Will I need to stop clopidogrel before surgery or dental treatment? Because of the risk of bleeding, you may need to stop taking clopidogrel for a short time before having surgery or dental work. Do not stop taking clopidogrel without first talking to your doctor or dentist. Prior to surgery, your doctor will instruct you to stop taking Plavix, since it increases your risk of surgical complications and major blood loss during and after surgery. Stopping Plavix Talk to your doctor. This page includes the following topics and synonyms: Preoperative Guidelines for Medications Prior to Surgery, Preoperative Fasting Recommendation, Nothing by Mouth Prior to Surgery Guideline, Perioperative NPO Guidelines, Perioperative Medication Guidelines, Medication Management in the Perioperative Period, Medications to Avoid Prior to Surgery. Recommendations on stopping clopidogrel have evolved from studies conducted on patients undergoing cardio-thoracic surgery. There is no data available on the effect of clopidogrel in orthopaedic practice. Our survey indicates that increased bleeding has not been found in patients who continue clopidogrel peri-operatively. You may need to stop taking clopidogrel before you have surgery or dental work. DO NOT just stop taking your medicine without first talking with your provider. DO NOT just stop taking your medicine without first talking with your provider. Be aware: The rules are changing in regard to the management of antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents before both elective and emergent surgery. David A. Johnson, MD, explains in this video blog. Sim and Gonski 10 found no difference in rates of bleeding between patients who were and were not taking clopidogrel before hip fracture surgery; however, the clopidogrel group had significant surgical delay (3.5 days) compared with the controls (0.7 day). You may not need to stop taking antiplatelet medicines such as aspirin before minor surgery. Speak to your GP or another healthcare professional who can advise you about what's best for you. Evidence-based information on Stopping Aspirin Prior To Surgery from hundreds of trustworthy sources for health and social care. If clopidogrel is discontinued before surgery, resuming therapy with a 300-mg loading dose may be considered. If aspirin is discontinued, resuming with a loading dose 160 mg may be considered. Although the task force suggested substituting non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents or heparin for antiplatelet agents.