After a transient ischaemic attack, medication is aimed at preventing a stroke. That means antiplatelet or anticoagulant treatment depending on the cause, plus statin therapy and blood pressure control, usually started regardless of previous readings. Which blood thinner you receive follows from the cause found rather than being a default, because the wrong one leaves you exposed.
After a transient ischaemic attack, medication is aimed at preventing a stroke. That means antiplatelet or anticoagulant treatment depending on the cause, plus statin therapy and blood pressure control, usually started regardless of previous readings. Which blood thinner you receive follows from the cause found rather than being a default, because the wrong one leaves you exposed.
This is the central decision and it follows from the workup rather than a default. Where the event came from small-vessel disease or large-artery narrowing, antiplatelet treatment is used, sometimes as a short initial period of two agents together followed by one. Where atrial fibrillation is found, anticoagulation is used instead, because antiplatelet treatment is substantially less effective for that mechanism. Giving the wrong one leaves you exposed, which is why the cause is established first.
Statin therapy is typically started after a transient ischaemic attack regardless of baseline cholesterol, because the benefit comes from more than the lipid number alone. Blood pressure treatment is usually started or intensified, with targets tighter than for primary prevention. People frequently query both because their previous readings were described as acceptable; the reason is that the risk category has changed rather than the readings having been misjudged.
Adherence matters more here than almost any lifestyle change, because the risk being prevented is highest in the weeks immediately afterwards. Do not stop antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication without discussion, including before dental or minor procedures, where the right answer is often to continue. Report unusual bleeding rather than stopping the drug yourself. Carry a list of what you take, since it matters in any emergency setting.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Sources and further reading: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; MedlinePlus: carotid artery disease; American Academy of Neurology.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.