An antiplatelet, not a blood thinner — and after a recent stent, stopping it can be dangerous.
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Clopidogrel is an antiplatelet. It stops platelets clumping together, which is the first step in forming a clot inside an artery.
Antiplatelets and anticoagulants are not the same thing, and the distinction is genuinely important:
Both are called "blood thinners", which is why they get confused.
Tell every clinician, dentist and surgeon that you take clopidogrel, well in advance. Some procedures need it paused; many do not. Never pause it on your own judgment — particularly within the first year after a stent.
Caution applies with a history of ulcers, and a proton pump inhibitor is often prescribed alongside for stomach protection.
Note that omeprazole and esomeprazole reduce clopidogrel's effect, so lansoprazole or pantoprazole is preferred for that purpose.
No routine blood monitoring is needed. A full blood count may be checked where there is bleeding or anaemia.
Yes, to continue established treatment where the indication is documented and unchanged.
We will not start clopidogrel remotely, and we will not stop it. Starting it follows a specific diagnosis — stroke, TIA, peripheral arterial disease or a stent — made after assessment we cannot do by video.
Stopping it is the more dangerous of the two. After a recent coronary stent, stopping antiplatelet treatment early substantially raises the risk of the stent clotting off, which causes a heart attack. That decision belongs to the cardiology team, not to a remote consultation.
Clopidogrel is an inexpensive generic and a month's supply typically costs less than the England NHS prescription charge on a private prescription.
Anyone taking it should carry a card or note saying so, which matters in an emergency.
This is the most important point on this page. After a recent stent, stopping antiplatelet treatment early can cause the stent to clot off — a potentially fatal heart attack.
Any decision to pause it for surgery or dental work is made by the team who put the stent in, or by your cardiologist.
Do not stop it — ask about stomach protection. Lansoprazole or pantoprazole can be added safely; omeprazole should be avoided because it reduces the effect.
It is an antiplatelet, which is a different kind of blood thinner from an anticoagulant like apixaban. The distinction matters when other clinicians ask what you take — name the drug rather than the category.
Best avoided — it adds substantially to bleeding risk. Paracetamol is the safer choice, and topical anti-inflammatory gels are a reasonable middle ground.
Get assessed anyway. On an antiplatelet, bleeding inside the skull can develop hours later with no early symptoms.
Usually yes, without stopping it. Tell your dentist in advance so they can plan.
Because it blocks the enzyme that activates clopidogrel, making it less effective. Lansoprazole and pantoprazole do not have this problem.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026
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Yes, with your consent. We can access your Summary Care Record during the consultation, so your current medications, allergies and significant history are in the room. That means fewer questions you have already answered elsewhere, and safer prescribing.
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It means the diagnosis can usually be made from your history and photographs, and that treatment can be arranged safely without examining you. Where a condition is not marked treatable online, it is because examination is the diagnosis — listening to a chest, feeling an abdomen, examining an ear or a joint — or because a procedure or device is needed.
Yes, where there is a genuine bacterial infection — cellulitis, impetigo, bacterial urine infections, confirmed strep throat. We will also frequently tell you that you do not need one. Most sore throats, coughs, colds and earaches are viral, and an antibiotic gives you the side effects with none of the benefit.
If your problem turns out to be genuinely outside what we can do remotely, the doctor will tell you straight away, point you to the right service, and refund your fee in full. We would rather do that than fill twenty minutes to justify the charge.
Call 999 or go to A&E — do not book an online appointment and do not wait for a reply to an email. For urgent problems that are not emergencies, NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, online or by phone, and can direct you to the right service.
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