Details

Ticlopidine helps to prevent platelets in your blood from sticking together and forming a blood clot. An unwanted blood clot can occur with certain heart or blood vessel conditions. Ticlopidine is used to prevent blood clots after a recent heart attack or stroke, and in people who have had a stent placed in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. You should not take ticlopidine if you have any active bleeding such as a stomach ulcer or bleeding in the brain (such as from a head injury), or a blood cell disorder such as anaemia (lack of red blood cells) or low levels of platelets (cells that help your blood clot). Ticlopidine can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. You may get an infection or bleed more easily. To make sure ticlopidine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have high cholesterol or triglycerides a stomach ulcer stomach or intestinal bleeding a history of surgery, injury, or medical emergency liver disease or kidney disease.

Typical Uses

Ticlopidine is used to prevent strokes in people who cannot take aspirin or for whom aspirin has failed to work. It may also be used in combination with aspirin following certain types of heart procedures (such as coronary stent implant). Ticlopidine works by blocking platelets from sticking together and prevents them from forming harmful clots. It is an anti-platelet drug. It helps keep blood flowing smoothly in your body.

Side Effects

Common ticlopidine side effects may include any bleeding that will not stop any bleeding that will not stop severe or ongoing diarrhoea low blood cell counts-fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, swollen gums, mouth sores, skin sores, rapid heart rate, pale skin, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, feeling light-headed liver problems-nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, tired feeling, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-coloured stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) signs of stomach bleeding-bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds or signs of a serious blood-clotting problem-pale skin, purple spots under your skin or on your mouth, problems with speech, weakness, seizures (convulsions), dark urine, jaundice.

Drug Interactions

• Ticlopidine+abciximab- Ask your doctor before using abciximab together with ticlopidine. This can cause you to bleed more easily. You may need a dose adjustment in addition to special testing of your blood. Call your doctor promptly if you have any unusual bleeding or bruising, vomiting, blood in your urine or stools, headache, dizziness, or weakness.
• Ticlopidine+clozapine- Using clozapine together with ticlopidine is not recommended. Clozapine can lower white blood cell count, and combining it with other medications that can also affect bone marrow function such as ticlopidine may increase the risk. You may be more likely to develop serious and potentially life-threatening infections as a result.
• Ticlopidine+dasatinib- Using dasatinib together with ticlopidine may increase the risk of bleeding. The interaction may be more likely if you are elderly or have kidney or liver disease. In clinical studies, treatment with dasatinib alone has been associated with severe and sometimes fatal haemorrhage.
• Ticlopidine+mifepristone- Using mifepristone together with ticlopidine may increase the risk and/or severity of vaginal bleeding in women. Prolonged, heavy bleeding may require emergency medical treatment. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

Mechanism of action

Ticlopidine belongs to class of medicines called platelet aggregation inhibitors. Ticlopidine induces a dose dependent reduction in platelet aggregation by reducing platelet-fibrinogen binding and the platelet-platelet interactions thereby increasing the bleeding time. It thus works by preventing platelets from collecting and forming clots.

Pregnancy Category : B