Clopidogrel

Clopidogrel was fine until it was mixed with Atovastatin. I never want to experience the allergic reaction ever again. Yes, getting the right combination of meds may take time.

 

Atorvastatin caused my cramps..as you say in the wee small hours..it was hell.So I hope this helps

Hello, I've just had a mild eschimic stroke 4 weeks ago. I was already on Artovastatin, but now put on Clopidogrel alongside Omeprazole (which I've been on for 6 years). Both taken in the morning. I've been taking around 9am every morning and after about 2-3 hours I start to feel light headed, slightly dizzy and unsteady for anything from to 3-6 hours in the afternoon. This has made getting out for exercise more difficult as often find myself struggling to finish the walk.

blood pressure has also been fluctuating at different times of day, sometimes low and sometimes higher.

anyone out there any with any experiences of Clopidogrel that could help me understand what is going on. Also any other perceived effects of the drug on the body would be helpful.
many thanks

Hi

My husband is on Clopidogrel and had similar reactions, dizziness & nausea. He was taking it in the morning soon after he woke up. He also has other medications to take first thing.

For the last couple of months he has started taking Clopidogrel in the early afternoon just after having lunch. So by then he has eaten 2 meals and he finds he gets none of the previous side effects.

Maybe talk to your GP/ Nurse/ Pharmacist & give it a try.

All the Best

Clare

 

 

 

 

Hi there.  I am on Clopidogrel with Rosuvastatin and BP tablets. I was given Clopi by the hospital when I had my first stroke almost 4 yrs ago. I had really bad problems with it and I was taken off it and put on aspirin. However, last year I had a TIA and was told that aspirin wasn't strong enough alone to stop me having another stroke so was put on Clopi again.  This time, I have had no problems with it.  I take BP first thing on a morning then I take Clopi mid afternoon at 2.30pm. I usually have lunch at 12 ish.  Statin I take immediately after my evening meal around 6pm and Amitriptyline about an hour before bed which is for nerve pain in my leg.  If you space them out during the day, it may help as Jane mentioned. 

One thing I have found is that Clopi has had an effect on my BP tablets which I have been on for 4 yrs Perindopril.  I suddenly started with a dry, choking cough which began around 6 weeks after starting Clopi.  My GP has started me another BP tablet as he says it is the Clopi reacting with the perindopril that is causing the cough.  I am now on Losartan for a month to see how I go on and the cough has subsided but I still get the odd 'choking' episode which I hope will gradually go away.

Hi 

I am on clopidogrel but take lanzoprazole on an empty stomach to stop the clopidogrel causing stomach problems. I then have breakfast half an hour later and take the clopidogrel.  I have been on this since 2017 and haven't had problems. I don't know if this is relevant. The trouble is that on these tablets dizziness is stated as a side effect in some people.  Best wishes Hilary  

Thank you Hilary for the lovely response. I've been taking first thing on an empty stomach. Maybe I should try after a meal later in the day. Thank you so much for the reply.

Thank you Jean for the response. When you get discharged after this traumatic episode you don't think about the medication initially. It's all a bit of a blur. You don't know whether it's the medication or the after shocks of the stroke that are causing the issues. It's a huge change to take in on your life when you think you are generally healthy.
im sorry to hear that your husband is struggling and hope you get it sorted.

Clare thank you so much for the reply. That sounds like a sensible suggestion and will try and get an appointment with GP to review. Wish me luck and best wishes to your husband.

Jane, thank you so much for the response. It's so difficult to work out what is going on with the meds balanced to the recovery process. I've definitely got worse with the dizziness light headedness in the last week. 
 A couple of the other kind replies suggested taking the Clopidogrel after lunch. Sounds like I need to get  in front of GP or consultant to work out what is best.

If I find out more I'll post something online.

 

Hello,

I'm also taking Clopidogrel. 
I was told it can take a good few weeks for your body to adjust to the new medication. Usually these side effects will become less. I also felt quite dizzy and lightheaded but these have largely gone unless I'm very tired.

I am too.

How are you getting on?

Gosh this sounds awful. But just a thought. Sometimes a stroke can alter your bowel and bladder muscle control.

