For those who are/have been on Plavix....did you have more joint problems (ie osteoarthritis/joint swelling and pain) while on this blood thinner? And, most importantly, did you ever get bone bruises?? I have been on Plavix for a year, and have the regular bleeding issues, but recently, after a lot of pain/inflammation in my knee, and no luck with a cortisone shot, my MRI showed 2 bone bruises (Tibia & femur)..I am now worried that I could have long-term damage, and I should try to stop Plavix (look for other alternatives). Waiting for a call back from my endovascular surgeon. If it can cause bleeding under the skin, in the GI tract, and other areas, I guess it could be the cause of bone bruises....any information will be greatly appreciated!!
Wow, NL, I do not recall anyone having this issue, but I sure hope you find some answers, and soon! I personally can’t shed any light on this, but hopefully your physician, or someone here who may have had similar issues, will respond. What is the reason you are still on Plavix? Is there no full occlusion, or is it for other reasons? Most of us (but certainly not all) are off Plavix at 6 months. My first thought was what is your age, and are you in perimenopause or menopause? Bone density, as those of us nearing, or in the throes of menopause can attest to, is an issue we don’t think about in our younger years, but becomes important in this part of our lives.
Please do keep us posted as to what, if anything, they can attribute your bone bruises to.
Best wishes, and good luck in finding some answers!
Linda
Thank you so much for your reply!! It has been a while since we "spoke"--I hope all is well for you!! I am 49 (turning 50 on Sunday). So that could very much be a possibility!! I need to get on a calcium supplement. I am not a milk drinker, and many yrs ago, my doctor said that I should be on a CA supplement---I should have followed through! I asked my orthopedist, and he said he had not heard about Plavix/Bone bruises, but asked me if I had found anything on that (as if it could be a possibility). I am still waiting to hear back from the endovascular surgeon, so I will ask them as well.
I am on Plavix as my aneurysm was not fully occluded, and they tried getting me off, but I had 2 episodes were I lost partial vision for about 10 min each time. They told me it was due to small clots forming, so they put me on back on Plavix right away (danger of a stroke). They will be doing an MRA soon, and if it looks good, they will try stopping Plavix and having me take a full aspirin (instead of a baby aspirin). I am sure it will look good (the other one they did after surgery looked normal and it was not until the Angio that they found the blood leaking back in). I am very nervous about stopping Plavix, as I have tried skipping a pill every third or 4th day, and light floaters return. But, I don't want to be on Plavix for the rest of my life! Thanks for your reply, Linda, and have a wonderful week! :)
Linda Z. said:
Wow, NL, I do not recall anyone having this issue, but I sure hope you find some answers, and soon! I personally can't shed any light on this, but hopefully your physician, or someone here who may have had similar issues, will respond. What is the reason you are still on Plavix? Is there no full occlusion, or is it for other reasons? Most of us (but certainly not all) are off Plavix at 6 months. My first thought was what is your age, and are you in perimenopause or menopause? Bone density, as those of us nearing, or in the throes of menopause can attest to, is an issue we don't think about in our younger years, but becomes important in this part of our lives.
Please do keep us posted as to what, if anything, they can attribute your bone bruises to.
Best wishes, and good luck in finding some answers!
Linda
NL,
Thank you for your kind words. I’m doing well, although I’m sad to see that you’re having such issues. And more importantly, happy birthday, and welcome to the next “box”!
I do hope that when your MRA is complete, that you’re able to get off the Plavix. I know most, if not all of our members, have complained about the issues with Plavix, the easy bruising, and then the problems trying to get off of it. It certainly isn’t the first time that we’ve had someone with issues trying to come off the Plavix. Unfortunately, some people are required to take it for the rest of their lives because like you, their bodies don’t wish to cooperate with the stents. When you think about it as a whole, it’s amazing that our bodies allow any of the foreign items that we have put into them, such as the stents, new knees, donor tendons, Metal braces, screws, brackets and whatever else we put in own bodies to put them back together. It amazes me at times that in my life so many medical miracles have been discovered and put into motion and good use. The best being, the PED, for without the PED our aneurysms would go untreatable, at least as was the case for me.
Stay strong and positive and hope for a good outcome.
Best wishes,
Linda
Thank you for your support and words of encouragement!!! Yes, we have to focus on the blessings, and Plavix, although it is a tough medication, saves so many lives, including mine!! Next for me will be a knee replacement (in the next few yrs), so it is amazing what technology can do to make our lives better. And the Pipeline--definitely a lifesaver for me!
Glad to see you are doing well, and thank you for everything that you do! <3
Nancy
Linda Z. said:
NL,
Thank you for your kind words. I'm doing well, although I'm sad to see that you're having such issues. And more importantly, happy birthday, and welcome to the next "box"!
I do hope that when your MRA is complete, that you're able to get off the Plavix. I know most, if not all of our members, have complained about the issues with Plavix, the easy bruising, and then the problems trying to get off of it. It certainly isn't the first time that we've had someone with issues trying to come off the Plavix. Unfortunately, some people are required to take it for the rest of their lives because like you, their bodies don't wish to cooperate with the stents. When you think about it as a whole, it's amazing that our bodies allow any of the foreign items that we have put into them, such as the stents, new knees, donor tendons, Metal braces, screws, brackets and whatever else we put in own bodies to put them back together. It amazes me at times that in my life so many medical miracles have been discovered and put into motion and good use. The best being, the PED, for without the PED our aneurysms would go untreatable, at least as was the case for me.
