Hi everyone, I've not been on here for a good while. I'm on clopidogrel and atorvastatin for the stroke and now on beta blockers as u have an electrical issue with my heart which causes it to beat too fast which is what probably caused the stroke.
Anyway the statins make me feel achy but was coping but now these beta blockers, omg, dizzy, breathless, insane fatigue, nausea, headaches, to name a few side effects, I just feel awful on them but need them as was in hospital last week with heart dangerously fast.
I just don't know how I'm meant to work feeling like this, I'm off sick this week and last.
It is a problem discovering whether crucial medication causes side effects for individuals.
I am 71 and decided I could live without statins. You need to think hard and discuss with you GP, but I decided the risk was worthwhile. Avorstatin made me ache quite badly.
I take clopidogrel and thought this might be the cause of my never endin stroke fatigue. So I moved to aspirin in lieu of clopidogrel. I take aspirin without problems and the 75mg daily dose is low. However after a ten week proper trial, I couldnt tell the difference. It didnt affect the SF at all , well not for me.
I had been concerned that my pulse was getting too low. Twice it was a blues and twos and there wasnt any logic. Now out the blue my pulse has increased and my BP has fallen. I have no idea why, after three years, this should suddenly happen. I am just so happy about it.
I now look to see if the SF can be reduced. No way could I do a days work. Not a chance. I do very small voluntary jobs and thats all I can manage. I am an FCA but I am not the persion I was pre sttroke, so any sort of professional accountancy is a no no for me. In any case, my memory isnt good enough to handle tax or accounts work.
I record my own summary of SF levels each day. ALl I have concluded is that I must get night time sleep. For me thjis is 7.5hrs. It doesnt stop SF and I still have to nap. If I have too little sleepy sleep thenn the SF gets a lot worse. SF is affected the next day and the day after that.
I fear that you have to sort out your medical issues one by one. Its slow and aggravating. Things should improve a little bit over time.
We are in a little world of our own and there doesnt seem much help available.
Neuro science is comuing on in leaps and bounds but its of no relevance at 71. Younger peopel may get some new knowledge to help them, some time.
Thanks for your reply Colin, the sf is what i find the worst. I work in accounts at a solicitors and have had to reduce my responsibilities because of the sf and memory issues. I think I went back too soon and not phased long enough because now 6 months on from my stroke I find myself feeling worse but tbh I would have stayed off longer if it wasn't for money issues. I seemed to be ok for a couple of months but now I've got issues with my heart rhythm, my anxiety is playing up. I just need to realise it's going to take longer than I realised to feel normal again, if ever :)
I too am an accountant. There is no way I can possibly act as an accountant beause of exactly the issues you raise...anxiety, heart rhythms, memory but above all the disabling SF. I even got my own tax return wrong. I do a volunatry job for about 3 hours a month and thats all I can do. I do however now make tea and coffee for a few groups and I clear tables. Reading many other peoples experoence, it seems that 9 months is the earliest that work can be done and that has to be phased.
We have to accept that "normal' for us is not what "normal"was pre stroke.
To give you some hope, my heart has suddenly decided to beat at a sensible 70 bpm. After three years of problems, it is now behaving. Out the blue, unexpected, but ever so welcome. My BP has improved at the same time. Also I am getting recovery from the myriad of illness that seem to surround us post stroke. Things do improve. there is so much to learn
I'm on clopidogrel for my recent stroke I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm beyond tired and all the other things you mentioned. I've been off work for 5 weeks now and I am so worried because I can't think straight or stay awake long enough to go back to my job. I had a road accident and my stroke showed up along with neck problems due to arthritis that I'd never known I had for years. I didn't think the stroke had really affected me much till I got home and now I have all this. It's so fustrating I'm so sorry for what your going through.
I think it helps to read the diagnosis the doctors made when you left hospital. If you have an "infarct" then thats a full stroke and by golly it does affect us a great deal.
"Post stroke tiredness" is a common feature and thats such a bad terminology so I call it SF (stroke fatigue). When the SF descends then you really should rest. Sit and snooze is the best. We often have memory problems because part of our brain is dead. There is memorty recall (or lack of it) and then there is often failure to "lay down" current memory. This causes all sorts of lapses and so you cant think straight. I have read the forum for years and, it seems to me, that return towork within nine months is usually bad news. So at five weeks you have a long way to go. We are all different and maybe you will be one of the faster recoveries, but 13 weeks is fast, indeed super fast. Your brain is mending the damaged areas and also it is working around the dead areas. So you must let your brain recover. Rest, llots of water and no stress. They are key elements.
its a long haul and there is so much to learn.
