Plavix and Heartburn Drugs Together Raise Heart Risk

New York – A recent heart medication study by the Journal of the American Medical Association should cause some patients to take note. The study concluded that heart attack patients who are prescribed the blood thinner Plavix together with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) like Prilosec or Nexium may be at an increased risk for another heart attack.

Many patients are given Plavix to reduce the risk of another heart attack as the drug reduces the potential of a blood clot forming. An occasional side effect from Plavix is gastric bleeding, which can be reduced with the presence of a PPI, a drug type commonly used to treat heartburn.

The study tracked 8,205 patients receiving Plavix, with approximately two-thirds also taking a PPI. 29.8 percent of patients taking both drugs died or were re-hospitalized, compared to 20.8 percent taking Plavix alone. The combination of both drugs indicate a 25 percent greater chance of death or re-hospitalization.

Experts stress that the results of this study should be carefully considered before altering previously prescribed medication. Even with these risks, PPI drugs are still beneficial to those at risk for gastrointestinal bleeds, but the study suggests that PPI’s should not be routinely prescribed to all patients.