Theres a percentage of cardiologists that are recommending taking it for life but in my (somewhat limited) experience they're in the minority. I had 2 of the Cypher drug eluting stents implanted Nov 2006 and have seen 3 cardiologists and 2 GPs since. The longest that any of them have recommended Plavix is 12 months.That said I'm just now beginning to taper off. I am,as most are reluctant to let go of the thing that is holding off clots,strokes etc. Conversely I'm extremely tired from bleeding more than usual from small cuts,bruising for no apparent reason and living in fear of being in a BAD accident.Also there have been studies linking long term use to brain hemorrhages among other bleeding problems. I mentioned tapering off and you may want to google "Plavix Rebound" (see my post further down)for an explanation. Millions of people have taken it and stopped with no problems.
dodo1 You may want to check with other doctors for their opinions but I think the majority will tell you 12 months which is what the AMA & AHA are recommending. Of course you'll be taking asirin for life. I'm taking 325 mgs daily rather than 81 mg as my doctor said we'd much rather err on the side of too much rather than too little. That sounds reasonable to me!