When is aspirin used(in heart health) and when is Plavix used ? Are they sometimes used together?
When is aspirin used(in heart health) and when is Plavix used ? Are they sometimes used together?
I know they both inhibit the clotting mechanism, but when should one be used over (or with) the other ?
Best answer:
Answer by atstdriver
They both inhibit platelet function, and thus both prevent clotting, but do so through different pathways; aspirin is a COX inhibitor, and Plavix is a ADP receptor inhibitor - suffice to say that they are both necessary for platelets to activate, stick to each other and form clots. You can use either one by itself, or both in combination, if necessary for increased effect.
Aside from an allergy to either drug (in which case, you wouldn’t use it, of course), there are a number of reasons you would use one over another. Aspirin is extremely cheap, and has been around for just about forever (as far as medicines go), so its actions are well understood, making it a good choice. However, aspirin can be irritating/damaging to the stomach, because the COX enzymes are also involved in the stomach’s defense mechanism against its own acid. In theory, Plavix doesn’t have an effect on the stomach. However, in the US, Plavix is not available generically, so it is still quite pricey. Also, because it is newer, you could argue that there are still more questions about how it behaves and interacts with other drugs - for instance, there was a recent FDA warning about using it in combination with proton-pump inhibitors, another very commonly used class of medication, because of interactions with the liver enzyme that converts it to its active form. Along the same lines, some peoples’ bodies just naturally do not process the drug as well, reducing its efficacy. So, choosing which to use really depends on the individual patient being and the specific considerations that apply to the specific case in which it is being used.
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