Comments on: Heart Stents and Plavix Long Term Use

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:43:23 +0000

Dan,
I have 1 stent and 2 other blockages.13 months old.I have since been told I need a gparphite sleeve around my aortic root Bi pass to get off the meds that are killing me and I need to valves replaced.I have been told I will be on Plavix for life which I hate
Pat

By: Dan S

Dan S — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:51:36 +0000

I am 41 and just had a heart attack. Had 3 stents (2 in one artery, 1 in another) Doc told me normally you stay on Plavix for 3 months, but since I had multiple stents/arteries they may keep me on for 1 year.

DOC told me stay on Plavix or you will be right back in hopital. My impression is that Plavix is needed until the tissue forms around stent. From there it will be all about lifestyle/diet etc.

By: DAN

DAN — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:16:38 +0000

I just had 2 xience V Everolimus Eluting stents put in 1 sept and 1 oct Doc says stay on plavix 1 year than asprin rest of life . I am 45 not sure what to think with all this negative info and some that is good. Iam still not feeling up to par yet having mild chest pain at times. I have changed life style , food, start exercing ,quit smoking . Still have 2 0ther blockages at 50% going to get stents put in nov . DOC did not do those 2 because they were not at 70% ?. But i told doc that i wanted them stented now due to staying on plavix for year . Dont want to be on that stuff any longer than i have too. ANYONE WHO HAS SAME TYPE STENTS STAY IN TOUCH WITH POST AND GOD BLESS

By: alexander

alexander — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:04:59 +0000

I have had 2 stents in the led arteries 18 months ago and was told I will be on plavix for the rest of my life . Low and behold the cardioligist then took me off plavix two weeks ago said plavex was not nessisary after a year went for a second opnion was told that I must go on it again for good . do these doctors realy know what they are talking about we after all have to put our life in there hands . My chest pain is so bad and they can not find the problem . I am a normaly fit 64 year old

By: Ron

Ron — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:06:23 +0000

This past year I wrote my senator when I learned that the Supreme Court had provided protection from litigation to medical device manufacturers under the guise of FDA Approval. Then they were considering extending that protection to drug manufacturers (I understand that measure was defeated). However, the main complaints I have are still valid as pointed out in my letter to my senator:

Dear Senator,
Upon reading the Wall Street Journal Market Place lead article today entitled “In Drug Case, Justices Weigh Right to Sue”, I am concerned. Granted, our overly litigious society creates large settlements for drug and medical equipment producers, which I am sure they claim is a large part of their excessive cost to consumer/insurance companies. (However, I am more prone to believe the high cost is more directly related to excessive advertising.)

My concern is that if the Supreme Court decides to protect the drug companies from litigation, under the guise of FDA approval, and you can’t sue the FDA – then NO ONE is accountable, except the doctor or nurse that administers the drug or device?

As in so many areas today, you can see the root problem when you “follow the money!” Drug companies continue to PUSH products through the FDA (then tweak them or sue to keep them from going generic -ie:Plavix). The FDA is under pressure to get the next “wonder drug” to the public, so clinical trials are too short and side affects not even given time to be revealed (ie: Vioxx and drug eluding stents).

In my case, I have 5 coronary stents, three of which are drug coated. Due to the subsequent determination that the coated stents can cause a fatal clot, I have to take Plavix the rest of my life. This raises several questions in light of what the Supreme Court is considering:

1. Due to defective performance of Boston Scientific’s Taxus Stent, if I die from a stent clot, my family will not be able to sue Boston Scientific.

2. Because of Boston Scientific’s and J&J’s competitive rush to market, I have to continue indefinitely paying for PLAVIX, for which the maker has sued to block a generic version.

3. There are no studies to determine the risk and side affects of long term use of PLAVIX! So now I, along with millions of others, are ginny pigs for an involuntary study – for which the makers of PLAVIX are netting millions of dollars in sales, while they and Boston Scientific will be protected from litigation?

There is something terribly wrong in all this! I would ask that you look into this for the millions in Ohio and around the country that face the same delema.

