Taking Clopidogrel With Other Medicines And Herbal Supplements

Cautions with other medicines

Some medicines affect the way clopidogrel works.

Tell your doctor if you're taking any other medicines, including:

• other medicines to prevent blood clots, such as low-dose aspirin, warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, edoxaban, dabigatran, dipyridamole, ticagrelor or prasugrel
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen
• antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram
• omeprazole or esomeprazole, for indigestion and heartburn
• rosuvastatin, a medicine for high cholesterol
• rifampicin, an antibiotic
• medicines to treat epilepsy, such as carbamazepine
• medicines to treat HIV, such as efavirenz
• medicines to treat type 2 diabetes, such as pioglitazone or repaglinide

These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take them with clopidogrel. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Taking clopidogrel with everyday painkillers

Your doctor may prescribe daily low-dose aspirin (75mg tablets) to take together with clopidogrel. Or they may prescribe clopidogrel instead of daily low-dose aspirin if you have problems with aspirin.

Do not take aspirin for pain relief (300mg tablets) or ibuprofen while you're taking clopidogrel, unless a doctor has said it's OK. They increase the chance of bleeding.

You can take paracetamol together with clopidogrel.

Taking clopidogrel with indigestion medicines

The indigestion medicines omeprazole and esomeprazole may affect how well clopidogrel works.

If you have indigestion and need a medicine to protect your stomach, your doctor can prescribe you another similar medicine, such as lansoprazole.

You can take other indigestion remedies such as antacids at the same time as clopidogrel. Your pharmacist will be able to recommend a suitable indigestion remedy for you.

Mixing clopidogrel with herbal remedies and supplements

There might be a problem with taking some herbal remedies and supplements with clopidogrel, especially ones that can affect your blood (for example, ginkgo).

St John's wort (used for depression) can increase the levels of clopidogrel in your blood. This can increase your risk of bleeding.

There's not enough information to say that other complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with clopidogrel. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.

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