Can Common Medications Cause Stroke?

By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

Recent research, as reported on Yahoo News, suggests that common drugs may cause stroke in rare cases. According to the Yahoo article, in rare instances, drugs like antidepressants, decongestants and migraine medications, may trigger a stroke.

The article does not suggest that the millions of people taking such medications need to stop, as the link between these drugs and stroke is preliminary and is guessed, by some, to be rare.

But the article does suggest that in the event of a sudden, intensely painful headache, immediate attention should be given to a health-care professional. These types of headaches can result from subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain.

The January issue of the journal Neurology, featured a study including three people who experienced such headaches and stroke after taking one or more of the above-mentioned types of medications.

In one case, according to the article, a patient was taking an over-the-counter cold medication. In another case, a man was given a prescription migraine medication to treat his headaches. His headaches continued, and after taking a second dose of the medication he suffered a seizure. His symptoms reportedly cleared on their own after discontinuing use of the medication.

The key message of the article is to be more alert than usual when taking over-the-counter or prescription medications and severe headaches strike.

Yahoo News: Common Drugs May Cause Stroke in Rare Cases