Medication

[ManjiB]

Hi @AndreaMillen - a quick question to help me better understhand how all this works.

Have you been prescribed any medication following your stroke diagnosis?

Thank you.

[AndreaMillen]

I have. Im on clopidogrel and atorvastatin. I’ll take them forever, which is rubbish but better than the alternative.

[ManjiB]

And there we have it folks!

Here is where my brain hurts real bad. Here we have a perfect of example of what is the medication for?

Andrea has said

@AndreaMillen

Ive had ALL of the tests for causes, all results were ruled out. I have no risk factors (fit, sporty, eat well, dont smoke, drink occasionally) Bit of a medical anomaly.

i.e. they don’t know what caused it, so how can they treat it? What are they treating?

What is the medication clopidogrel and atorvastatin for?

@AndreaMillen

I was told that its “unlikely to be another stroke. If im still standing then its probably not”

Andrea - please don’t get confused or distracted by what I am saying here. You should do what feels right for you and what others better qualified and equipped to advise suggest. I am just trying to get my head around the anomalies, discrepancies and lack of clarity around the subject of strokes.

Please don’t have nightmares and do ignore what I say if you do not agree or understand where I’m coming from or where I’m going.

Namaste|

[ManjiB]

Hi @AndreaMillen - I’m sorry to keep sending messages, but recently we (some membas of this forum) have been discussing medication and there is some cross-over. As a relative newbie, you may wish to spend a few minutes have a read …

https://onlinecommunity.stroke.org.uk/t/taking-medication-read-manufacturers-leaflet/41755

The below is a response from one of the contributors.

@Trace57

Clopidogrel. 8.7% relative risk reduction vs O.5%-0.9% absolute risk reduction. Other factors should be taken into consideration before prescribing but probably rarely are because it seems to be freely dished out. There are plenty of foods that are more effective for keeping blood flowing freely without the risk of bleeding that Clopidogrel presents. Eg ginger, kiwi, pineapple, garlic, celery, turmeric. Of course, much depends on what caused our stroke and we know that it’s not as clear cut as living an unhealthy lifestyle as many would have us believe. So many different causes of stroke and both healthy and unhealthy can fall victim to it. I’m rambling again🙄

Trace

Take care.

[matt_d13]

I know what you mean but to be fair if it was caused by a clot, which it almost certainly was, then anti platelets should in theory reduce the risk of it happening again.

The jury is out on how effective it may be.

But like a lot of others, I’ll continue to take it. Even a 1% reduced risk is good enough for me personally.

[pando]

Atorvastatin, a statin drug, can increase the risk of peripheral neuropathy, a condition that causes pain, numbness, and weakness in the hands and feet. The risk is higher with long-term use

[ManjiB]

@matt_d13

But like a lot of others, I’ll continue to take it. Even a 1% reduced risk is good enough for me personally.

Matt - absolutely. Listen to your body and do what’s right for you. At the end of the day, it’s a free country as the saying goes and we are entitled to make our own choices. So, yes, please continue to take your medications. It is not, and never has been my intention to tell others what they should do with their own lives.

[AndreaMillen]

Theyre guving a blood thinner to prevent further clotting and a statin to reduce my cholesterol. Im not sure whats confusing you. Its very standard medication to prevent further clots. I can potentially lower my cholesterol with good diet and possibly drop the statin. Im working on that.
Also, i didnt really ask for any advice on medication, i am happy with what my very knowledged and experienced stroke consultant has prescribed me.

[ManjiB]

Hi @AndreaMillen ,

My apologies - I do not mean to preach or to advise on medication or treatments. My intention is only to share our experiences in case they may help others.

It is not my intention to impose my views on anyone or “teach grandmother to suck eggs”. Clearly from your response you know what you are doing and I again apologise if I crossed the boundary. I shall be more mindful in future.

I understand you are happy with your knowledge and also what your experienced stroke consultant has prescribed for you. Please continue doing what you are doing.

Wishing you all the best.

[Trace57]

@ManjiB
I’m with you on this. Standard drugs are dished out after stroke, which is acceptable in the interim, but that doesn’t mean we will need to be taking them forever. So much is played into the fear factor and of course, no-one wants to have another stroke. But the truth remains, there are risks in taking medications, especially in the long term. For example, when I decided to stop taking Clopidogrel, I spoke to my GP first, explaining why I wanted to stop it. I felt the risk of a big bleed at some point far outweighed the very small benefit of stroke prevention (and please remember that I’m referring only to myself here).My GP concurred with my reasoning but I noticed he had written in my notes that I wanted to stop due to the ‘toxic effects’. I refused statins from the start because my lipid profile is within the norm and I could see no benefits from taking them, especially knowing they can cause unwanted adverse events and side effects. If hypertension is a problem, then it would be better to do what we can to reduce it rather than take medication which can actually increase stroke risk, especially when two types or more are used together.

