While professional speech therapy progresses, the patient's caregivers should use and encourage the patient in non-verbal communications, such as pantomime, facial expressions, and pen and paper. Physical therapy combined with electrical stimulation and biofeedback techniques has been beneficial in certain cases. Electrical stimulation of the throat, for example, may help patients with dysphagia recover their ability to swallow faster. Stimulation of the wrist and finger is also showing promise for improving motor capabilities. Another interesting approach for patients with stroke in the right hemisphere uses a special prism and sounds to help the patient to regain function in the left hemisphere, which suffers neglect when the right hemisphere is damaged by a stroke.
Some patients experience intractable hiccups, which can be very serious.
Among the drugs used for this condition are chlorpromazine or baclofen. The use this amphetamine may help improve motor skills when combined with physical therapy. Certain drugs commonly taken for conditions associated with stroke may actually slow recovery. They include drugs used for high blood pressure, including clonidine and prazosin, anticonvulsant drugs, the antipsychotic drug haloperidol, and the common anti-anxiety drugs benzodiazepines. The Emotional State of the Patients.