Question: I had my first heart attack in 1996. No particular treatment given. 2nd heart attack in 1997. Stent(non-coated) inserted in blocked artery. Three years later, My cardiologist said that stent was blocking up downstream and I needed a double by-pass which was done(2000). I was put on Plavix at that time at 75mg/sid . Have been on Plavix ever since. Last few years I have been on the generic drug, Clopogidel, from the VA. For 14 years I have had no problems while on Clopogidel.
Recently have had some tightness in chest on walking when not warmed up and starting up hill. My cardiologist gave a stress test which I passed and thallium test looked similar to one back when having the by-passes in 2000. I opted for a heart catheterization to see the status of my cardiac vessels after 14 years.
The cardiologist said one of the stents was "gone or shriveled up" and the by-passed vessel had a blo cking of 75% in one area. He inserted a coated stent(zotarolimus-eluting) in that area. He further said that the Plavix was no longer working for me since my most recent blood work showed my platelet count was 253 where normal count is 150-400. He prescribed Effient 10mg 1 tablet XXXXXXX He said it was 50% better at lowering the "stickiness" of platelets to prevent a clot from forming.
My question is: Can I really be resistant to Plavix after having been on it for 14 years with no heart episodes? Is Effient that much better or is there a financial incentive for a doctor to prescribe it?
Last question: Can you trust Global Pharmacy Canada to prescribe a generic form of Effient (Prasugrel) probably made in XXXXXXX to have the same biodyanamic effect as Effient from the USA? I have been getting my drugs through the VA for years but they do not prescribe Effient for financial reasons!
XXXX XXXXXXX DVM (retired). email: YYYY@YYYY