How effective are different antiplatelet medications? Ticagrelor (Brilinta): Take your recommended dose (60 mg to 90 mg) by mouth 2 times a day with or without food. If you can’t swallow the capsule whole, ask your provider about alternatives. If needed, you can crush the tablet.Īspirin/dipyridamole (Aggrenox): Take 1 capsule by mouth 2 times a day with or without food. A chewable tablet is available if you can’t swallow pills.Ĭlopidogrel (Plavix): Take 75 mg by mouth once daily with or without food. Here’s some basic information about a few common antiplatelet medications:Īspirin : Take your recommended dose (usually between 81 mg and 325 mg) by mouth once daily with or without food. Those are only given in the hospital by a healthcare provider. Some are injectable, but they’re not used for stroke prevention. Most antiplatelet medications are taken once or twice daily by mouth. How do you take antiplatelet medications? In those cases, an anticoagulant is more appropriate. This is called a cerebral embolism and is often caused by an abnormal heartbeat. Antiplatelets can help prevent these strokes.īut some strokes happen when blood clots formed somewhere else in the body get lodged in the brain. Most strokes happen when platelets, fats, and other substances clump together in a brain blood vessel. Others, like apixaban (Eliquis), prevent clotting factors from working properly. Some anticoagulants like warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven) prevent your body from making clotting factors. The other method involves clotting factors - proteins made by the liver. Antiplatelet medications prevent platelets from clumping together to form clots.

One method involves platelets sticking together, as discussed above. Your body uses two methods to form blood clots and prevent bleeding. anticoagulant: What’s the difference?Īntiplatelet medications and anticoagulants are antithrombotic medications - also called blood thinners. These medications can also treat or prevent heart attacks, and they can prevent complications from peripheral artery disease (PAD). Most strokes are ischemic.Īntiplatelet medications prevent your platelets from clumping together. The lack of blood can be due to a blockage (an ischemic stroke) or a burst blood vessel (a hemorrhagic stroke). If a blood clot forms in a brain blood vessel, it can cause a stroke.Ī stroke is when part of the brain doesn’t get enough blood. Blood clots are a normal part of your body’s healing process.īut clots can cause serious problems if they happen in the wrong place. Their main job is to stop bleeding by clumping together to form blood clots. How do antiplatelet medications work to prevent a stroke? Let’s review antiplatelet medications and see how they’re used. Antiplatelet medications are recommended for people with certain risk factors. Lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of both can lower your risk. The good news is that most strokes are preventable.

These statistics can be scary, especially since a stroke can be a life-threatening condition. In the U.S., someone has a stroke every 40 seconds.