Stroke Rehabilitation

Medications for Stroke Rehabilitation

After a stroke, you may need medicines to decrease pain, treat depression, or help speed your recovery. These may include:

• Medicines for pain and depression after a stroke. Examples are:
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for pain and depression.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants for pain and depression.
  • Anticonvulsant medicines for pain.
• Medicines for sleeping. After a stroke, you may have trouble sleeping (insomnia). Your doctor may prescribe different types of medicines to help you sleep, including the antidepressants trazodone (Desyrel) and mirtazapine (Remeron), which have sedation as a side effect. Other sleep medicines, such as chloral hydrate, may be effective but have the potential for addiction.
• Medicines for anxiety. Various medicines may be used to treat anxiety after a stroke. Benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam (Ativan, for example), are minor tranquilizers or sedatives that slow down the central nervous system. Benzodiazepines are sometimes used to treat seizures as well. Alprazolam (Xanax) and buspirone (BuSpar) are antianxiety medicines that relieve anxiety and nervousness.
• Medicines for agitation. Doctors use various types of medicines to treat agitation. Neuroleptics, such as haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa), are antipsychotic medicines that work by changing the effects of brain chemicals. The anticonvulsant valproic acid is sometimes used to treat agitation.
• Methylphenidate to improve mood and speed recovery. This medicine is sometimes used for a short time in the first stages of rehab.
• Dextroamphetamine to improve attention span and help learning and memory. Experts are still researching the benefits and risks of this drug for people who have had a stroke.

Also see treatment (including medicines) for spasticity.

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Author:	Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: July 6, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Richard D. Zorowitz, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
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