According to a clinical study of cardiac patients who suffered an allergic reaction to the widely-prescribed drug clopidogrel or Plavix, allergic reaction symptoms to such use can be alleviated with a combination of steroids and antihistamines.

This finding was revealed by doctors from the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in a study that followed 24 patients with developed Plavix allergies after being treated with coronary stent procedures.

From Sciencedaily.com:

John R. Cohn, M.D., chief of Adult Allergy at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals and a key contributor to the study noted, “Previously, when patients had an allergic reaction to Plavix we would give an alternative drug but they can have their own side effects. Rather than giving the secondary drug we concentrated on suppressing the patient’s allergic symptoms they were having to Plavix by administering low doses of steroids and antihistamines while continuing the drug. What we found was that most of our patients became tolerant to Plavix, essentially becoming ‘desensitized’ to the drug enabling them to continue treatment. Once this occurred we were able to discontinue the steroids and even the antihistamines.”

Previous anecdotal studies showed some evidence that patients could be desensitized to Plavix, but this is the first systematic study to demonstrate allergy to the drug could be managed without stopping the drug after a reaction was found.

Primary Investigator Michael P. Savage, M.D., director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Kimberly L. Campbell, M.D., cardiology fellow and lead author, presented these findings at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session on March 30 2009.