Pletal
Pletal is cilostazol, a tablet for intermittent claudication — the leg ache that comes on with walking — sold in 50mg and 100mg strengths.
- Category
- Heart & Blood Pressure
- Active ingredient
- Cilostazol
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 50/100mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Intermittent claudication
- Therapeutic Class
- Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor
- Pharmacological Class
- Vasodilator
- Minor Side Effects
- Stool changes, dizziness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, diarrhoea
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Otsuka Pharmaceutical
- Onset Time
- WEEKS
- Duration
- Ongoing
- Storage Instructions
- Store in a cool, dry area.
- Drug Interactions
- Aspirin, Clopidogrel, Grapefruit Juice
What you will receive
Pletal is the originator brand name, made by Otsuka Pharmaceutical. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Pletal.
- The same active ingredient (Cilostazol) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Pletal strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Pletal comes as generic cilostazol tablets in 50mg and 100mg strengths. Packs range from 30 up to 360 tablets. This is generic cilostazol, not the original Pletal. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
How does Pletal reach Hong Kong?
Pletal goes to Hong Kong by tracked courier in 5 to 9 business days with online tracking, or by standard airmail in 14 to 21 business days, up to 30, untracked. If a parcel does not arrive within the delivery window or arrives damaged, it is sent again free; if that is not possible, the order is refunded.
How long does Pletal take to work?
It is not a quick fix. Walking distance usually starts to improve after two to four weeks, and the full effect can take up to twelve weeks. The change shows up in how far you can go before the ache arrives rather than in pain while you are resting.
Should Pletal be taken with food?
No. Take it at least half an hour before you eat, or a couple of hours afterwards; a meal in the stomach changes how quickly the tablet is taken up. Fatty food has the biggest effect, so an empty stomach is the aim.
Is Pletal a blood thinner?
Not in the warfarin sense. Warfarin slows the clotting factors the liver makes; cilostazol works on platelets, the cells that begin a clot, and relaxes the leg arteries. The platelet effect is the reason for the extra bruising.
What happens if I miss a dose of Pletal?
If you remember a missed tablet and your stomach is empty, with hours still to go before the next one, take it then. When the next dose is only an hour or two away, let the missed tablet go and carry on as usual. Never take two tablets to catch up.
How should I keep Pletal tablets?
Store them in their original blister strips somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight. There is no need for the fridge, and the expiry date on the pack tells you how long they keep.
About Pletal
What the tablets do
Intermittent claudication is the tight, cramping ache that appears in the calf, thigh or buttock after you have walked a certain distance, and lets go when you stand still. The arteries feeding those muscles have narrowed, so they cannot keep up with the demand once you are moving. Pletal (cilostazol) helps you cover more ground before the ache sets in. The tablets sold here are generic cilostazol in 50mg and 100mg strengths.
How cilostazol works
Bruising is the clue to the second job this drug does. Cilostazol makes platelets, the tiny blood cells that bunch up to start a clot, less likely to clump. Its first job is in the legs, where it relaxes the artery walls and lets more blood reach the working muscle. Pletal does not dull pain; rest pain is outside what it treats.
Taking Pletal
Most people take one tablet at breakfast time and another in the evening, each swallowed on an empty stomach: at least 30 minutes before eating, or two hours after. A fatty meal makes the body absorb more of the drug than it should, so the gap between food and tablet is worth keeping. Expect little in the first days. The gain in walking distance comes after weeks of regular tablets.
Side effects
Headache tops the list of complaints. Dizziness, a pounding or fast heartbeat, loose stools, nausea, swollen ankles and a stuffy nose turn up as well. Because platelets are affected, nosebleeds and bruises come more easily than before. Chest pain, sudden breathlessness, a severe skin reaction or bleeding with no obvious cause needs urgent treatment.
Who should avoid it, and what interacts
Cilostazol is not started in anyone with heart failure, however mild, or while there is active bleeding. Warfarin, aspirin and clopidogrel all add to the bleeding risk. Some medicines raise cilostazol levels by slowing its clearance — the antifungal ketoconazole, the antibiotic erythromycin and omeprazole among them — and when one of those is being taken too, the dose is held at 50mg twice daily. St John's wort does the opposite and lowers the level, so the two are not combined.
Sources
- Cilostazol: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) - NHS — NHS