Hope you get it sorted.

Hi there. I had an Ischemic stroke 2.5 years ago.  I experienced similar symptons a year ago whilist taking Omeprazole alongside Clopidogrel. On reading the (Clopidogrel)package leaflet under the heading"other medicines and clopidogrel"Omeprazole is listed as having a possible interaction!!

I informed my GP and he immediately changed me to Lansaprazole.I have also changed to taking my Clopidogrel at lunchtime any Rosuvastatin in the evenings with good results. Hope this helps .Its worth having a word with your GP as exercise is vital to your recovery. Stay positive and safe.

 

Hi Jane, I understand your frustration and I'm not qualified to give you advice. I can share my opinion and experience on doctors and medication. We own and take responsibility for our healthcare to the best of our ability, and you can see what a mine of information this site provides. I suffered pain and worsened mobility with statins and my decision was to stop taking them (I also then found my haemorrhagic stroke meant I shouldn't be taking them!) Sometimes Drs just give a tick to stroke medication without great thought. I control my BP medication, weight and eat healthily. I do my exercises when I can and live to the best of my ability. These are my decisions, the doctor probably prefers to prescribe more medication.

Hi Jane

I am on Rosuvastatin and have been since just before my second stroke.  My first stroke was a full blown one, blood clot. My second was a TIA.  I first went on Rosuvastatin when I came out of hospital after my first stroke but had to come off it for the same reasons as you muscle pain etc.  I have tried every statin before I had my stroke as I did have high cholestrol and have done for years. At its highest it was 8.9. Before I retired, I was a fully fit 8st person who stood on my feet all day working full time.  I also had a healthy diet so no reason at all for the 8.9 reading.  All statins were the same for me i.e., gave me muscle pain.  I refused to take them despite GP ramming them down my throat all the time.  

When I had my stroke in 2017, my reading was 6.0  My stroke was caused primarily by taking HRT for 27 years following a hysterectomy. I was 65 when I had my stroke.  They also mentioned that my high cholestrol and BP was a contributory cause to the stroke. I asked why when I was on BP tablets. They explained my BP was of an erratic nature. Fine most of the time but had spikes of erracticness (is this a word!) and this, mixed with the fact that I had plaque in my blood vessels caused my high cholestrol mixed in with the HRT was a recipe for disaster basically.

Just before my TIA, I had read lots of articles that Rosuvastatin (which was the only statin I had taken in the past which actually reduced it) and there was lots of evidence that if you took it every other day, the muscle pain wasn't a problem yet this still gave you a good reduction in cholestrol levels and was tolerated better by people who previously had to come off it.  So I asked my GP if I could give it a go taking it every other day.  I did this for about 6 weeks prior to my TIA.  It did reduce it down to 5 from 6.9 in 6 weeks.  But,  I still had a mini stroke.  Since my TIA, I have been on it full time for 5 months and have no problems at all.  My cholestrol level is now 4.3.

So I guess what I'm saying is maybe if you took it one every other day (obviously with your full consent of the GP) for a month and then tried it again full time , it may stop the aches and pains?  Who knows but worth asking?  It's the stickiness of the plaque that's the problem that can cause clots to break off.  My husband had a heart attack last year. His cholestrol at the time was 2.1  He has never had high cholestrol or high BP.  He has to take statins. He asked the same question as you did - why when he didn't have high cholestrol.  It's the stickiness that clogs up the arteries and he needs to avoid this happening to prevent another heart attack.  Even with low cholestrol readings and the fact that we need cholestrol in our bodies for our health, one small piece of sticky plaque in the wrong place that gets stuck is all it can take sometimes.

Sorry for going off on a tangent and thanks if you are still reading LOL!  But hope you can get it sorted soon. x

 

Dear Jane

all of us here have had a stroke. The stroking has completed. Now we are left with a variety of injuries. Plus we want to avoid a second stroke.

i have often thought that we need a dedicated stroke clinic but i guess thats impossible. Yes we could have a clinic for avoiding a second stroke, but i think we already know how to avoid a second stroke. The various injuries are another matter. Our brain controls all bodily functions So my desired clinic would need to specialize in all medical matters from flat feet to aneurysms.
the aftercare for us SS is atrocious. Add in the pandemic and it becomes mega atrocious .