Stay strong and positive and hope for a good outcome.
Best wishes,
Linda
I was on Plavix for a year. I had a PED implant in Jan. 2012. That one did not work as it should have. In June of the same year, I went in for my six month check up and found that I needed to have a second implant. On June 8,2012 I had the second implant done. My surgeon put the second one inside of the first one. Ten days later I had some " problems" and went back to the hospital. I was in there for a couple of days. My surgeon did a MRA on me. The reason that I was having " Problems" was my Annie had shrunk and was gone! I had bruises all over my body, including my hands. People thought that I had been beaten. I explained that it was just medication that I was on.
DO NOT go off the Plavix on your own! It must be done slowly. Take it as your doctor has told you. If you go off it on your own, you could cause more damage to yourself.
I do hope that all goes well for you.
I was 66 at that time and I am now 70 and living life to the fullest!
Thank you very much for your reply!! So happy to hear that it has all worked out for you and you are very happy!! I still have a bit of blood flowing into the aneurysm, and we will be watching it. At this time he doesn't want to put in another stent. I am worried about the area that was left open (about 2mm), so I am going to get a second opinion online. He told me I can go off Plavix (and it is most likely the cause of my bone bruises), and put me on 325mg. I am alternating Plavix this week, and then stopping it. I am still worried about the possibility of more small clots forming in the area (could go off into the bloodstream and cause a stroke), but this is the next step, and he told me to call right away if I develop any vision changes. Still a lot of uncertainty, and taking it one day at a time! Thank you for writing!! :)
Marjorie B Filipiak said:
I was on Plavix for a year. I had a PED implant in Jan. 2012. That one did not work as it should have. In June of the same year, I went in for my six month check up and found that I needed to have a second implant. On June 8,2012 I had the second implant done. My surgeon put the second one inside of the first one. Ten days later I had some " problems" and went back to the hospital. I was in there for a couple of days. My surgeon did a MRA on me. The reason that I was having " Problems" was my Annie had shrunk and was gone! I had bruises all over my body, including my hands. People thought that I had been beaten. I explained that it was just medication that I was on.
DO NOT go off the Plavix on your own! It must be done slowly. Take it as your doctor has told you. If you go off it on your own, you could cause more damage to yourself.
I do hope that all goes well for you.
I was 66 at that time and I am now 70 and living life to the fullest!
NL said:
Thank you very much for your reply!! So happy to hear that it has all worked out for you and you are very happy!! I still have a bit of blood flowing into the aneurysm, and we will be watching it. At this time he doesn't want to put in another stent. I am worried about the area that was left open (about 2mm), so I am going to get a second opinion online. He told me I can go off Plavix (and it is most likely the cause of my bone bruises), and put me on 325mg. I am alternating Plavix this week, and then stopping it. I am still worried about the possibility of more small clots forming in the area (could go off into the bloodstream and cause a stroke), but this is the next step, and he told me to call right away if I develop any vision changes. Still a lot of uncertainty, and taking it one day at a time! Thank you for writing!! :)
Marjorie B Filipiak said:I was on Plavix for a year. I had a PED implant in Jan. 2012. That one did not work as it should have. In June of the same year, I went in for my six month check up and found that I needed to have a second implant. On June 8,2012 I had the second implant done. My surgeon put the second one inside of the first one. Ten days later I had some " problems" and went back to the hospital. I was in there for a couple of days. My surgeon did a MRA on me. The reason that I was having " Problems" was my Annie had shrunk and was gone! I had bruises all over my body, including my hands. People thought that I had been beaten. I explained that it was just medication that I was on.
DO NOT go off the Plavix on your own! It must be done slowly. Take it as your doctor has told you. If you go off it on your own, you could cause more damage to yourself.
I do hope that all goes well for you.
I was 66 at that time and I am now 70 and living life to the fullest!
Once I got off Plavix I have been on Bayer Aspirin 325 mg. It helps a lot. I saw my surgeon this winter and he told me that there is a possiblity that eventually I can begin to take a lower dose! What good news that was! If I can help in anyway, just ask!
That is great that the aspirin helped!!! I have lupus and used to take a lot of advil (my favorite "drug") for inflammation; it worked like magic. Until my kidneys started bleeding. So no more advil. My nephrologist was worried about the Plavix and baby aspirin, but kidneys have cooperated. So I hope they still do OK with the full aspirin. And I hope that prevents clots and vision problems, or back on Plavix. So far so good! :) Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, and for your willingness to help; I really appreciate it, and wish you the best of luck!
Marjorie B Filipiak said:
Once I got off Plavix I have been on Bayer Aspirin 325 mg. It helps a lot. I saw my surgeon this winter and he told me that there is a possiblity that eventually I can begin to take a lower dose! What good news that was! If I can help in anyway, just ask!