Brilinta

Introduction

Written by Helen Marshall BPharm MRPharmS

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Scheffel, PharmD

Updated on July 19, 2023

Brilinta (brih-LIN-tah) is a brand-name medication prescribed to help prevent blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. It’s used in adults with certain heart and blood vessel conditions. Brilinta belongs to a group of drugs called antiplatelets (a type of blood thinner).

Boxed warnings

Brilinta has boxed warnings about the risks of bleeding and decreased effectiveness when taken with certain doses of aspirin. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

For details, see the “Interactions and warnings for Brilinta” section.

Side effects of Brilinta

Brilinta may cause mild or serious side effects. More common mild side effects of Brilinta and its serious side effects are listed below. This article doesn’t include all possible side effects of the drug. Side effects can vary based on your age, overall health, and any other medications you take.

To learn more about Brilinta’s side effects, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You can also refer to the prescribing information for Brilinta listed in the “Article resources” section.

Mild side effects

More common mild side effects reported with Brilinta are listed below.

This article doesn’t include all possible mild side effects of the drug. To learn more about Brilinta’s side effects, refer to the prescribing information for Brilinta listed in the “Article resources” section.

With many drugs, mild side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If the side effects are bothersome, tell your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest ways to manage them.

Brilinta oral tablet’s mild side effects include:

• shortness of breath
• dizziness
• nausea
• diarrhea
• mild allergic reaction*

* For details about this side effect, see the “Interactions and warnings for Brilinta” section.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects of Brilinta are listed below.

This article doesn’t include all possible serious side effects of the drug. To learn more about Brilinta’s side effects, refer to the prescribing information for Brilinta listed in the “Article resources” section.

With many drugs, serious side effects are possible but not common. If you have serious side effects from this drug, call your doctor right away. If you’re having severe symptoms or a medical emergency, call 911 or a local emergency number.

Brilinta’s serious side effects include:

• unusually slow heart rate
• breathing problems, such as severe shortness of breath or central sleep apnea
• boxed warnings: risks of bleeding and decreased effectiveness when taken with certain doses of aspirin*
• severe allergic reaction*

* For details about this side effect, see the “Interactions and warnings for Brilinta” section.

Common questions about Brilinta

Below you’ll find answers to a few commonly asked questions about Brilinta.

Is Brilinta similar to Plavix?

Yes, Brilinta is similar to Plavix. Both drugs are antiplatelets (a type of blood thinner).

Doctors prescribe these drugs to help prevent blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. These drugs can cause similar side effects. In particular, they raise the risk of bleeding.

Brilinta contains the active drug ticagrelor, while Plavix contains the active drug clopidogrel. (An active drug is the ingredient that makes a drug work.) Both drugs come in oral tablet forms. Brilinta is taken twice per day, and Plavix is taken once per day.

To learn more about how Brilinta compares with Plavix, talk with your doctor.

Are there certain foods to avoid while taking Brilinta?

Yes, you should avoid consuming grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking Brilinta. Grapefruit can stop your body from breaking down Brilinta as well as usual. As a result, the drug may build up in your body. This may raise your risk of Brilinta side effects, such as bleeding.

If you have questions about consuming other foods with Brilinta, talk with your doctor.

What is Brilinta’s mechanism of action? How does the drug work?

“Mechanism of action” means how a drug works. Brilinta works by stopping certain blood cells from forming blood clots.

The drug is used to help prevent dangerous blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. It’s an antiplatelet drug, which is a type of blood thinner.

If a blood clot forms in your blood vessels, it can block the blood supply to your heart or brain. This could lead to a heart attack or stroke. Brilinta stops blood cells called platelets from clumping together in your blood vessels and forming blood clots.

Brilinta starts working about 1–2 hours after taking a dose.

If you’d like to know more about how Brilinta works, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Uses of Brilinta

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves prescription drugs such as Brilinta for certain conditions. Approved uses for Brilinta are described below.

Use for prevention of blood clots that could cause heart attack or stroke

Doctors may prescribe Brilinta oral tablets to help prevent blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. It’s used for this purpose in adults with certain heart and blood vessel problems. It’s usually prescribed as a long-term treatment.

Specifically, doctors may prescribe Brilinta for adults:

• with acute coronary syndrome (which refers to conditions that reduce blood flow to the heart) or who’ve had a heart attack
• with coronary artery disease (narrowed or blocked arteries) and a high risk of heart attack or stroke due to other factors, such as diabetes
• who’ve had a stent (tiny tube) inserted into a blood vessel in the heart to keep the blood vessel open
• who’ve had an ischemic stroke (stroke caused by a blood clot) or transient ischemic attack (also known as a ministroke)

With these conditions, you have an increased risk of blood clots forming in the arteries that supply blood to your heart or brain. If you have a blood clot in these arteries, it could block the blood and oxygen supply to your heart or brain. This could cause a heart attack or stroke.

Brilinta is an antiplatelet drug, which is a type of blood thinner. It helps prevent these types of dangerous blood clots, lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Brilinta is prescribed together with low dose aspirin* to help prevent blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke.