I would take issue with the nobody cares comment. I care. Many on this site care and many medics care.

we are all here for you Jane

best wishes

colin

ps please smile a lot.

Hi Jane, Colin is quite right - there is always someone on this site who will be thinking of you, and sending you good vibes!  Better days will come, the sun will shine again and you will know that you have a ready made group of friends, right here ?

As the wife of a stroke survivor, I simply don't think I could have managed without the amazing support from the people posting on this site.  I learnt so much, from the perspective of stroke survivors, their voices have carried me through the last 3 and a half years! 

Could I suggest that maybe your family and friends have a look at some of the comments on this forum - it will give them an insight into stroke, rather than relying on you to have to educate them.  I've learned so much, that recently my Mother's GP thought I was a medical professional with expertise in stroke!! ? ?

A quick alternative to reading comments on this site, might be to google "A Letter from Your Brain", it is a very moving piece of writing about post stroke experience - not too long to read, but the message is powerful.

Stay strong, use this wonderful community xx  ?

Dear Jane

Family and professionals have not had a stroke. You have, i have. Only another SS can understand.
And no you didnt rant on too much. I could feel your despondency, and i recall the times when recovery shuddered to a halt for a day or three. And no you are not boring.

the modern world talk in trivial short bursts. Especially online. Now that IS boring, not your heartfelt missives.

 

Most of my family gave up on me after three months. And now they expect total sympathy during lockdown.

there is a new you forming. And you will enter a new normal.
 

Good point, perhaps we wont like the new me. In fact, yes, you are spot on with that observation.

i can not help but wish i had not woken up. I had two near death experiences, each one different, and i confess to wanting a third non return version. My first near death was minutes after getting to the hospital. The crash team hovered, the klaxon was shouting and i was whizzing past my life. But the overwhelming feeling was regret. Also i soon reckoned there must be a reason why i was saved. So please dont wish for coronavirus. I doubt that the overstretched medics would deal with your current issues, they would just keep you alive, if they could.  And no one would get nesr to you gor fear of transmission. Add to that, there are reports of those who have survived are getting fatigue etc. No dont go there.

when i continually ask people to smile, it does not need to be a genuine smile. False, fake, or forced will do. It tells your brain to cheer up, i am amzed how well this works.

best wishes

colin

ps nicabella has honorary status as a stroke survivor

? Haha Colin, too kind, as always!!  

It is possible that my mother may have suffered a TIA.  It's all been very odd, but quite a lot of her symptoms suggest that this may be the case.  An anomaly was noted during a routine eye-sight test by her optician.  She was then sent for a scan to check that the optic nerve was ok, then there was a suggestion that she may have had a stoke/TIA ?.  She was unaware of any 'event' and so we can't pinpoint when this may have happened, although it's possibly as long ago as late December 2020. I have pestered her GP for a referral to the stroke team for a scan, as I feel we need to know for sure what has happened.  Some of the symptoms could easily be attributed to her age (84), but I want clarification, and I don't want the Covid situation to prevent her receiving the correct care.  We live 240 miles apart, so I am relying on my brother to attend the clinic with her.  

All the knowledge, all of the anecdotal information gained from this site, has really empowered me to push the issue forward; I didn't have the knowledge when my husband suffered his stroke, and there were possibly things I could have done to improve his outcome had I been better informed ...

However, on a brighter note, my husband has recently got himself a puppy!!  He has had dogs all his life, and his previous dog became ill shortly after the stroke in 2017, and had to be put to sleep.  He's been desperate to have another dog for 3 and a half years.  I felt very guilty about not having another dog, but I wasn't sure how life would turn out for us (and I'm not a doggy person!), and didn't want to be responsible for a dog as well as a Stroke Survivor!!  He's had to overcome his stroke fatigue as a puppy is a constant challenge!!  I'm hoping this will be a positive step on the never ending stroke recovery journey - although I might decide to move out and live in the shed!!    ? ?