What it means
It is used to prevent heart attack and stroke in people with heart or blood vessel disease and to keep coronary stents open, often together with aspirin. It is a prodrug: the liver must change it into its active form, which some people's livers do poorly. Its brand Plavix is on the ISMP list of names confused with Paxil (paroxetine).
For the nurse
The boxed warning is for reduced effect in people whose liver changes the drug poorly. Watch for bleeding, and teach the client to report black stools or blood in urine and to tell every provider and dentist about it. It is usually stopped about 5 days before planned surgery, only on the prescriber's order. Omeprazole and esomeprazole weaken its effect.
At a glance
| Drug class | antiplatelet (P2Y12 inhibitor) |
|---|---|
| Brand names | Plavix |
| Spanish | clopidogrel |
| Also written | Plavix |
Easy to confuse with
paroxetine
An SSRI antidepressant used for depression and several anxiety disorders.
paclitaxel
A chemotherapy drug, given by IV, that stops cancer cells from dividing.
Related terms
platelet
A tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.
aspirin
A drug that eases pain, fever and inflammation and makes platelets less sticky so blood clots less easily.
antiplatelet
A drug that keeps platelets from sticking together and forming clots.
omeprazole
A proton pump inhibitor: a drug that lowers the amount of acid the stomach makes.