Blood Thinners
“Blood thinner” is a common name for two kinds of medicine that both reduce the risk of harmful clots but act on different parts of the clotting process. Which one a person needs depends on the clot risk being treated.
Clopidogrel Tablets
75mg
Utilised to manage platelet activity to alleviate arterial clot formations and support cardiovascular circulation.
Dipyridamole Tablets
25mg · 100mg
Utilised to manage vascular platelet activation to alleviate thromboembolism risks and support cardiac post-bypass tissue safety.
Key points
- NHS lists warfarin, apixaban, dabigatran and rivaroxaban as anticoagulant medicines.
- NHS notes clopidogrel is an antiplatelet medicine that stops platelets sticking together.
- Bleeding is a safety consideration with every medicine in both groups.
Anticoagulants: warfarin and the newer oral options
Coumadin contains warfarin, used for venous thromboembolism, stroke prevention and pulmonary embolism. Eliquis contains apixaban and Pradaxa contains dabigatran etexilate, both for preventing deep vein thrombosis and stroke in atrial fibrillation. Xarelto contains rivaroxaban and covers a wider range of uses, including treating deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and preventing further clots after hip or knee replacement surgery; it is sometimes given together with aspirin or clopidogrel for coronary or peripheral artery disease. NHS covers this group in Anticoagulant medicines.
Antiplatelets: clopidogrel, ticagrelor and dipyridamole
Clopidogrel Tablets and Brilinta contain clopidogrel and ticagrelor, used after a heart attack or acute coronary syndrome to reduce the chance of another one; NHS explains how clopidogrel stops platelets sticking together in About clopidogrel. Dipyridamole Tablets is used for stroke prevention and to prevent clots forming after certain procedures.
Why the two groups are not interchangeable
An anticoagulant acts on the clotting proteins in blood, while an antiplatelet medicine stops platelets clumping together, an earlier step in clot formation. A prescriber chooses between them, or occasionally combines them, according to the clot risk being treated.