Plavix and PPIs

This post duplicates a 2009 FF post. My colleague and friend Dan Southern, Professor Emeritus, Western Carolina University, alerted me to a Wall Street Journal article describing how protein pump inhibitors such as Nexium, taken for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), inhibit the absorption of clopidogrel (Plavix). Many cardiologists prescribe Nexium to control the heartburn some Plavix patients suffer. The article indicates antacids, Zantac, and Tagamet, all non-protein pump inhibitors may be used. Plavix irreversibly binds the platelet membrane ADP receptor P2Y12 and is prescribed as a 1-2 year follow-up to prevent a secondary vascular event in patients who have suffered an acute myocardial infarction.