Not enough is known about stroke and why it happens. Why is it that someone can have high blood pressure and never have a stroke, for example? Something else must be happening in the body to trigger the stroke, not just the high blood pressure. Many of us probably had warning signs of impending stroke but will only recognise them in retrospect. And stroke strikes the fit and healthy as well as those with existing co-morbidities. And there are those who are fit and healthy and those with existing co-morbidities who will never have a stroke. For myself, I fear the damage that long term treatment with medication will do to me more than I fear another stroke, especially as the cause of my stroke is unknown. But that’s just me. Caring about our health is more than putting all our trust in the medical profession who, I believe, don’t always have our best interests at heart. We need to do our own research, gather our own information and make our own decisions where we can. This is just what life has taught me during my 67 years. It’s different for everyone.

Trace

[AndreaMillen]

Thank you for that. I didnt really ask for anyones thoughts on medication, long term or otherwise. My question was just to see if my sporadic intense numb/tingles were common amongst other people during stroke recovery or not. Theres been a couple of responses, this included, that have digressed from my question and seemingly want to go down the “is medication trustworthy or correct” route. Im not looking for any information on that, but thank you anyway.

[ManjiB]

Hi Andrea - It is my fault for digressing and it’s an unfortunate habit of mine whereby I look outside the box (cliched perhaps) in an attempt to help provide answers that may not be obvious. I am sorry this caused you upset and will be mindful in future, to try to curb my enthusiasm.
Wishing you all the best and I am sure you will soon, if you haven’t already had the answers you seek.

[ManjiB]

Thanks Trace. I appreciate what you are saying, but I made a mistake in bringing this up in a topic that was created by someone other than me and that was meant to address random numbness and recovery or warning signs. I can be clumsy sometimes
Take care.

[Trace57]

@ManjiB No worries. I can easily digress (and ramble) too!

@EmeraldEyes has mentioned a good point about statins so our digressions aren’t entirely wasted😁

Trace

[EmeraldEyes]

Our digressions actually jogged my memory about statins, so it’s all good

[Trace57]

@EmeraldEyes Good to hear!

Trace

[Anna_Moderator]

Hi all

We split this post from another one so you can continue the conversation here about medication should you wish.

Anna

[ManjiB]

Hello Anna,

Firstly, I thank you for mediating and splitting this topic in your role as moderator. I appreciate and respect your decision and don’t have a problem with it.

As I understand it, this post “Medication” is now under me as the originator and so hopefully the previous poster whose post I “gate-crashed” will not be too upset with what has happened.

The reason why I am writing this, is that in my view, several of the people who were trying to help, myself included brought medication into the discussion for a reason. It is my belief that myself and Lorraine @EmeraldEyes and @Trace57 et al may have been trying to suggest that the medication could well be the contributory factor in why the poster was experiencing and displaying the symptoms. Of course, I could be totally wrong and may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick and Lorraine et al were trying to keep the “peace”. I have been known to get hold of the wrong end of the stick especially if I get passionate about something

Having read the responses and having also looked up the medical information for the two drugs mentioned, I note that the medications may well be the cause of the random numbness. Again, whether or not individuals experience these will depend on those individuals’ personal medical history and condition etc. The reason why we are told to look out for side-effects etc and to report back to the doctors is for the very reason to prevent unnecessary harm and possibly lead to new (medically induced) complications.

I try not to randomly interject and introduce subject matter that is not relevant. I am here in my capacity as someone who has cared for someone who has been severely affected by a stroke and who has suffered much, and in some cases unnecessarily and through ignorance of those trying to help her. It distresses me so much when I see her suffering and I would not wish for anyone to have to go through that if it can be helped. So I offer my experience and knowledge as best as I can so people do not have to re-invent the wheel.

Also, I find that sometimes, when you look at a problem in a different way to how you normally look, you see things in a different way and things start to click. That is why I did what I did

In finishing, I would suggest that in splitting the topic, we may be missing out on a key element that may well be a contributory factor and addressing of which may solve the problem. Of course, it is possible I am way off the mark and if that is the case, I thank you for your time and patience for putting up with, for I can be a stubborn old goat

At other times, I might be as wise as an owl , some may even think me a right old pain in the bottom!!!

Namaste|

Peace & Love