USES: This medication is used to reduce the risk of stroke in patients who have had "mini-strokes" (transient ischemic attacks) or a previous stroke due to a blood clot and are at high risk for another stroke. It contains two medications, a very low dose of aspirin (25 milligrams per tablet) and dipyridamole in a slow-release form.Low-dose aspirin and dipyridamole are anti-platelet drugs that work to keep blood flowing to the brain by stopping platelets from clumping together. This helps prevent the platelets from forming blood clots, which can lodge in the brain and cause a certain type of stroke (ischemic stroke).
A stroke results from impaired oxygen delivery to brain cells via the bloodstream. A stroke is also referred to as a CVA, or cerebrovascular incident. Symptoms of stroke include: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance, and/or sudden severe headache with no known cause. A TIA, or transient ischemic attack is a short-lived temporary impairment of the brain caused by loss of blood supply. Stroke is a medical emergency.
When a portion of the brain loses blood supply, through a blood clot or embolus, a transient ischemic attack (TIA, mini-stroke) may occur. If the symptoms do not resolve, a stroke most likely has occurred. Symptoms of TIA include: confusion, weakness, lethargy, and loss of function to one side of the body. Risk factors for TIA include vascular disease, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Treatment depends upon the severity of the TIA, and whether it resolves.
A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a brief interruption of blood
flow to part of the brain that causes temporary stroke like symptoms.
The risks for TIA are the same as for
heart attack,
stroke, and
peripheral artery disease, and include
smoking,
high blood pressure,
high cholesterol,
diabetes, and family history.
The artery blockage may occur because of a ruptured plaque due to
atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries, debris that floats downstream
from narrowed carotid arteries or blood clots (emboli) that form (often in
the heart) and travel to block an artery in the brain.
Since TIAs resolve on their own, the goal for treatment is to minimize
the risk of future TIAs and stroke. Treatment involves looking for the
reason why the TIA occurred.
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