Aggrenox

Aggrenox is a prescription medication used to reduce the risk of stroke in patients who have had or are at risk of stroke.

It is a single product containing 2 medications: aspirin and extended-release dipyridamole.

The combination of aspirin and extended-release dipyridamole is in a class of drugs called antiplatelet agents. It works by preventing blood clots.

This medication comes in capsule form and is taken typically 2 times a day (morning and evening) with or without food.

Do not chew capsule.

Common side effects of Aggrenox include headache, dyspepsia (indigestion), stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea.

Aggrenox is a prescription medication used to reduce the risk of stroke in patients who have had or are at risk of stroke.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• The condition being treated
• Other medical conditions you have
• Other medications you are taking
• How you respond to this medication
• Your weight
• Your height
• Your age
• Your gender

The recommended dose for Aggrenox (aspirin/dipyridamole) for the reduction in the risk of stroke is 1 capsule (25 mg aspirin/200 mg dipyridamole) twice a day. 

Serious side effects have been reported with Aggrenox, including the following:

• Bleeding. Tell your health care provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms of bleeding:
  • Black or bloody stools
  • Vomiting blood or experiencing coffee ground-looking vomit
  • Bruising that does not go away
• Worsening of liver disease in those with severe liver disease
• Worsening of kidney disease in those with severe kidney disease
• Harm to unborn children when used in pregnant women, especially in the third trimester
• Heart disease, as this medication can cause/worsen chest pain
• Low blood pressure, as this medication can lower blood pressure

Do not take Aggrenox if you:

• are allergic to aspirin, dipyridamole, or to any of its ingredients
• are allergic to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• have asthma or nasal polyps
• are younger than 18 years of age and have a viral infection

Serious side effects have been reported with Aggrenox. See the "Drug Precautions" section.

Common side effects of Aggrenox include the following:

• Headache
• Upset stomach
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Joint pain

This is not a complete list of side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA about 1-800-FDA-1088

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• antiplatelets (a type of blood thinner)  such as clopidogrel (Plavix), aspirin, prasugrel (Effient), ticagrelor (Brilinta), ticlopidine (Ticlid), abciximab (ReoPro), eptifibatide (Integrilin), tirofiban (Aggrastat), and cilostazol (Pletal)

• anticoagulant (blood thinner) medications such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), heparin, enoxaparin (Lovenox), fondaparinux (Arixtra), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), and apixaban (Eliquis)

• aspirin and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as:

  • celecoxib (Celebrex)
  • diclofenac (Cambia, Cataflam, Flector, Voltaren, Zipsor and others)
  • etodolac (Lodine)
  • ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin)
  • indomethacin (Indocin, Indocin SR)
  • ketoprofen (Orudis, Actron, Oruvail)
  • ketorolac (Toradol)
  • meloxicam (Mobic)
  • nabumetone (Relafen)
  • naproxen (Naprosyn)
  • naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan)
  • oxaprozin (Daypro)
  • piroxicam (Feldene)

This is not a complete list of Aggrenox drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Aggrenox falls into category D: It has been shown that use of this medication in pregnant women caused some babies to be born with problems. However, in some serious situations, the benefit of using this medication may be greater than the risk of harm to the baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Aggrenox has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.