The most widely known and the only FDA-approved drug for treatment of ischemic stroke — intravenous tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) — can reverse stroke if given to carefully selected patients within a few hours of stroke onset.
tPA (tissue plasminogen activator)
tPA is short for tissue plasminogen activator and can only be given to patients who are having a stroke caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke). It can stop a stroke by breaking up the blood clot. It must be given as soon as possible and within 4½ hours after stroke symptoms start.
The initial recovery following stroke is most likely due to decreased swelling of brain tissue, removal of toxins from the brain, and improvement in the circulation of blood in the brain. Cells damaged, but not beyond repair, will begin to heal and function more normally.
Few patients recover fully and most are left with some disability, but the majority exhibit some degree of spontaneous recovery. Doctors and scientists don't fully understand how this happens, because the brain does not grow new cells to replace the ones damaged by the stroke.
The short answer is yes; the brain can heal after acute trauma from a stroke or brain injury, although the degree of recovery will vary. The reason the brain can recover at all is through neuroplasticity, sometimes referred to as brain plasticity.
Anticoagulant medications
It is given to people who have a history of blood clots, and also those who have had a stroke caused by a blood clot. Your doctor may prescribe anticoagulants & antiplatelets such as warfarin that prevent the formation of another clot.
The reason the first hour is golden is because stroke patients have a much greater chance of surviving and avoiding long-term brain damage if they arrive at the hospital and receive treatment with a clot-busting drug called TPA within that first hour.
If you get to the hospital within 3 hours of the first symptoms of an ischemic stroke, you may get a type of medicine called a thrombolytic (a “clot-busting” drug) to break up blood clots. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a thrombolytic. tPA improves the chances of recovering from a stroke.
Emergency IV medication.
An IV injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) — also called alteplase (Activase) or tenecteplase (TNKase) — is the gold standard treatment for ischemic stroke. An injection of TPA is usually given through a vein in the arm within the first three hours.
Anticoagulants, such as heparin, warfarin, dabigatran, apixaban, and rivaroxaban, are medications that thin the blood and help to dissolve blood clots.
Unfortunately, the blood thinners used to prevent such blood clots can increase the risk of bleeding in the brain, a cause of hemorrhagic stroke.
A silent stroke is most often caused by reduced blood flow in one of the smaller arteries that feed the brain. It can occur without noticeable symptoms if it affects a part of the brain that doesn't control major movements or vital functions.
For this reason, the 60 minutes after the onset of stroke symptoms are known as “the golden hour.” If treatment can be initiated within this brief window, the patient's outcome is likely to be better.
tPA quickly dissolves the clots that cause many strokes. By opening a blocked blood vessel and restoring blood flow, tPA can reduce the amount of damage to the brain that can occur during a stroke.
Rehabilitation exercise is arguably one of the best home remedies for stroke recovery. Therapists encourage patients to exercise on their own at home to keep neuroplasticity and recovery going.
Time of Day
Both STEMI and stroke are most likely to occur in the early hours of the morning—specifically around 6:30am.
Sometimes the blood clot goes away before it causes permanent brain damage. However, sometimes the clot remains and causes a type of stroke called a venous infarct, or may cause bleeding into the brain (brain hemorrhage).
Foods rich in vitamin E, such as almonds, avocado, and spinach, can help dissolve blood clots. Vitamin E has anticoagulant properties and can help prevent blood clots from forming. It is recommended to consume foods rich in vitamin E regularly.
There are three general categories of drugs that are commonly used to prevent or treat blood clots (thrombosis): anticoagulants, fibrinolytics, and antiplatelet medications. Some of these (Pradaxa, Angiomax, ReoPro) may be unfamiliar, while others (warfarin, heparin, aspirin) are generally household names.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.