Had TIA one month ago - attended emergency and was put on Clopidogrel and Cartia (Asprin low dose)
1 week later had phone consult with Neurologist- said stop taking Clopidogrel because of risks.
Attended and GP insisted to continue to take Clopidogrel.
Want to reduce risk of another TIA but don’t want Hemorrhagic Stroke.
Very confused😥
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@DebF welcome to the forum. Sorry ýou had a tia.
I had a stroke rather than TIA so assume treatment plan is different. There are others on here who had TIAs though, & I’m sure will offer advice.
There are always risks with meds & I guess it’s a case of weighing up benefits vs risks. I take clopidogrel as had a clot based stroke.
Perhaps you should discuss your concerns with your GP and they will hopefully explain the risks etc to you.
Best wishes.
Ann xx
Shwmae @DebF, if your TIA was ischaemic (a clot), they will prescribe Clopidogrel (I’m not sure why they have combined it with Aspirin, because both medications do the same thing). Clopidogrel is an anti-platelet medication, this means that your blood is not thinned as such but it reduces the stickiness of the platelets when forming, and reducing the chance of a clot.
Every stroke survivor who is prescribed an anti-platelet medication is at risk of a hemorrhagic stroke. That’s the gamble we take to prevent potential clotting. There might be a reason for your TIA, this would be an important factor on why a neurologist might discourage you from taking anti-platelet medication. It would be beneficial to talk further with the neurologist. The GP, on the other hand, will probably be following standard post ischaemic TIA/Stroke treatment which often involves anti-platelet meds and statins.
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I had a haemorrhage stroke six years ago and a small clot stroke two years ago. The scan revealed the bleed area was completely healed. I have been on Clopidogrel for two years.
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I was on Clopidogrel and Aspirin (along with statin) following my discharge from hospital last November. I stopped taking aspirin in February this year as instructed by the stroke consultant at the end of Feb '22. I am still on Clopidogrel and Statin.
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Debf
Sorry to hear that you’ve had a TIA but you will find this group enormously informative and supportive.
After my TIA in February I was put on clopidogrel and atorvastatin. In August I insisted on a proper review of my medication (you are entitled to a review six weeks after your TIA) and am now on edoxaban - a blood thinner - and atorvastatin. It could be a good idea to ask your GP to refer you to a consultant, who would explain where the stroke occurred, where a clot was situated, and the reason for the medication. You might also like to talk to your pharmacist for advice on the drugs - they can prove very helpful.
In the early days, drugs and advice can be very confusing but there are such knowledgeable and helpful people on this forum that you will acquire the information and strategies to clarify your confusion.
Best wishes. Magga
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Hi everyone,
I had a cerebellar stroke in Jan 23 and among other medications I take clopidogrel.
Does any one know if this is for life, or when do people come off these?
Many thanks
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Hi @GavT, these medications are for life as they reduce the risk of another stroke…though not eliminate that risk as nothing is a hundred percent guaranteed preventative.
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Many thanks, small price to pay I guess 
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@GavT i was told they are for life. I’m content yo take it if it reduces risk of another stroke.
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Thanks @Mrs5K
You’re right I’ll do anything I can do to prevent another attack.
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Thanks Simon.
Fortunately my GP is excellent but the info I am gaining through this forum is really valuable.
Thanks again👍
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The more accurate description might be " for life if not questioned”
I just posted this elsewhere on the forum:
“I’m very late into this conversation but I’ve been researching Clopidogrel this past week for my own personal reasons and have discovered a lot of info I’m glad to have but also wish I was still in ignorance of. I’ll be discontinuing this drug on the basis that the actual (absolute) risk reduction of a further event is only 0.9%. Relative risk is the one that makes it look good and it’s 8.7% which still isn’t that great. Not when you factor in bleeding risk which rises the longer the drug is taken. And for the elderly, this is a very important consideration because the elderly tend to bleed more easily anyway.
There are many things to factor in when prescribing Clopidogrel but in reality, it’ll probably just be prescribed and hope for the best. If problems arise, it’s stopped, after it’s done its damage and the problems may have been avoided in the first place with proper evaluation.
As with everything, the information is out there. Plenty of good stuff about Clopidogrel but you need to read between the lines to find the true picture. It may help a little for those with other high risk factors but its biggest gain is for Big Pharma.”
Of course none of us wants another stroke. And in an acute situation like having a stroke, we suddenly find we’re being given a concoction of drugs that we know nothing about and haven’t been able to question. A concoction of drugs that may actually be raising our risk of another event if we stay on them too long after the acute stage. But unless we question them, we put ourselves at further risk of not having the information we need even though we don’t always realise we need it because we may have put too much trust in the medical profession.
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