut such as indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain * Inflammation of the stomach * Ulceration of the stomach or intestines * Headache * Dizziness * Pins and needles sensations * Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood * Decrease in the number of a type of white blood cell in the blood * Skin reactions such as rash, itching * Balance problems involving the inner ear * Fever * Taste disturbance * Confusion * Hallucinations * Liver problems * Pain in the muscles or joints