I had a stroke in2019 followed by a TIA in 2023. Following a heart monitor for 7 days in 2023 I was told I had an irregular heart beat and was given a beta blocker.
I was on holiday when I had the Tia and the doctor there told me to come off Clopidogrel and just take 75mg aspirin . When I contacted my original consultant he told me I had to stay on Clopidogrel.
I have since read that Clopidogrel causes irregular heartbeats. Interested to hear if others have had a similar experience .
I take clopidogrel and it has been better than Ok.
It has reduced migraines by a huge margin.
I take aspirin if I get a migraine. But I wouldn’t take aspirin long term due to the way it upsets stomach. I only take the odd standard aspirin never had the prescription low dose aspirin.
Stroke is the mega bad affliction. I would urge you to listen to your GP and accept his advice. I had OHS four years ago and recovered from that within one year. I had stroke 9 years ago and still have difficult problems from that.
I love clopidogrel.
Sooty
Thank you for your advice. X
Hi diet well, firstly I'm sorry to hear you have had a further Tia in spite of being on medication. The decision following a 7 day Holter to put you on bisoprolol suggests these were fast rhythms ( maybe tachycardia) that they wanted to suppress. After a serious stroke I was put on Clopidogrel. After little evidence from Holter monitoring Inc 7 day I received an implanted loop recorder ILR basically a miniature ECG working 24/7 and sending out a stream of wireless data. After three months an Atrial Fibrillation event was detected. This one event led immediately to a medication change from antiplatelet Clopidogrel to anticoagulant EDOXABAN. This is because the heart was now considered the most likely source of the clot following a Tachycardia event. Recently (2 years on) I have had a different syncope (blackout) event while exercising. The investigations have revealed damage to the heart muscle in my left ventricle. The ILR picked up a simultaneous left ventricular tachycardia. In the absence of any usual explanation, my heart works well and I don't have any problems with my blood vessels, the explanation favoured by the clinicians is an embolism (clot) formed in the heart that has damaged the supply directly to that area of muscle. The time of this silent event is completely uncertain. So , my suggestion is that you first go back to your GP and ask with the evidence of Arrthymia why wasn't your medication reviewed? Secondly the evidence of Arrthymia suggests further investigation at least having an Echocardiogram which your GP can request.
My circumstances are less common so not directly relevant to where you are right now. But you have concerns, rightly because of a second stroke event and you should receive more attention in my opinion. I hope this is helpful.
Thank you Chinkoflight.
My problem is that two stroke consultants don’t agree on medication. One prefers Clopidogrel and the other Aspirin. It doesn’t give me much confidence.x
My experience is also of differing medication preferences, so I get the lack of confidence. I think my point was that as soon as an ECG detected an arrthymia the stroke consultant ceded to the heart specialists and effectively handed me over to a heart consultant. I would still go to discuss this with your GP. In my 46 days in hospital I had raised anxiety because of clinical differences. I contacted my GP who broke 'protocols' to call me in hospital to guide me through a process in which I might feel more empowered (without treading on toes and breaking confidences.) It helped enormously as well as the commitment to pick up my health care immediately I was discharged.
I guess the lack of agreement may be due to the different experiences that their patients have had. After my TAVI I was relieved that my surgeon did not prescribe Clopidogrel AND aspirin because the combination seems to lead to the possibility of more side-effects than one of them on its own. My GP was very keen for me to take Omiprazole (contraindicated with Clopidogrel !!), then issued (without consulting me) a prescription for Lansoprazole which I declined, my surgeon twice saying that I didn't need it. But after three months of bloating, I started taking Lansoprazole and within days the bloating had eased substantially.
I take both Aspirin 75mgs and Clopidogrel. Been on both of them together, along with other meds, since my TIA in 2018. As I have other heart conditions, I've been told that I will have to take them for rest of my life.Thats not a concern to me. I've never had an issue with either of them.
Hello,
I am on clopidogrel for life to help prevent a heart attack or stroke.
I have vasospastic angina caused by the transient constrictions of my coronary arteries meaning my blood doesn't flow evenly through my blood vessels.
Here is a link to the latest National Institute of Healthcare Excellence NICE guidelines regarding the use of antiplatelets in the ongoing treatment and prevention of strokes.
strokeguideline.org/chapter...
