Antiplatelet agents, including aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole and ticlopidine, work by inhibiting the production of thromboxane. Aspirin is highly recommended for preventing …show more content…
In some cases, it prevents death. For long-term (meaning for the rest of your life unless otherwise specified by your physician) prevention, antiplatelet therapy is recommended primarily for people who have had a transient ischemic attack (TIA or “mini” stroke) or acute ischemic …show more content…
Anticoagulants are considered more aggressive drugs than antiplatelets. They are recommended primarily for people with a high risk of stroke and people with atrial fibrillation. More than 2.7 million Americans have atrial fibrillation (AF), an-arrhythmia of the heart where the atria (the heart’s pumping chambers) quiver instead of beat. As a result, not all of the blood is pumped out of the heart, allowing pools to collect in the heart chamber, where clots may form.
An embolic stroke is a type of ischemic stroke that occurs when a piece of an atrial blood clot (embolus) is pumped out of the heart, circulates to the brain and becomes lodged in an artery. The American Heart Association recommends that most AF patients over age 65 receive some sort of anticoagulant therapy.
Although anticoagulants tend to be more effective for AF patients, they are generally recommended only for patients with strokes caused by clots originating in the heart. Anticoagulants tend to be more expensive and carry a higher risk of serious side effects, including bruising and skin rash and bleeding in the brain, stomach and