Hello everyone, newbie here 
I had a brain scan two years ago as a routine check as I have a rare upper motor neurone disorder called Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. It was only at a Neuro appointment at a new hospital in June this year that the doc looked at the brain scan results and then nonchalantly told me âoh yes, youâve had a strokeâ. So, needless to say when I asked why theyâd not told me at the time, they just shrugged it off and fast-tracked me onto Atorvastatin 80mg and Clopidogrel 75mg, no other support or info. I started the statin first, no problems, felt better in fact. But the ClopidogrelâŚyikes! I have 15 more bruises this morning â no idea what I did to get most of them - although two are evidently from wearing my wide cuff bracelet. My vision has got really blurry, I have a constant dull headache, a garnish of nausea and generally feel yuck. If anyone has any advice, I would be so grateful. Obviously I would like to prevent further strokes but it feels like cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer. Iâm a writer and researcher by trade, so Iâve gone down a few rabbit holes and it seems that some research shows that Clopidogrel and/or anti-coagulants are not always the best route for silent strokes. Iâm guessing that alternatives to the meds, such as using natural blood thinners/anti-platelet supplements i.e. EPA, Ginkgo, etc are frowned upon due to âlack of researchâ and not having standardised doses. Does anyone follow a more natural protocol. Apologies for the essayâŚfeeling a bit lost! Thanks in advance.
Hello @Phillee
Welcome to the community and sorry you have had cause to join us as you are feeling lost having discovered something you were not aware of and lived with for two years or more.
They say âIgnorance is blissâ and it is true. I will expand on this, but first let me say stroke prevention medication is a choice and you should weigh up the risk vs benefits to decide if you should take them or not.
I wonder if you should consult your GP or stroke consultant to review your situation and prescribed medication.
I donât want to sound flippant, but whilst you were unaware you had had the silent stroke I am guessing you were happy with life and getting on with things? How was your health (pre statins)?
And if your were fine, then is it the right thing to do to put you on these meds in this manner?
For your peace of mind, you should go back and discuss and also explain the problems you are having with the medication. If you decide to stick with the medical solution, there are other meds available and they will have to find the ones that work best for you. It seems to me what you are on now is likely to do more harm than good (remember risk vs benefits - read the side effects etc that come with the medication).
Statins:
There is a lot information out there and we have discussed this on this forum. In the below post there is a video where two doctors discuss the use of statins which you may or may not find interesting.
Back to ignorance is bliss - I am not aware of having had a stroke as I have never been tested, but I have been told many times I am in the risk category and my GPs have on numerous occasions tried to put me on statins. I have even been on statins (many years ago - 20+ years) but stopped during the first course as I was not happy.
My cholesterol remains high and I follow a good diet and exercise etc. I have recently made an active effort to eat more of the foods that fight cholesterol and try to get in more exercise, but I am happy not to be taking statins and for me the risk remains, but it is my understanding that whether or not I take medicines I may still have a stroke. The fact is the medicines will not prevent you from having a stroke - only it will reduce the risk, but my how much?
You can do more research on this forum for the pros and cons of what is on offer to you in terms of choices to deal with your newfound health status.
My advice is not to panic and not to worry. Seek advice, get a better understanding of your condition and available choices and then decide. The route you take has to be right for you. There is no one single answer to this and that is why I am amazed that the medical profession seems (at least to me) to be happy to immediately put you on medication.
As I said, maybe I was lucky and my GP did not âscare mongerâ me or push me down the meds route.
Wishing you all the best.
Namaste|
Disclaimer
The information and views expressed in this note are my own and they are not a recommendation. You should always seek suitable advice and satisfy yourself that what you are doing is right for you.
Hi @Phillee
Welcome to the community, Iâm sorry to hear about your stroke and the way you found out about it. That definitely must have come as a shock to hear. You should definitely discuss your medication with your consultant, if itâs causing you other problems they may be able to put you on to something else.
I hope youâll find the community helpful as you navigate your way through this journey. If you need anything whilst youâre using the Online Community, please donât hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna
@Phillee hi & welcome to the community. Sorry to hear of your silent stroke. It is amazing that they didnât tell you and not sure why this would be the case. Frustrating for you but at least it has meant you havenât been worrying about it for 2 years. Did you have some unexplained symptoms at the time?
In relation to the medication this is standard for anyone who had a clot based stroke. I was told clopidogrel can cause headaches. I had one constantly for months after my stroke - not sure if it was the stroke or meds or a combination of both. It might take a while for you to get used to it.
There are alternatives out there though so donât hesitate to speak to your GP if it doesnât settle.
Best wishes
Ann
Thank you for your kind words and honest advice, much appreciated.
Thanks Anna, much appreciated.
Thank you!
Re: unexplained symptoms â as I already have a neurological condition (Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia aka HSP) that causes spasticity, neuropathy, and a host of other symptoms that could be associated with a stroke (swallowing, cognition etc), I was unable to pinpoint what was related to what. I did notice that my organisational and functional skills have become âmuddledâ and my dexterity has got worseâŚbut then that might be the HSP, itâs all quite confusing. Iâll definitely go back to my GP and discuss alternatives to the Clopidogrel if I canât get on with it.
My partner had a silent stroke seven years ago but it was only discovered recently. She too, was then put on the bog standard preventative meds and often comments that she now looks like a Dalmatian. She used to bruise easily before but now itâs almost seamless. I donât know about natural ant-platelet foodstuffs but I guess it all depends on what quantifies an effective treatment, the quality, and how the body responds. As an example, Feverfew can be used to treat migraines as it contains parthenolide but is it as effective as synthesised medications to treat the same condition? I guess it depends on why you might have had a silent stroke? To be fair, in my research, many people may have had silent strokes and may not be aware it occurred, their symptoms put down to aging or lifestyle choices. How often do the general public have the luxury of a brain MRI? For my partner, it answered the question to her constant fatigue, seemingly, the only prevalent symptom.