Aggrenox vs. Aspirin for Post Stroke

With the discoveries that have been made in medication, more information is now available on the topic of strokes. Two medicines commonly used to treat people post-stroke are Aggrenox and aspirin. Both are used for different reasons, and both have different properties.

• A picture of the brain.

Definition

• A stroke takes place when a blood clot blocks an artery or a vein in the brain. This prevents blood from getting to certain areas of your brain. Left untreated, this can cause brain cells to die and brain damage to take place. Strokes can either be mild or severe in their intensity.

Results of a Stroke

• Although many people are able to make a full recovery after having a stroke, as many as 66 percent of the people that survive will have some form of lasting disability.

  It is important to know where in the brain the stroke took place as different outcomes can be expected. Smaller strokes can cause a weakness in one part of the body or on one side of the body. Larger strokes may leave one entire side of a person's body paralyzed.

  For instance, if the stroke happens in a part of your brain called Broca's area, it might impact your ability to speak. This is common in those who have suffered larger strokes. Broca's area is a section of your brain which produces language. If this happens, your ability to speak it might be compromised.

Aggrenox

• Aggrenox is the trade name for the medicine containing dipyridamole. This medicine is commonly prescribed to prevent strokes because it causes vasodilation, or dilating of the arteries and veins in your body. In addition, Aggrenox inhibits the formation of blood clots, which decreases the likelihood that you will have strokes while taking this medication.

Aspirin

• Aspirin regimens are common in individuals who are predisposed to, or have already suffered from, such ailments as heart attacks and strokes. One of the key reasons that an aspirin regime may be suggested to you by your doctor is that aspirin thins the blood, making it less likely to clot and cause a stroke. Be sure to talk to your doctor first before starting on an aspirin regimen.

Aspirin Regimens

• Not all strokes are caused by the formation of blood clots in the brain. Although many of them are, strokes can also be caused by blood vessels in the brain that rupture. If these are the kinds of strokes that you are susceptible to, taking aspirin for your strokes will worsen the problem by causing more blood to bleed out of these vessels.