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Possible Treatments


Treatments after a stroke concentrate on rehabilitation, by helping you learn to do things in a different way, and on stroke prevention by way of education and medications.

 

Rehabilitation

Strokes cause parts of the brain to slow down and in some cases even stop working.

Rehabilitation after stroke involves helping the brain to re-wire itself.

Rehabilitation also involves training to enable people with stroke to do what they want to do and need to do even though it may be done in a different way. 

Rehabilitation involves skilled therapists, motivated clients, and lots of practice.

 

Medications for Stroke

There are several types of medications which may be prescribed depending on what caused the stroke and what risk factors you have.

Thrombolytic Therapy
In the ACUTE stage, if the stroke is caused by a blood clot, medication called T-PA can be given within three hours of the onset of the stroke to help dissolve the clot and restore some blood flow to the affected area of the brain. 

In this case, you should call 911 as quickly as possilbe – to get to the hospital quickly.

It is therefore very important to know the signs of stroke so you can seek immediate attention. Click on the link to the right to read about the signs of stroke.

Anticoagulant and Antiplatelet Drugs
Medications used to prevent other strokes from occurring include: anti-platelet medications, such as aspirin, which makes blood less sticky and anticoagulants which are blood thinners.

Examples of these medications include:

  • ASA (Aspirin)
  • Aggrenox
  • Plavix
  • Coumadin (Warfarin)
Antihypertensives  
If you have high blood pressure, the physician may prescribe drugs that lower high blood pressure, also known as anti-hypertensives.

These medications protect the blood vessels against injury that could cause another stroke.

There are many different medications for high blood pressure.

Lipid lowering medications
If you have high cholesterol, the physician may prescribe medications that lower your cholesterol level.

Common medications for high lipids or cholesterol are:

  • Zocor
  • Lipitor 
  • Crestor