Nursing school & NCLEX cheat sheet: Do NOT Confuse Antiplatelets & Anticoagulants:1. ANTIPLATELETS
-Work AGAINST platelets
-Prevent them from clumping together = less likely to form clot
-Meds: aspirin, prasugrel, clopidogrel
-Monitor: bleeding gums, bruising, tarry stools (GI bleed)
2. ANTICOAGULANTS
-Work AGAINST clotting process
-Decrease fibrin formation = clots can't get bigger (does NOT dissolve them)
-Meds: heparin, warfarin, apixaban
-ANTIDOTES:
Heparin = Protamine Sulfate
Warfarin = Vitamin K
