A drug caffeinol containing caffeine and alcohol may help stroke patients recover.

In a small study at Texas Health Science Center in Houston, 60% of stroke patients who were given the drug, had no or minimal disability when they were discharged from the hospital. In contrast, only 26% of stroke survivors given standard therapy with tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, fared that well.

Caffeinol contains about as much caffeine as 5 to 7 cups of good, strong New Orleans coffee and the equivalent of two shots of alcohol.

The study involved 100 people who had suffered an ischemic stroke. All received intravenous tPA; 10 were also given an infusion of caffeinol. Caffeinol allows cells to tolerate reduced blood flow longer, thereby giving tPA a longer opportunity to do its action.

Will these findings be applicable to heart attack? Only time will tell as heart attack treatment is also done with tPA.