* Brilinta has a boxed warning about decreased effectiveness when taken with certain doses of aspirin. A boxed warning is a serious warning from the FDA. For details, see the “Interactions and warnings for Brilinta” section.

Interactions and warnings for Brilinta

Below you’ll find information about Brilinta’s possible interactions and warnings.

Interactions of Brilinta

Certain things may affect how a drug works. These include getting vaccines, consuming alcohol or certain foods, or taking the drug with other medications. This effect is called a drug interaction.

Before you take Brilinta, ask your doctor to check for possible interactions. Be sure to tell them about any of the following you take or use:

• prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
• vitamins, herbs, or supplements

To learn about drug-condition interactions, see the “Warnings for Brilinta” section just below.

Warnings for Brilinta

Some people should not take Brilinta, and others should take it cautiously.

Boxed warnings

Brilinta has boxed warnings about the risks of bleeding and decreased effectiveness when taken with certain doses of aspirin. Boxed warnings are the most serious warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

To learn more about these warnings, read below. You can also talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Risk of bleeding. Brilinta can raise your risk of bleeding. This includes minor bleeding, such as bruises, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and taking longer than usual to stop bleeding after an injury. It also includes serious, life threatening, or even fatal bleeding, such as bleeding in your digestive system or skull.

Bleeding was commonly reported in studies of Brilinta.

Symptoms of serious bleeding may include:

• coughing up blood
• vomiting blood or a substance that looks like coffee grounds
• stools that are red, black, or tar-like
• urine that’s pink, red, or brown
• bleeding that’s severe or won’t stop

If you have symptoms of serious bleeding, call your doctor right away. But if your symptoms seem life threatening, call 911 or your local emergency number.

If possible, your doctor will try to manage your bleeding without having you stop Brilinta. Stopping Brilinta raises your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Having certain surgeries or dental work while taking Brilinta may increase your risk of serious bleeding. If you have any surgery or dental work planned, talk with your doctor. They may recommend stopping Brilinta 5 days before your procedure. Your doctor will recommend when to restart Brilinta after your surgery or dental work.

If you have concerns about the risk of bleeding with Brilinta, tell your doctor. They can recommend ways to help avoid bleeding.

Risk of decreased effectiveness when taken with certain doses of aspirin. Brilinta is prescribed together with aspirin to help prevent blood clots that could cause a heart attack or stroke. The usual long-term aspirin dose prescribed for this use is 75 milligrams (mg) to 100 mg daily.

You shouldn’t take more than 100 mg aspirin daily with Brilinta, as this could make Brilinta less effective.

Before starting Brilinta, be sure to tell your doctor if you take any medications that contain aspirin. While taking Brilinta with aspirin, avoid taking OTC medications that contain aspirin (Bayer, Ecotrin).

If you have questions or concerns about taking aspirin with Brilinta, talk with your doctor.

Other warnings

Brilinta could cause harm to people with certain health conditions. This effect is called a drug-condition interaction. Other factors can also affect whether Brilinta is a safe option for you.

Ask your doctor about specific warnings for Brilinta, and be sure to tell your doctor about your:

• current health, including any allergies to medications
• past health conditions or surgeries

Allergic reaction

Brilinta can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Severe allergic reactions are rare but possible.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Brilinta or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Brilinta. They can tell you about medications that are safer options for you.

A mild allergic reaction may cause the following symptoms:

• skin rash
• itchiness
• flushing (temporary warmth, redness, or deepening of skin color)

A severe allergic reaction may cause the following symptoms:

• swelling under your skin, usually in your hands, feet, eyelids, or lips
• swelling of your mouth, throat, or tongue, which can cause breathing problems

If you have an allergic reaction to Brilinta, call your doctor right away. If you have severe symptoms, call 911 or a local emergency number.

Overdose of Brilinta

You should not take more Brilinta than your doctor prescribes. For some drugs, doing so may lead to harmful effects or overdose.

If you think you’ve taken too much Brilinta, call your doctor or pharmacist right away. Or you could call 800-222-1222 to speak with someone at America’s Poison Centers. You can also use its online resource. If you have concerning symptoms, call 911 or a local emergency number immediately. You can also go to the closest emergency room.

Pregnancy or breastfeeding and Brilinta

Information about Brilinta and pregnancy and breastfeeding is described below.

Brilinta and pregnancy

It’s not known whether Brilinta should be taken during pregnancy. If you’re planning a pregnancy or can become pregnant, talk with your doctor before taking this medication.

Brilinta and breastfeeding

It’s not known whether Brilinta should be taken while breastfeeding. If you’re currently breastfeeding or planning to do so, talk with your doctor before taking this medication.

What to ask your doctor

Let your doctor know if you have questions about Brilinta or would like more details about it.

Here’s a list of some possible questions you may want to ask your doctor:

• Should I avoid certain activities while taking Brilinta?
• How long will I need to take Brilinta?
• Can I take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) with Brilinta?
• Is it safe to take Brilinta for a long time?

Article resources

• Brilinta (ticagrelor) tablets, for oral use. (2022). https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/022433s034lbl.pdf

Disclaimer: Optum Perks has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.