Do I need to change medicines after angioplasty?

Q: I am a 56 years old man who underwent angioplasty 12 years back. I was asked to take Attor 10 and Clopitab A 75 daily and I am still taking these medicines. Do I need to change medicines?

A:Since more than 12 years have passed since angioplasty, your medication should have been reviewed several times on an annual basis. Prolonged use of potent drugs can cause side effects, particularly if not clinically required. As a beginning you should get your blood checked for PT-INR and lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, VLDL). Also an assessment of cardiac function should be done. If blood lipids are fine, then atorvastatin (Attor 10) can be discontinued. Similarly Clopitab A 75 that contains two blood thinning agents (clopidogrel and aspirin) can be replaced with just aspirin 75-100 mg, if required. However all will depend on blood and cardiac function tests.