What is aspirin therapy

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Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin. Caring for an aging parent? Tips for enjoying holiday meals. Do not take the NSAID pill during either the 8 hours before or the 30 minutes after you take aspirin. Here's an example: Take your aspirin. Wait 30 minutes. Your doctor will recommend a dose of aspirin and how often to take it. A typical schedule is to take aspirin every day.

But your doctor might recommend that you take aspirin every other day. Be sure you know what dose of aspirin to take and how often to take it. Low-dose aspirin 81 mg is the most common dose used to prevent a heart attack or a stroke. But the dose for daily aspirin can range from 81 mg to mg. One low-dose aspirin contains 81 mg. One adult-strength aspirin contains about mg.

For aspirin therapy, do not take medicines that combine aspirin with other ingredients such as caffeine and sodium. Low-dose aspirin seems to be as effective in preventing heart attacks and strokes as higher doses. If aspirin upsets your stomach, you can try taking it with food. But if that doesn't help, talk with your doctor. Aspirin can irritate the stomach lining and sometimes cause serious problems. Aspirin slows the blood's clotting action by reducing the clumping of platelets.

Platelets are cells that clump together and help to form blood clots. Aspirin keeps platelets from clumping together, thus helping to prevent or reduce blood clots. During a heart attack, blood clots form in an already-narrowed artery and block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle or to part of the brain, in the case of stroke.

When taken during a heart attack, aspirin slows clotting and decreases the size of the forming blood clot. Taken daily, aspirin's anti-clotting action helps prevent a first or second heart attack. Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: Rakesh K. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information.

Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content. To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: mild indigestion - take your aspirin with food.

If the indigestion still doesn't go away, it could be a sign that the aspirin has caused a stomach ulcer. Talk to your doctor - they may prescribe something to protect your stomach or switch you to a different medicine. Always wear a helmet when cycling. Wear gloves when you use sharp objects like scissors, knives, and gardening tools. Use an electric razor instead of wet shaving, and use a soft toothbrush and waxed dental floss to clean your teeth.

See a doctor if you're worried about any bleeding. Pregnancy and low-dose aspirin It's generally safe to take low-dose aspirin during pregnancy, as long as your doctor has said it's OK. Your doctor may advise you to take low-dose aspirin during pregnancy: to help prevent heart attack and stroke to help prevent pre-eclampsia pregnancy-related high blood pressure if you're having fertility treatment if you have had several previous miscarriages For more information about how low-dose aspirin can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read this leaflet on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy BUMPS website.

Breastfeeding and low-dose aspirin Aspirin is not generally recommended while you're breastfeeding. Non-urgent advice: Tell your doctor if you're:. Some medicines interfere with the way aspirin works.

Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking aspirin : medicines to thin blood or prevent blood clots , such as clopidogrel and warfarin - taking them with aspirin might cause bleeding problems medicines for pain and inflammation, such as ibuprofen and prednisolone medicines to prevent organ rejection after a transplant, such as ciclosporin and tacrolimus medicines to treat high blood pressure , such as furosemide and ramipril digoxin , a medicine for heart problems lithium , a medicine for mental health problems acetazolamide, for an eye problem called glaucoma methotrexate , a medicine used to stop the immune system overreacting and sometimes to treat some types of cancer diabetes medicines, such as insulin and gliclazide Taking low-dose aspirin with painkillers It's safe to take paracetamol with low-dose aspirin.

Mixing low-dose aspirin with herbal remedies or supplements Aspirin may not mix well with quite a lot of complementary and herbal medicines. Important: Medicine safety Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

How does low-dose aspirin work? When will I feel better? How long will I take it for? Is it safe to take for a long time? Can I drink alcohol with it? Yes, you can drink alcohol while taking low-dose aspirin. Does low-dose aspirin cause stomach ulcers? Can I take painkillers with low-dose aspirin? Is there any food or drink I need to avoid?

You can eat and drink normally while taking low-dose aspirin. Will it affect my fertility? Will it affect my contraception? Are there alternatives to low-dose aspirin?

Should we all take low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes? No, this isn't recommended. Can lifestyle changes help? Quit smoking - smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Try to avoid secondhand smoke, too. Cut down on alcohol - try to keep to the recommended guidelines of no more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol. Exercise - regular exercise keeps your heart and blood vessels in good condition. It doesn't need to be too energetic - walking every day is enough. Other recommendations say to avoid starting daily aspirin therapy after age If you're between ages 60 and 69, consider talking with your health care provider about daily aspirin therapy and how it may affect you.

Daily low-dose aspirin therapy may be recommended for the primary prevention of heart attack or stroke if:. If you've had a heart attack or stroke or you have known heart disease, your health care provider may recommend that you take a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes unless you have a serious allergy or history of bleeding. Aspirin interferes with the blood's clotting action.

When a person bleeds, clotting cells, called platelets, collect at the site of the wound. The platelets help form a plug that seals the opening in the blood vessel, stopping the bleeding. But this clotting can also occur within the vessels that carry blood to the heart. If blood vessels are already narrowed from a buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries atherosclerosis , a fatty deposit in the vessel lining can tear, exposing the blood to the inner wall of the artery, which then clots.

The clot prevents blood flow to the heart and causes a heart attack. Aspirin therapy reduces the clotting action of platelets — possibly preventing a heart attack. Take daily aspirin therapy only under the advice of your health care provider. Before starting the therapy, tell your health care provider if you have a health condition that could increase your risk of bleeding or other complications. Daily aspirin therapy may not be a good choice if you have:.

Your health care provider will likely discuss what aspirin dose is right for you. Low doses of aspirin — such as 75 to milligrams mg , but most commonly 81 mg —can be effective at preventing heart attack or stroke. Health care providers usually prescribe a daily dose between 75 mg and mg a regular-strength tablet. If your health care provider has told you to take an aspirin every day, contact him or her before stopping it.

If you've had a heart attack or a stent placed in one or more of your heart arteries, it's important to keep taking daily aspirin and any blood-thinning medications exactly as directed by your health care provider. Stopping daily aspirin therapy can have a rebound effect that may trigger a blood clot and lead to a heart attack.

If you need to take ibuprofen or other NSAIDs, talk to your health care provider about alternatives that won't interfere with daily aspirin therapy, such as acetaminophen Tylenol, others. If you're taking aspirin and you need surgery or dental work, be sure to let the surgeon or dentist know so they can take steps to prevent excessive bleeding.

Don't stop taking aspirin without talking to your health care provider. Combining aspirin with a prescription blood-thinning medication anticoagulant may greatly increase the risk of major bleeding. Anticoagulants include:. Sometimes, it may be appropriate to combine a low-dose aspirin with warfarin or another anticoagulant. Such combination therapy always needs to be carefully discussed with your health care provider.

Certain herbal and dietary supplements can also increase the bleeding risk when combined with aspirin. These include:. Drinking alcohol while on daily aspirin therapy may increase the risk of stomach bleeding. Talk to your health care provider about how much alcohol is safe to drink.

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.