25th August 2020

A 67-year-old man presents to his General Practitioner, after having a ‘funny turn’ when he awoke the previous morning

A 67-year-old man presents to his General Practitioner, after having a ‘funny turn’ when he awoke the previous morning. The patient describes that he felt faint shortly after waking. He recalls that he struggled to pick up a glass of water with his right hand. When he went to drink, he found it difficult and some water dribbled down his front. He decided to lay back down, and the symptoms resided after approximately 90 minutes. The patient has had no symptoms since this episode. All neurological examination findings were normal. The patient has an irregularly irregular pulse. The patient has a 10 year history of diabetes mellitus, for which he takes metformin. He takes no other medications.

Given the likely diagnosis, what is the most appropriate immediate pharmacological management? 

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.