Is it safe to combine clopidogrel and alcohol?
Clopidogrel, a prescription medicine also known by Plavix®, inhibits the blood process. This drug is prescribed to prevent harmful blood clots in patients with coronary disease. Alcohol is not recommended for those who use clopidogrel, as there is an increased possibility of bleeding with this drug and a combination of clopidogrel and alcohol can intensify this danger. In addition to the increased bleeding risk, other common side effects of this drug include symptoms similar to influenza and headache.
Patients taking this prescription drug can easily bleed and bruises, and it is clear that a mixture of clopidogrel and alcohol can be very dangerous. Alcohol can cause ulcers that lead to bleeding in the digestive tract. The combination of clopidogrel and alcohol is not safe for the patient because there is already a risk of bleeding in the digestive tract with this drug. Patients who combined clopidogrel and alcohol and noticed black stool or blood in the urine or stool should contact your doctor immediately.
Before taking this drug, patients are warned to tell their doctors about any bleeding conditions they may already have. Those who use this medicine should also take measures against any activity, such as certain sports that can lead to bleeding events. Even a smaller cut or nosebleed can sometimes become a problem for someone who takes clopidogrel. Patients who are planning surgery should inform their doctors that they are taking Clopidogrel.
Clopidogeral keeps blood flowing through the body and prevents blocking that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Blood plates are the key to the blood clotting process and clopidogrel inhibits the function of plates in haemostasis - a medical term for the blood clotting process. Someone who has suffered a heart attack or stroke may be in incapturing the risk of creating a blood clots that could clog blood vessels and cause another stroke nebo heart event. In addition to prescribing clopidogrel for people who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, doctors also prescribe this as a preventive medicine for people with known heart disease such as atherosclerosis. Klopidogrel is also used after certain heart procedures and operations such as heart stent or bypass surgery.
Other common side effects of clopidogrel in addition to bleeding and bruises include symptoms similar to influenza, headache, dizziness, stomach, diarrhea and skin rash. Some reports claim that clopidogrel was associated with the development of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). This blood disorder leads to a chronic low number of plates that may disrupt blood clotting.