Interestng . I was diagnosed with vasospastic angina in January, the surgeon saw it happen during angiogram. It also explained my resting Angina. While I was I hospital I was put on Trigelacor, on discharge it wasn't on my prescribed meds list. Wonder why they took it off.
It's good that your Vasospastic angina has been recognised.
How has your vasospastic angina been treated?
The usual medications offered are calcium channel blockers, nitrates, statins and an antiplatelet like aspirin or clopidogrel.
Unfortunately there is still a lack of awareness about the ongoing management of the condition.
Have you got a follow-up appointment with a Cardiologist?
If not perhaps ask your GP to look at this recently published paper about the management of vasospastic angina and ask to be reviewed by a Cardiologist.
my husband has been on Clop and aspirin for 21 years now. Apart from the occasional bruising and bleeding issues, he’s fine on these (plus betablockers etc).
Hi I too had a TIA in 2019, the only thing that it affected was my speach, which lasted for off and on most of that day, but no further trouble since. Like me you probably had all the scans, inc,luding the carotid artery and x-rays all showed there was no damage to my brain, no scarring, nothing wrong with my arteries. I had not read or heard about the irregular heart beat so I cannot comment, but suffice it to say I have been on 75mg Clopidogrel since with no adverse effects.
A stroke can leave you with permanent neurological damage. An irregular heart beat is manageable. I have been taking Clopidogrel for years. No stroke so far!
it does say that it can cause an increase in nearly rate. I noticed this initially myself, but I wasn’t sure whether it was my anxiety causing it having just been diagnosed with a condition. It’s subsequently settled. Clopidogrel is supposed to be the kindest anti-platelet med for your stomach, although I don’t know whether it’s equivalent to gastro-resistant aspirin.
Weird to see so many people on it for such a long time. My cardiologist made it clear that I was to stop it exactly a year after my second stent. First stent the same thing happened with ticagrelor.
In our stroke clinic clopidogrel plus low-dose aspirin is the gold-standard post-stroke and preventative treatment. The aspirin can be stopped after a month depending on the patient's other conditions.
Input from haematology and cardiology will be sought for any specific additional treatment considered necessary due to related conditions either existing or newly-found.
Clopidogrel is also used after procedures such as the insertion of stents to prevent clots forming.
People can remain on clopidogrel for many years, my partner being one of them. There are normally few side-effects from this vital medication.
Hi there, sorry to hear about your health issues and wishing you all the best.
My experiences were heart attack December 2022 and on aspirin/ Clopidogrel. Cardiologist told me to stop taking Clopidogrel after 6 months. December 2023 had a TIA and neurologist/ cardiologist told me to stop taking the aspirin and go back onto Clopidogrel.
Take care.
I was on it but came off it after a few months. I take the slow release aspirin. It does make it difficult if you have 2 different pieces of advice.
Following a stroke in 2018 and a HA in 2019, I have been on Aspirin 75mgs and Clopidogrel ever since. Along with other numerous medications.I also have 3 stents
Never had any issues 🙏
The differences between Clopidrigel and Aspirin are minimal for the situation you find yourself in. the drug prescribed tends to be a matter of the consultants opinion and experience. The main side effect of both tend to be irritation of the gut sometimes bleeding Aspirin was used for years but they both reduce clotting tendency. The bottom line is that the clotting came from somewhere & the heart is frequently the culprit esp if there is an arrhythmia of any kind. The fact that the cardiac arrhythmia started when you commenced the drug does not mean it caused it. Your problem is the disagreement in opinion by the two Doctors I am wondering if the beta blocker you are on is not being effective I am surprised that you have not already had an echo they are usually done pretty quickly discuss your dilemma with a GP that you know well and who knows you. Meantime as long as you take one of them you should be covered or do what I do on occasions & take both at different times (although I take aspirin for migraines ) talk to someone soon because anxiety will not help the situation
I had a stroke in 2015, boy was it that long ago... Any way they didn't know I had AF and it didn't show on any tests so I was on Clopidogrel. When the GP found out by chance I had AF as a nurse pointed it out and I was having an episode at that particular time my medication was changed. I am now on apixaban.
I take that too, so following
Clopidogrel withdrawal 
clopidogrel
Stopping Clopidogrel 
Stopping clopidogrel for five days for surgery 
Clopidogrel side effects
