Persistent speech problems, no fluency in reading in writing after brain stroke on left side, undergoing speech therapy. What else can be done?
Patient: Dear Sir, 7 month before my husband had a brain stroke in left side. Now he can move his body parts easily and still he is in medical supervision. he still have the BP problem and it is now 100/80 and taking medicine that is Amtas 10, Qpill 10 and hytide 12.5. He also took strocit plus for 3 month according to the doctors advice. The problem still now is in speech and can not read and write fluntly though he is having speech therapy . can you advice me what should i do to improve his situation and how long it will take to became as previous. Doctor: Thank you for contacting Healthcare magic. Speech problems (aphasia) are common after stroke on the left side of brain (in right-handed people). This is because the speech areas (for both understanding and producing speech) are located on the left side of brain. Recovery is a gradual process and can take up to two years (though some people do not recover completely). The best treatment is speech therapy (which your husband is undergoing). There are no specific medications to improve sppech. However, in some research studies, piracetam has been found to be useful. You may use pitracetam (nootropil) 1200 mg twice daily for three months. Please consult your doctor regarding this. Best wishes, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM (Neurology) Senior Consultant Neurologist Apollo Health City, Hyderabad