My SF seems to be worse than average but I can now do a little bit of work and I can potter in the garden, go shopping, cook my meals and lots more. I can drive, use the PC and soo on. Things do get better. It takes so long. SO very long.
i l have not been on this forum before.let me introduce myself my name is chris. Iwll cut a long story short. About 9 months ago my mother theodora suffered a few mini strokes she has made it of progress, her whole system was effected it ought she was going mad, every was effected. No appetite she lost 2 stones ringing ears, personality changed, acting like a child and being frightened. Been to the memory clinic she hasn't got dementia. She has made some progress, she the medication which you mention. She had high blood pressure which was not picked up by the various GPS. Now she had to stop the blood pressure tablet asher blood pressure is very low. Blood pressure is now normal. She is also ona antidepressant. Her motivation is low and her confidence aswell. Doesn't go out. She complains that she feels dizzy her ears are ringing and feeling exhausted
I felt I wanted to share my story. My mother is nearly 80.
I dont think non stroke survivors understand the fatigue part, its not just tiredness, it is completely overwhelming. Waking up after a decent nights sleep and being exhausted so its hard to move and get out if bed. You do well to even make it into work. I couldnt comprehend going into a workplace and staying there with all the noise and distractions and movement going on around, let alone then having to think and do something productive. Like Colin, i couldnt tolerate statins, began on simvastatin and tgen onto atorvastatin, but there are non statin alternatives, im now on Ezetimibe for cholestorol and i dont experience the same aches in my limbs, i still have the dizziness but the question is, is it caused by all the different meds or the stroke. After 3 years, i have decided its down to me, so i am experimenting with my meds. Doctors only know so much, but i know how i feel and if there is any improvement or decline. There is no magic pill and everyone reacts differently and of course we are all damaged in a slightly different part of the brain. What works for one may not work for others, thats why, just like Brexit (supposedly)........I am taking back control. It will go one of 2 ways, but thats just life.
Good luck finding what works for you. You are right, it is a long journey with no guarantees of 'normality' at the end of it.
Hi I was on Clopidogrel and rosuvastatin when I left hospital after my stroke. I was in and out of A & E for 6 months with horrendous side effects mostly from Clopidogrel. It is hailed as the wonder drug for stroke survivors but there are lots of people who suffer badly with the terrible weakness and general unwellness from it. I also no longer take statins as I have tried them all and all have produced bad side effects. Even though I have high cholestrol (6.9 at the last test. Has been 8.9 in the past) my GP has said my risk factor is only 12% of heart disease as I am very lucky to have a strong,healthy heart. Therefore, he has no worries of me having heart problems or a heart attack. I did try Benecol yogurt drink which works well for me and reduced my cholestrol from 8.9 to 7 quite quickly within 3 weeks as advertised but when I swapped to aspirin from Clopidogrel, the Benecol made me feel sick at bedtime. I have to take the aspirin at bedtime because I take my BP tablet on a morning and have to leave a long gap between the two. One day, they will come up with drugs that don't interact with each other! For me, aspirin has no side effects and I would never go back on Clopidogrel!
I also take aspirin instead of Clopidogrel - I found it had to many side effects. I take the gastro resistant aspirin which dissolve past the stomach so you don’t get stomach problems. Like you I couldn’t tolerate statins, tried a few and had side effects with them all. Hope you are keeping ok, the ups and downs of stroke can change from day to day.
I have re read your post and it is very helpful and not offensive. I have different experiences from you but no two strokes are the same so we can never be exactly in line. Your posts have been a great help over the past months and you are such a positive lifting person
Your post is exactly what some of us need. For someone to say what can happen when you take that medication from their experience. Your medical team will tell you chapter and verse what the text books say with no personal insight. I have found the most valuable information has come from those who can share first hand experiences. We know that not every stroke is the same and we are all unique, but there are times when shared experiences and knowledge is worth its weight in gold.
As everyone else has said please keep posting we need you and your knowledge. ???
My mum has had a mini stroke about 7 months. She keeps being dizzy with ringing ears, she keeps saying how unwell she feels. She's on Atorvasatin 40mg, Clopidogrel 75mg, Ramipril 2.5mg, sertraline 100mg. We been to the Gps quiet a few time and eve very time they say its Bppv vertigo. It could be the mediction, which one? Can anyone help me.?
I would like to understand what I posted that can be considered offensive? I have noticed that a lot of posts that replied to a particular topic have also been reported. Sorry if I have missed something.
It could possibly be due to the mini stroke. I have had ringing in my ears since I had the stroke and now have a hearing aid which plays white noise which combats the tinnitus. I was referred to the hearing aid department of my local hospital for this and have to say it has helped to quieten the tinnitus.
Hope you manage to get it sorted for her, it does make you feel quite unwell.