I haven't argued totally against the use of aspirin. I've only urged caution to those who are considering it. I used aspirin most of my life for a pain killer.
@farmerman,
farmerman wrote :
Quote: Its not that you will develop a potentially fatal bleeding condition from the fist tablet. Aspirin should also not be taken on an empty stomach or just with water. My doc recommends that you eat something , even a slice of bread to buffer the aspirin.
most medications are best NOT taken on an empty stomach .
i always ask my doc and double-check with the pharmacist .
usually take my meds starting halfway through a meal - and usually with PLENTY of water .
hbg
@hamburger,
hbg wrote:
Quote:usually take my meds starting halfway through a meal - and usually with PLENTY of water .
That's what I just started doing recently; taking my pills in between my meals. I think that's an excellent idea, and now wonder I didn't think of this way before now. Even old dogs learn new tricks - even though they may be far and few between.
I started to write more about my own aspirin use, then let it go. Guess I will here. As many of you know, I have had health issues for years. Nothing that keeps me down, certainly never incapacitated. I have always taken aspirin when I needed pain relief, until a few years ago. One week, my body was aching and hurting from overdoing it on the job. I took a single full strength aspirin before going to bed (not on an empty stomach, either). I slept well that night. The following night, I still felt it enough to want some relief for a restful sleep. So I had myself one more aspirin. Next day there were traces of blood in the stool. I have never taken another one since that day. But, I center my diet around things for the heart, and take supplements to help. My blood is thin without the aspirin, as a consequence. Any small cut bleeds ferociously. I rarely need pain medicine, but when I take any, I vary the product, to avoid any cumulative effect.
@edgarblythe,
edgar, Have you ever tried Tylenol?
@cicerone imposter,
Yes, CI. As I said, I vary the product, including Tylenol, Alieve and various over the counter products. I only rarely need anything at all.
@edgarblythe,
I am 62 yrs and have been advised by my doctor to take Disprin CV every day
@LIZZY62,
Hi, lizzy. What is Disprin CV ?
@edgarblythe,
Disprin CV 100 is 100mg Aspirin I had a scare of tromboses in my leg 10 years ago from taking Hormone replacement theraphy HRT and since then I am taking Disprin
Sounds as though you are doing the right thing, from where I sit. Good luck to you.
@edgarblythe,
I think it's an overseas brand of aspirin it's like saying I take Bayer or St. Joseph's.
@edgarblythe,
looking at the website for DISPIRIN , i think it comes from INDIA .
http://sawaal.ibibo.com/health/disprine-good-heart-patients-253128.html
many of our medications come from overseas suppliers .
i'd think that if all our meds were produced in north-america , we probably could not afford them .
hbg
@hamburger,
Disprin I am taking is manufactured in South Africa
My own health program has progressed to the point I can try taking the low dose arpirin. It's a calculated risk with me.
Health.com) -- Taking a low-dose aspirin every day can help prevent heart attacks in people who've already had one. But if you've never had a heart attack (or stroke), the risks of taking a daily low-dose aspirin outweigh the benefits, according to a U.K. report published in Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.
About 50 million Americans take low-dose (325 milligrams per day or less) aspirin to prevent cardiovascular problems. Some do so even though they don't have heart disease or a history of heart attack or stroke, an approach known as primary prevention.
Currently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends low-dose aspirin for primary prevention in people with diabetes who are at risk for cardiovascular disease--but this will be changing. (Diabetes can dramatically increase the risk of developing heart disease.)
"Because of some recent studies suggesting that the benefit is not very large, and because aspirin can also have risks (intestinal bleeding or hemorrhagic stroke), the January 2010 recommendations will recommend it mostly for higher-risk people than was the case in the past, when it was recommended for people with more moderate levels of risk and above," says Dr. M. Sue Kirkman, the vice president of clinical affairs for the ADA.
Health.com: Diabetes-friendly recipes
The authors of the new analysis say there's not enough evidence to justify the routine use of low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy people, including those with elevated blood pressure or diabetes.
Kirkman stresses that people with diabetes who are taking aspirin--and have no history of heart attack--should talk to their doctor and see if he or she recommends continuing the therapy.
Health.com: 20 meals that won't kill your cholesterol
"There isn't a strong rationale to take people off it if they're doing fine," she explains.
Although aspirin thins the blood and helps prevent clots, it is not risk free, according to the U.K. review led by a panel of experts.
For example, the researchers looked at two large studies of people with diabetes (one with 1,276 participants and the other with 2,539) and found that those who took 81 to 100 milligrams of aspirin daily were just as likely to have a heart attack or stroke in the next four to seven years as those who did not.
Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and other problems--some of them serious. People who take aspirin daily are two to four times as likely to have upper gastrointestinal problems, such as an ulcer with complications, than those not taking aspirin (even if the aspirin is buffered or has a protective coating to limit stomach problems).
Health.com: Cholesterol-lowering supplements: What works, what doesn't
Although aspirin can prevent clots, which cause about 80 percent of strokes, it may increase the risk of hemorrhagic strokes, which are caused by bleeding in the brain.
"This article synthesizes what many people in the field are beginning to feel: The risks of daily aspirin therapy exceeds the benefits in people who have not had a heart attack," says Dr. Steven E. Nissen, the chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio.
Health.com: 11 natural health boosters you need to know
The American Heart Association recommends daily low-dose aspirin for people who have had a heart attack, for those with heart disease--related chest pain known as unstable angina, or those who have had a clot-related stroke (or those who have had ministrokes, episodes that suggest a stroke is imminent). In general, the risk of heart attack has to be 10 percent within the next decade to warrant daily aspirin use, the group says.
In 2004, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel rejected the idea of using aspirin for primary prevention.
"If you have had a heart attack, bypass surgery, or a history of coronary artery disease, the benefits of daily aspirin therapy do outweigh the risks," Nissen says. "If you never had a heart attack or heart disease, you need to be at very high risk to benefit from daily low-dose aspirin therapy."
So who falls into this very high-risk category?
According to Nissen, "the right person would likely have a cluster of risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure," he says. "Once you have a cluster of risk factors, you start to look like someone who has already had a heart attack."
Health.com: 7 daily habits that can halt heartburn
The bottom line? "Do not take daily aspirin therapy on your own," Nissen advises. "This review article emphasizes the need for a dialogue between a patient and provider about the benefits and risks," he says. Risks include gastrointestinal bleeding and a small, but potentially devastating, risk of bleeding in the brain.
"You can't ignore the risk side to the equation," Nissen says.
When Merry had his first surgery for a malignant tumor on the colon he declined chemotherapy. SO the doctor told him to take an asprin a day and that it would retard the return of cancer.
@Sglass,
I was just reading about aspirin and colon cancer yesterday. Hopefully, Merry is benefiting from it. Remember, this thread is not an anti aspirin campaign. Just a plea to be careful.
@edgarblythe,
I do understand. He's been doing an aspirin a day for 15 years and has not voiced any problems.
I'm not here to hang out a shingle. Is the article in a periodical? Always ready to learn something if it envolves my health.
@Sglass,
I don't recall the source. In fact, since I keep the TV on the newscasts when possible, it may have been while watching a segment or two. It was not in depth anyway.
