Clopidogrel
- Class: P2Y12 inhibitor
- Used for: blood clots after a stent
- Say it: kloh-PID-oh-grel
- Forms: tablet
Remember the name – CLO → clot, DOGREL → dog
CLOPIDOGREL = the CLOT DOG. It barks the platelets away from the vessel wall and keeps them from piling up.
Blocking the platelet P2Y12 receptor means platelets cannot be recruited into a growing clot — the dog really does keep them off the wall.
CLOPIDOGREL = the CLOT DOG. It barks the platelets away from the vessel wall and keeps them from piling up.
Blocking the platelet P2Y12 receptor means platelets cannot be recruited into a growing clot — the dog really does keep them off the wall.
Mnemonic: Clopidogrel cuts off the call for backup
It blocks P2Y12, the receptor one activated platelet uses to recruit others. Aspirin blocks a different step — which is exactly why both are given together after a stent.
It blocks P2Y12, the receptor one activated platelet uses to recruit others. Aspirin blocks a different step — which is exactly why both are given together after a stent.
Side effects
Common: bruising, bleeding, diarrhea
Serious: major bleeding, TTP (rare)
Typical dose
75 mg once daily
A 300–600 mg loading dose is given at the time of a stent.
Check yourself
Why are aspirin and clopidogrel often given together after a stent?
- They block two different steps in platelet activation
- Clopidogrel helps aspirin be absorbed
- One works on arteries and the other on veins
- Together they dissolve a clot that has already formed
Show answer
A. They block two different steps in platelet activation
Aspirin blocks thromboxane production; clopidogrel blocks the P2Y12 recruitment signal. Hitting two independent steps is more effective than doubling either one — and neither dissolves an existing clot.
See it, don't memorize it
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