Aspirin

[BertiWooster]

There was a recent report about the benefits of taking 75mg of aspirin on a daily basis .

However , i beleive that some experts are warning about the danger of taking aspirin - internal bleeding etc .

So what does one do - take it or not ?

[theprof]

Good advice there WaldoMcFroog. All patients should be wary of advice given by shysters and frauds. I'm off to bed know - the foreman won't be happy if I arrive late for work tomorrow as I've got to do my usual refuse collection job on the bin lorry and do an extra shift sweeping the streets around my local shopping centre.

[BertiWooster]

Hi Prof

1. How much Milk ?
2. What type of milk - Full fat , skimmed , semi skimmed etc or doesn't
it matter ?.
3. How long after drinking the milk before taking the aspirin ?
4. What is your / mrs prof opinion on the wisdom of taking aspirin ?

A family member after having a mini stroke / TIA had a PFO closure ( hole in the heart closure , using a device, inserted into the heart )

He was put on aspirin and a statin ,after the operation - would it be wise for him to stop taking aspirin ?

[boxtops]

Berti, if that's what he's been prescribed and he's being monitored, then he should stay on it, but raise any concerns with his doctor. The benefits of aspirin are still being promoted. I'll never find out - I can't take it, I'm sensitive to aspirin.

[theprof]

douglas9401, enteric coated aspirin such as Caprin, Nu-Seals Aspirin and Microprin are far more expensive to prescribe than standard 75mg dispersible aspirin tablets. Almost all enteric coated aspirin preparations remain Prescription Only Medicines in the UK and cannot be purchased over the counter at pharmacies. I've confirmed this via the latest edition of the British National Formulary (No 60).

If you can obtain E/C aspirin preparations via your pharmacy without a prescription, that's great. However, legally OTC sales of enteric preparations are prohibited.

[theprof]

BertiWooster, a standard tumblerful or coffee mug is sufficient. Full fat is best, but semi-skimmed is acceptable. Fat-free is of doubtful value as the fat content plays a part in the protective element. The protection is achieved almost immediately following the milk, so it's only necessary to give it a minute or two before taking the aspirin.

Both I and MrsProf have taken low-dose aspirin for a few years now. Current medical thinking tends to encourage low-dose aspirin intake in all patients over the age of 50. The benefits apparently outweigh the risks. However, you should check with your GP as to your suitability for long-term aspirin therapy as some patients cannot tolerate the drug or may be suffering from conditions that aspirin could antagonise. Fortunately, neither MrsProf nor I have problems in this area.

MrsProf tells me that she'd need more information before providing an opinion on the aspirin. When did the PFO op take place? Which statin? Age of patient? Other drugs being taken?

[boxtops]

How do you feel about statins, theprof? I've been on them for 2 years now and have recently developed severe muscle pains in my arms. Prescription has been changed, but the symptoms are still there (although not as bad). My cholesterol was up again at the last test so I am staying on the meds but I don't like it.

[Mamyalynne]

I take Citalopram and have been advised that aspirin does not mix with this ? previously was my choice for pain relief, any advice there?

[slinkycat]

The recent report was published in the Times, and seems to show evidence that regular use of aspirin can prevent common cancers, although it did say that you shouldn't just start taking it, and the jury is out on whether the benefits outweigh the risks of internal bleeding

[slinkycat]

Sorry, should have said "news of the recent report" they didn't actually publish the clinical data!

[jomifl]

75mg enteric coated aspirin.(the coating prevents the aspirin dissolving in the stomach) is freely available in pharmacies and supermarkets in the UK althogh you are not allowed to buy more than 2 packets at a time irrespective of the number of tablets in the packet. They are not a rip off as they only cost a few pence per day. most people spend a lot more than that on their TV licenceCan anyone clarify definitively the question of bleeding related to aspirin? I had the impression that bleeding in the stomach was cause initially by ulcers and the aspirin prevented them from clotting and thus healing (albit temporarily). As the prof said aspirin is a weak acid and is insignificant in terms of acidity (pH) compared with the hydrochloric acid which occurs in the stomach. Once past the stomach the acidity of the aspirin would be neutralised by the alkalinity of the small intestine contents (as is the acid from the stomach)

[douglas9401]

Mornin' Prof. Micropirin is on display and sale in Lloyds in my home town. I only noticed it as I get it on prescription.

[Sqad]

fao WaldoMcFroog

<< If you're worried about what a bunch of (almost certainly) unqualified people say, speak to your GP, but do not just adjust medication on the mere say-so of us shysters and frauds!<<<

Good advice....but I do have to comment on your description of posters as "shysters and frauds"

Yes there are many people on here who unwittingly give unhelpful advice, but they do so on the best of intentions. Also there are qualified people, nurses with urological, haematological, obstetric experience ,optometrists, ophthalmic qualified personnel, health visitors, medically qualified, physiotherapists and Health visitors who without pay gibe their opinions freely on medical matters.

To describe them as "shysters and frauds" is, in my opinion disingenuous and I can only hope that your comments were not to be taken seriously.

[Sqad]

prof....it is a pity that AB removed the posts from theelf, but there we have it.!

The use of aspirin on the venous side is well documented and accepted as rational and indeed life saving therapy.
Getting now to the arterial side, one brings to mind the phrase "we have been here before"

<< Current medical thinking tends to encourage low-dose aspirin intake in all patients over the age of 50<<<

I presume by patients you mean EVERBODY, ill or perfectly healthy and I quite understand the routine use of "patients" with cardiovascular disease or history, but I am yet to be convinced of the bebefit of people over the age of 50, healthy with no FH of heart disease.

Bleeding......the taking of aspirin is a good idea, but one wonders, as milk is "lining" the small intestine, if any of the aspirin is being absorbed.

Strokes.Yes, they are mainly embolic, but if an intracerebral accident is caused by bleeding and the "patient" is on a drug that reduces the clotting time, will not that situation lead to a poorer or indeed fatal prognosis?

[WaldoMcFroog]

The "shysters and frauds" bit was hyperbole, but the point is sound. Whilst people on here may be qualified and knowledgeable, how do we know? We can make a judgement that theprof is almost certainly joking when he alludes to being a binman, but it is at least *possible* that he is indeed a scientifically-inclined sanitation chappy.

In any case, it is unquestionably true that not one of us is familiar with Jesima's medical history and it would be extremely ill advised to adjust prescribed medication on the basis of opinions offered on here.
No qualified medical practicioner would say differently.

[nextqueen]

my 96 year old auntie who passed recently would take half an aspirin every day and had half a pint of beer every day too, god bless her. she died of old age and was never ill, always walked everywhere.

[Sqad]

Waldo....I wasnt making a specific point about Jemisa and if I had of been, then you would have been correct.

You are correct in stating that on a site such as this, nobody can be sure how qualified the poster is and how bona fida and one takes the posts with that in mind.

If I had known that you regarded your "shysters and fraud" comment as hyperbole, I still would have answered in the same vein on behalf of the "non shysters and frauds" who give their time and expertise to this site.

[Sqad]

nextqueen....LOL...perhaps it was the half a pint of beer and the exercise which contributed most to her longevity.

[jomifl]

Hi Sqad.. if milk does indeed 'line' the small intestine I guess it only does so until it is digested, ( assuming that the human digestive system is capable of digesting milk) Does the buffering ability of milk really get past the stomach?

[mollykins]

Only if your doctors reccomends it, and then on a low dose, perhaps even once every two days instead of every day.

[boxtops]

No molly - on medical advice for specific conditions, it's daily.