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 12:56:05 +0000

I have been off Plavix for over four months, but I still bleed under the skin. Every time I mention to my doctor or my cardiologist, I get the run around. I asked for a blood test with a liver function,when I got the results, found I didn’t get the liver function test as requested. My mcv is now 105(high) and my mch is now 36.8 also high. Prior to taking Plavix, these levels were 96 and32.7 respectively. They wanted to put stents in me, but I refused to sign authorization, and checked myself out of the hospital. Their compromise was to put me on Plavix, and now after four months with no Plavix, I am still bleeding under the skin and don’t know if it will ever stop.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 04:04:28 +0000

My heart attack happened 9-10 months ago,Constant headache,muscle aches, joint aches and chest pains(angina) I found an article saying to take Vitamin E, B12, C, Co-Q 10 seems to be working for me I have had no angina for almost 4 weeks.
Patrick

By: Lewis

Lewis — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:56:13 +0000

I am a heart patient,51years I have15 stents,from 40 to now, I take 325 aspain & plavex so I don’t think any of the drugs .work

By: victor

victor — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:49:53 +0000

im a heart patient two open heart and eight stents untill i start seeing tv commercials telling me to take plavex or you will die i think i wait for the next wonder drug after all plavex doesn’t if i take it theres no worries!

By: JIM

JIM — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:41:04 +0000

MY DAD JUST PASSED AWAY AT 84 ON APRIL3 2009.
IN GOOD HEALTH OTHER THAN THREE HEART ATTACKS AND 4 STENTS SEVERAL YEARS BACK. HE HAD BEEN ON PLAVEX FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
HE DIED OF A CATASTROPHIC CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE.
I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A DOCTOR FAMILIAR WITH HIS HEALTH AND BACK GROUND. THE FIRST WORD FROM HIM WAS PLAVAX WAS MOST LIKELY WHAT KILLED HIM.
CAN THESE BE CONNECTED AND IS IT POSSIBLE.

By: TAMMY

TAMMY — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:16:08 +0000

i AM A 43 YEAR OLD FEMALE I HADE A HEART ATTACK SEPT 8 2008 THEY PUT 4 SENTS IN ME AND I WAS PLACED ON PLAVIX TOLD IT WOULD BE FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW IT HAS CHANGED TO ALL MY LIFE I HAD 2 MORE STENTS PUT IN A MONTH LATER I HAVE CONSTANT CHEST PAIN AND I CAN NOT AFFORD THE PLAVIX

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:11:26 +0000

I had a silent heart attack-who knows qhen and in 2006 a full blown heart attack. They put in a Taxus Express stent-6 month later I had another stent put in, and as of this last Friday am looking at another one. When I was on Plavix and aspirin-I bruised easily and if I cut myself had a hard time stopping blood flow. I was cutting up chicken for the dog and he jumped on my leg and I missed the chicken and got the top of my hand with the knife–no kidding, my kitchen looked like a mass murder-blood was EVERYWHERE and after 45 minutes and it not stopping- ended up in urgent care for 5 stitches. So off the Plavix and on aspirin-81mg.

By: Tommy

Tommy — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:25:50 +0000

I want to know when the idiots making this dam med. plavix is going to make it affordable for the dam poor people, I have taken this med. for 8 years and am dam tired of paying so much for it, and am not going to anymore, I’ll get it from Canada where you can get 6 months worth for the American price of 1 month,, dam rerdiculous,,, bunch of money hungry as-holes!!!!!!!!!!!

By: T.Johnson

T.Johnson — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:31:17 +0000

In 1993 I had a heart attack and I had two blockages I received two balloon angioplasties and have taken 325 aspirin since withot any problem. In June 2008 during a routine serie of tests it was determied I upon stress had a heart muscle that dident appear to receive enough blood supply. It was decided I was to have an angiogram and if there was sufficient blockage a stent would be placed. That is what occured I received a Cordis Cypher Serolimus-eluting Coronary stent. Afterwhich I was told I would have to be on Plavix. Simvastatin and others and to continue my aspirin. A few weeks later I was back in the hospital with a “mini-stroke” followup. I am now having muscle pains in my legs and was taken off the Simvastatin for a month then back on. The muscle pai continues. Dr. tells me I will be on Plavix for at least a year ??. Its interesting I was never told prior to the proceedure about the stent hazards and the need for the meds with all the side effects especially when I had had ballons without stents that have remained clear now for 15 years with only aspirin , exercise and diet care . Are there any recent studies on how soon someone in my situation can be taken off of the Pavix etc.???