Ticagrelor Tablets – Uses, Side-effects, and Dosage
In this day and age, more than a million people every year are becoming victims to various heart conditions. Heart attack or stroke is becoming increasingly common and hospitals everywhere are flooded with more heart patients than before. People who are prone to developing severe heart health conditions or those who are suffering from them are often prescribed various tablets and pills by the doctors. Among them, ticagrelor 90 mg tablets are widely used by patients.
There are various ticagrelor uses. It helps to safeguard people from the problems of stroke or heart attack. And, It is also used to treat a condition called acute coronary syndrome or ACS. It is a condition characterized by the heart not receiving adequate levels of oxygen.
Generally, ticagrelor is available as the drug brilinta. Ticagrelor 90 mg tab is a part of a family of medicines that are commonly referred to as blood thinners. It works to minimize the blood clots in the vessels, thus your chances of acquiring a heart attack or stroke automatically reduces. Let us find out more about this medication.
What Are Ticagrelor Uses?
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Ticagrelor tablet helps people who have experienced a heart attack. It is also used for the treatment of unstable angina or an intense chest pain that is related to the heart health. Besides, this tablet is also taken by those people who have undergone heart stenting procedure. By consuming this tablet, patients can prevent themselves from becoming victim to any heart related condition in future.
The medicine ensures that they do not experience a second heart attack, stroke in the future. It also prevents the development of blood clots in the stents of people who have undergone heart stenting procedure. Ticagrelor tab is essentially a blood thinner. It means that it hinders the process of blood clotting that takes place in your arteries as well as veins. Due to this, the free flow of blood inside your body is maintained and you eliminate any risks of strokes or heart attacks.
In order to receive the most benefits from this medicine, you need to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. You cannot only rely on this tablet and assume that you are free from any heart complications. If your diet is unhealthy and there is hardly any place for exercise in your routine then this tablet will give you no benefits.
Ticagrelor Vs Clopidogrel
Different types of medicines, Credit: Canva
Ticagrelor is one of the many useful medicines that doctors prescribe to heart patients. Apart from it, there are other medications too that are used for the same purpose. Clopidogrel is another tablet that is recommended by doctors for the prevention of life-threatening heart ailments.
People who have previously undergone percutaneous coronary intervention or PCA (heart surgery) that usually involves the insertion of coronary stents are prescribed clopidogrel. Also, patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass grafting or CABG are also given this medicine.
Usually people wonder about the difference in the effectiveness of both these medicines. Based on various clinical trials, ticagrelor has shown itself to be more effective than clopidogrel for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome. Ticagrelor has been linked to a reduction in adverse coronary events as opposed to clopidogrel.
Are There Any Ticagrelor Side Effects?
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Ticagrelor tablet is majorly suitable for every individual who consumes it to treat his or her heart health related condition. However, sometimes the tablet can cause some undesirable side-effects. The primary purpose of a tablet is to make your condition more manageable and provide you with much needed relief. In order to make sure that you are not suffering from any of these side-effects, it becomes important to consult with your doctor before consuming this medication. It is only your doctor that can tell if you will suffer from side-effects or not. So make sure that you embark upon its course only after giving your doctor comprehensive information about your prior and present state of health.
Some of the most common side-effects of this tablet are
Increased amount of bleeding than usual.
Elevation in the uric acid levels in your system. It may make you prone to diseases like gout.
Difficulty in breathing.
Another point to note is that while these symptoms may be experienced by many individuals, they should go away in a short span of time (some days to a few weeks). However if you find yourself experiencing these symptoms for more than the mentioned duration of time, talk to your healthcare provider.
Are there any side-effects of ticagrelor that are serious?
Some of the more serious side-effects of ticagrelor can also occur in some people. These symptoms should not be taken lightly as they demand immediate attention from your doctor. These side effects include:
A feeling of tightness in your chest area. It makes it extremely difficult for the individual to breathe properly.
Large amount of bleeding that shows no signs of stopping.
A urine that is pink, brown, or red in colour.
The presence of blood in your vomit or a vomit that resembles coffee grounds
Stools that are black or red in colour
Blood in your cough or the presence of blood clots in your cough
Precautions before Using Ticagrelor
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As you might know by now, ticagrelor is primarily an antiplatelet medicine that prevents platelets from coming together. It thus decreases the process of blood clot formation. These blood clots can be very harmful. It is only due to them that a person’s chances of experiencing heart attack increases four folds.
Before consuming ticagrelor, it is important to follow a set of precautions. The precautions are listed below:
Do not consume alcohol if you are taking this tablet. It is not recommended in any circumstance.
This tablet is not safe to be used by women who are pregnant. Various studies have linked its harmful effects on the baby’s proper development. Consuming this tablet during pregnancy is drought with numerous risks.
There is no information about the efficacy of ticagrelor when a woman consumes it during her breastfeeding stage. So, if you are a breastfeeding mother, stay away from using it.
Those patients who are on a dialysis should not consume this tablet without discussing it with their doctor. Currently, there is no link between its effectiveness on the health of these patients.
Patients with liver diseases should consume it only if it is recommended by their doctor. Those who are having severe liver disorders should not consume this tablet.
Follow a consistent schedule when you are consuming this tablet. Do not forget your doses every day. If someday you do forget, take it whenever you remember, but do not take two tablets together in order to compensate for the dose that you have missed earlier. Doubling the dosage this way will only lead to further health complications.
Ticagrelor is easily available online and offline. A pack of 90 mg tablets of ticagrelor cost around Rs. 5300.