Tag: Platelet function testing

Up to 30% of patients may experience a suboptimal response to clopidogrel, a critical antiplatelet medication, due to genetic and other factors. Discover the various clinical, laboratory, and genetic methods that healthcare providers use to address the crucial question: **how do you monitor the effectiveness of clopidogrel?**

Between 4% and 30% of patients show poor or variable responses to the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel, known by the brand name Plavix, due to genetic variations or other factors. For this reason, healthcare providers can perform specialized genetic and functional blood tests to determine the medication's effectiveness and assess if a patient is experiencing 'Plavix resistance'.

While you might not feel it working, studies show clopidogrel effectively reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. Understanding how do you know if clopidogrel is working involves monitoring both physical symptoms and, in certain cases, undergoing specialized lab tests to ensure adequate platelet inhibition.