plavix & aspirin is killing my stomach

[enie]

My problem is that I have to take plavix with a regular strength aspirin, and it is killing my stomach. It is hard to sleep at night because of the stomach pain. I've tried several different tricks (extra water, antacid, 2 pepsid, nexium, a snack, and of course the coated aspirin) but it still hurts. Any suggestions?

Also, I have problems with ting blood vessels breaking and leaving big purple spots when I take plavix with aspirin and the more aspirin I take the more busted blood vessels I get, plus they seem to be larger too. Last year I tried dropping the plavix and baby aspirin and I was only taking a regular strength aspirin, but a month later I started to have shortness of breath with chest distress. They suspected that the problem was caused from the blockage of small blood vessels and that the Plavix was keeping them from blocking, so they put me back on plavix. Sure enough, the shortness of breath and angina eased off. They have told me many times that I will need to be on plavix and aspirin the rest of my life. I just received another stent and they again upped my aspirin to 325 that I have to take with my plavix. They said to be careful never to skip. Anyone else having these problems?

enie

[Connie122516]

Supposedly, aspirin is harder on the stomach than Plavix (though I'm not necessarily convinced).

Yes, my gi problems are much worse than they were before I started all my cardiac meds; it's something I've learned to live with though mine is more periodic discomfort than pain. And I suspect the metroprolol and Lipitor I take are also contributing.

Have you talked with your doctor and made sure you aren't suffering from gi bleeds? That would be a primary risk of both Plavix and aspirin. Has s/he considered Protonix or another gi med? I, for example, can't take Prilosec but Protonix helps. (Though I'm not taking either now).

I take 2 coated baby aspirin per day, one in a.m. with my Plavix and one in p.m. with Niaspan...they originally wanted me on a full 325 mg. but after about 9 mos. I was bruising too much so we cut back to that amount.

[CoyoteBound]

enie,

I also take Plavix and I'm suppose to be taking a baby asprin also but I ran out of them and I haven't had an asprin in a long time. I have never thought about it but every now and then I take a real bad hurting right in the pit of my stomach and I don't know whats casuing it, but the Plavix has never crossed my mind. I am gonna ask my Doctor about it because when it hits me, it's so bad of a pain that I have to take a pain pill and I have also taken soda because it tells you on the box how to mix it for indigestion and I thought that might of been what it was.

I too, bruise real easily and the least little scratch I will bleed and bleed like I can't get it to stop but I have been on Plavix for years and years now. I first had my blood clots in 1993 so I have been on Plavix since then. I also have the purple weins on my legs and around my ankles real bad and I use to not have them. So I guess it's from the Plavix. But they say I have got to take it because I have already had to have 2 stents placed behind my heart. We just can't win for lossing can we?

[Lenin]

enie,

Don't think of "Plavix and baby aspirin" as if it was one word. They are two very diffferent drugs. Take ONE and see if all is well and then take the OTHER and see what happens.

MANY people do perfectly fine with daily aspirin and NO Plavix...I'll bet you do to.

I think Plavix has a much greater chance of bleeding than aspirin and thus is guaranteed to cause stomach bleeds. It is apparent you CANNOT take these two drugs without severe risk of ulcers or worse.

My recommendation: put the Plavix in a closet somewhere and see if your stomach rewards you with just the aspirin; I'll bet it will. If so, flush the Plavix.
If NOT, then take just the Plavix <yeccch!>

They suspected that the problem was caused from the blockage of small blood vessels and that the Plavix was keeping them from blocking, so they put me back on plavix.

That silly diagnosis sounds like it came directly from the Plavix manufacturer.

There are lots of lawyers on the net assembling cases against Plavix ulcers, deadly hemmorhaging.
THis kind of thing is typical:

Our Plavix lawyers are investigating potential claims for users who have suffered any of the following injuries after using the blood thinner:

Heart Attack
Stroke
Gastrointestinal Bleeding
Ulcers
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpora (TTP Blood Condition)
Death

BEWARE this drug.

[enie]

Hi guys, Thanks for replying.
Oh yeah, it’s for sure that Plavix by itself hurts my stomach and plavix with baby aspirin even more so, but wow, with the regular strength aspirin it is more than I can handle without help this time.

I too bleed and bleed and bleed over a simple scratch, sometimes for days, but how can you tell if it is your stomach bleeding causing the pain?

They don’t want to do a lot of those tests that look inside of your stomach yet because I’m not strong enough yet. As soon as I heal from this last heart cath, I will be set up for a test to look at my stomach. It takes me a couple of months to heal.
I just thought that you guys might have a trick up your sleeve to keep it from hurting so bad. I have so many other pains I have to deal with, sometimes one more pain is one too many. You know what I mean???

I would love to stop taking plavix, but the last time I stopped taking it, I had major problems. And I don’t know if it was just a coincidence or whether it was the cause. Plus when I left the hospital this last time, the Doctor, the NP, and the discharge Nurse all insisted that "it is very important that you don’t miss a dose or stop taking your plavix and a regular strength aspirin for three months and after that to go to a 81mg aspirin with your plavix'. .
I don’t like it when someone tells me “You will have to be on it for the rest of your life”, but could it be because the Doctor sees something going on? Or is it standard procedure now?

Can your body become dependent on plavix? A lot of questions I know…………..

Another off the top of my hat question???
Could it be that my heart does not like the 5 Stents and the pacemaker wires and it is more than my heart wants to deal with, so it stays inflamed? Or could it be that since I'm allergic to metal (especially stainless steel that has been processed using nickel) that my heart might be reacting to the Stents and the pacemaker wires and that is why I constantly have to have catherization procedures to clean up the mess? (Even thou I've been on a low cholesterol diet since 1985). I remember reading a post saying what plaque was made up of. Couldn’t an allergic reaction trigger plaque biuldup too? Four years ago my heart surgeon had said it was the disease around my heart pushing on the arteries from the outside that caused them to be restricted and to block. And my Cardiac NP says that my liver is producing the out of control cholesterol that is causing the blockages so quickly. I guess it is both, but I wonder about my heart not liking all that medal also.
enie