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Today I visited the office of a professor/doctor of radiology/neuroradiology here in St Louis at the Washington University School of Medicine. He will be advising me after I get my MS-MRI scans in Detroit on December 7. I had a nice chat with his RN. She asked if people were given any medications post procedure. I told her I thought it was coumadin at Stanford and heparin in Europe. The RN said that they use Plavix and aspirin for their post-op patients. Does anyone here know about coumadin vs Plavix ? I know that coumadin can be difficult and I want to know if anyone has any information about Plavix & aspirin vs coumadin.

I'm on plavix, coumadin and 81mg aspirin for 8 weeks post-op. And then 81mg aspirin for life. I think almost all of Dr Dake's patients are given similar.

WOW Rokkit... you take all three ? That's a lot !

I think everyone does. I hate it. Can't wait to get off them.

Me too, same as Rokkit.

I bruised so much we kept it at just the coumadin and aspirin and dropped the plavix for the eight weeks. Now just aspirin.

Rokkit wrote:I'm on plavix, coumadin and 81mg aspirin for 8 weeks post-op. And then 81mg aspirin for life. I think almost all of Dr Dake's patients are given similar.

Are you people really sure you must take Aspirin for life?
I personally do not mind but some German MS patients say something different.
So far, I take 150 mg a day. I will ask Dr. Simka in January how it is. I considered for such a small problem I have not even asked Dr. Simka about it so far.
Erika

ErikaSlovakia wrote:Are you people really sure you must take Aspirin for life?

Yes, Dr. Dake was specific about that. I wish it weren't so, because I'd rather not. That's one aspect where it's too bad ballooning isn't enough. But hey, let's not get greedy! If this treatment works, I'll gladly take aspirin everyday!

Rokkit wrote:

ErikaSlovakia wrote:Are you people really sure you must take Aspirin for life?

Yes, Dr. Dake was specific about that. I wish it weren't so, because I'd rather not. That's one aspect where it's too bad ballooning isn't enough. But hey, let's not get greedy! If this treatment works, I'll gladly take aspirin everyday!

Yes, this is what I remeber from this web page. OK, I will ask Dr. Simka on January. I do not mind taking it for the rest of my life.
I take 150 mg a day.
Erika

I emptied my scrip of plavix then stayed with only coumadin thereafter until my follow up, so about a months' worth of plavix. Stuffs expensive too!
Mark.

I was given pradaxa the first few days followed by coumadin. (Have been takin coumadin for 10 years). Still developed a clot in my stent. Synergy Concepts formally Pacific Interventionalists now prescribe pradaxa.

At the AAC symposium, Pradaxa was the new most agreed-upon anticoagulant. It's a pill, too.

I am currently taking 2.5 mg Arixtra and a baby aspirin. Last February it was 5 mg of Arixtra.

Ozarkcanoer, there's a big difference between Coumadin and Plavix. Coumadin is an anticoagulant, Plavix is an antiplatelet. They work in different ways. My opinion is that an anticoagulant is what's needed (Coumadin, Pradaxa, Arixtra, Lovenox) and that if an antiplatelet is used, it should be in addition (Plavix, aspirin). But there is not yet research to guide the way. Thrombosis is more likely in patients with stents than those without them. There are also risks to the blood thinners.

I'm on plavix and a baby asprin once a day for a month post procedure, then the baby for life, I guess.

Dr Snyder answered some questions similar to yours ozark, here's that thread:

http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-17162-15.html

At the time, Aug/2010 with Dr. Simka we were advised, if we received a stent, to take Plavix and aspirin, for a year, then asprin for life, after the 7 day injections..
I still ended up with intimal hyperplasia anyways, after finding out after an ultrasound December 2010, at False Creek, in Vancouver.
when i had a consultation with Dr. Hewett from Synergy, Calif. in June of this year, he advised going off Plavix because its been proven not to work in the long run. I can't remember what they use at Synergy.

Zinamaria, that's with Dr. Cumming, isn't it? That's a change, he used to use Lovenox, I wonder if he was seeing problems or just didn't think there was enough evidence to warrant the use of anticoagulants. He may have addressed this already too. Hope you are still doing well!!