Migraine aura and aspirin v clopidogrel

[RoundTheWorld]

Hello again. Hope you all had a good weekend.

I've enjoyed a complete break from migraine aura (visual, sometimes speech and short term memory, the headache aspect varies) since I was put on aspirin last year. While on aspirin I've had some migraine like headaches but not the accompanying aura (hurray!)

I've been asked to swap to clopidogrel instead of aspirin. Has anyone experience of whether this swap affected their own migraine aura? I gained some lost confidence with the absence of the weird neurological stuff so am keen not to lose the gain.

Thank you

[hunter5582]

Glad to hear that the aspirin helped with the migraine aura. This MPN microvascular symptom can be quite bothersome. Some people find even greater relief by taking low-dose aspirin twice per day instead of once.

Clopidogrel and aspirin are both antiplatelet medications. Some respond better to one than the other. You may find clopidogrel even more effective, though that is not a guarantee. You did not indicate why the change was recommended. The contraindications/cautions for these two medication are not the same. Do you have co-occurring conditions or have you experienced adverse effects from the aspirin? This would certainly bear on your decision.

.Hope you get the issue and decision sorted out promptly.

[RoundTheWorld in reply to hunter5582]

Thanks as always Hunter. I was already taking aspirin when I had a v small stroke last summer (so small I didn’t know I’d had it at the time, although it followed a few weeks after a weird aura / TIA that I was very aware of!) so it’s for hopefully stronger antiplatelet protection following the jak2 result. (Yet to have venesection or cytoreductive meds).

I’ve swapped to clopidogrel now so will see how it goes.

[hunter5582 in reply to RoundTheWorld]

In this circumstance, I would certainly give clopidogrel a try. Do please let us know how it goes.

[RoundTheWorld in reply to hunter5582]

Will do!

[RoundTheWorld in reply to hunter5582]

So far so good. Fingers crossed it lasts...

[Ovidess in reply to RoundTheWorld]

Roundthe World, would you mind describing your weird aura that preceded the small stroke? I know we're all different, but I like to know all the variations on the theme!

[RoundTheWorld in reply to Ovidess]

My usual aura start with patchy missing vision, then the classic shimmering arc and sometimes after that problems remembering names and getting words out. Usually the aura is done within 30 mins - hour.

This one started with the bottom right of my vision disappearing but no arc followed and trying to sleep it off didn’t work - 3 hours later I still couldn’t quite see properly. I felt a bit sick and dizzy. Other than the length of time, the main weirdness was that when I tried to read I couldn’t understand words. I struggled to put the letters together to make a word and even when I had done that I wasn’t sure if it was a word or what it meant (I could still talk, although it felt like wading through mud in my mind). It didn’t last long but scared me. An ambulance came out but I recovered quickly so didn’t go into hospital. They put me on aspirin.

The position of the tiny cerebellar stroke they identified when I had an mri 7 weeks later didn’t fit those symptoms and was estimated to be too recent to have been that occasion (they thought probably within the last 3 weeks or so before MRI).

[Ovidess in reply to RoundTheWorld]

I'm sorry you experienced that. Makes one really value the old brain, huh? What a miracle when everything works as it should.

My old migraines were like yours, though not with the names/words aspect. More recently I had two occasions on which I had my vision close to black, a sort of graying-in like translucent curtains coming in from the two sides, and then opening up again pretty quickly luckily, since I was driving during one episode. I thought that might be a TIA but my oncologist thought it was a new (to me) type of migraine. (??)

Be well!!!!

[RoundTheWorld in reply to Ovidess]

Thanks Ovidess - this community is such a comfort. For what it's worth in my early days of increasing migraine aura (and after my first 10k run - I think I was de-hydrated) I had an aura with tunnel vision - a bit like yours in that I had greying around the edges but mine was circular and 'grew' towards the centre until I could only see the middle bit. I know that wasn't a stroke as I had an MRI after that (due to lots of vertigo/dizziness) that didn't see any damage.

[william-Indo in reply to RoundTheWorld]

If you had stroke before or risk of heart attack, Clopidogrel is the first choice.

Hope it work well to you.

Cheers

[RoundTheWorld in reply to william-Indo]

Thanks william-Indo. I'm on the right med. then.

[Purplebailey]

Hi there, I would give the clopidogrel a try. I suffered from migraine aura before diagnosis and am currently only on clopidogrel, and I have not had a migraine since starting the medication. I was initially started off on aspirin, but for me it caused horrendous nausea and I was switched over to clopidogrel after 4 months.I was warned that this also had the potential to cause stomach issues, but 5 years on there is certainly nothing that is not manageable and it works well for me.

Good luck!

[RoundTheWorld in reply to Purplebailey]

Thanks PurpleBailey. That's v encouraging. Life is definitely much better without the aura weirdness! Will see how the clopidogrel goes.

[Tipsy2023]

Morning I was put on clopidigrel for all of those symptoms and they went

having had several years suffering getting worse daily .

So I am relieved and delighted . I was then diagnosed with ET having had raised platelets for 8 years which coincided with the visual disturbance and speech loss etc

after that a neurologist said I had migraines which I believe were associated with rising platelets. Either way clopidigrel worked . L

[RoundTheWorld in reply to Tipsy2023]

Great - that sounds very promising. Thank you for your reply. I've had raised platelets for 7 years or so and 30+ migraine aura in a similar timeline having only ever had 2 before then. It's good to know why the last few years have been so weird in terms of symptoms.

[Boobles]

hi there round the world

The only thing I can tell you as you may have read I suffer hemiplegic migraine and due to be allergic to asprin I was given clopidogrel about 10 hrs ago I personally have had zero issues with the drug I hope this helps you good luck jadeanna x

[RoundTheWorld in reply to Boobles]

Thank you!

[brightlys]

I have ET-induced migraines and anything that thins the blood (like aspirin) or reduces my platelets (like HU) works for me. I haven't been on clopidogrel before but my guess is that it will probably work.

[RoundTheWorld]

Thanks for your reply. Fingers crossed - life is definitely better without the aura.