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© 1988 American Academy of Neurology Physician prescribing patterns following hospital admission for ischemic cerebrovascular diseaseNeurology Research Laboratory, Durham VA Medical Center, and Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Pharmacology, Duke University, Durham, NC. Functional recovery after brain injury in laboratory animals is influenced by a variety of drugs. Yet, the impact of currently prescribed drugs on recovery after human stroke remains largely unexplored. From the Duke-VA Stroke Registry, we found 77% of patients admitted to either the university hospital or the Veterans Administration hospital with cerebral infarction were taking medications at the time of their stroke. Ninety-five percent of these patients were receiving medication at the time of discharge. Antihypertensives were the most commonly prescribed agents in the study population, and platelet antiaggregants were second. Sixty-four percent of patients had a change in their antihypertensive regimens. The number of patients prescribed sedative-hypnotic agents doubled over the first 48 hours after hospital admission. The choice of a therapeutic agent for a given clinical indication may have important implications for rehabilitation of the stroke patient. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Goldstein, Building 16, Room 29, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705. Supported by the Veterans Administration and the NIH (NS 01162, NS 06233). Received March 30, 1988. Accepted for publication in final form April 25, 1988.
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