Aspirin - wonder drug in your medicine cabinet?

[packman]

Hope Trump doesn't hear about this - it could be the keystone of his health care plan. I can see the gov. sending every America a bottle of aspirin and declaring it has met its obligation in providing health care.

Anyway - An article about the pros and cons of a daily aspirin regimen .


"If ever there was a wonder drug, aspirin might be it. Originally derived from the leaves of the willow tree, this mainstay of the family medicine cabinet has been used successfully for generations to treat conditions ranging from arthritis to fever, as well as to prevent strokes, heart attacks and even some types of cancer, among other ills. Indeed, the drug is so popular that annual consumption worldwide totals about 120 billion tablets.

In recent years scientists have discovered another possible use for aspirin: stopping the spread of cancer cells in the body after an initial tumor has already formed"


Article gives the scientific take on what aspirin does (basically cutting down on inflammation).

Note: I have been on both sides of this. Overdosed on aspirin during a bad bout of joint pain which lead to bleeding from places I would rather not talk about and requiring a hospital stay and taking a daily low dose of 81 mg. baby aspirin to help with my cardio problems.


http://extragoodshit.phlap.net/index.php/aspirin-may-prevent-cancer-from-spreading-new-research-shows/#more-407593

[Stuart G]

1. Yes, I believe asprin is a wonder drug, beyond all others...

..why so cheap? public domain....if it wasn't in the public domain we would be paying a dollar a pill, just for use in thinning blood to prevent heart attacks...yep..one hundred times..perhaps more, what we pay now..Great post, thanks for posting this..!!!!!

[SFnomad]

2. And then there are Pirin tablets ...

[tavernier]

17. I think about that scene often

and it always makes me giggle.

[dmr]

29. Lol, thanks for that dose of giggles.

[randome]

3. There is no such thing as a 'wonder' drug.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]A ton of bricks, a ton of feathers, it's still gonna hurt.[/center][/font][hr]

[packman]

4. Au contraire mon ami

"Wonder" as in there is no-

Wonder Bread
Wonder Bra
Wonder Woman

Of course there is no one drug cures all, but allow some hyperbole or the world is a dull place. All in all, aspirin does more than it's modest appearance and , to me, that is a wonder.

[angstlessk]

5. "aspirin does more than it's modest appearance"...AND modest cost..

that too adds to the wonder!

[OregonBlue]

6. I have occasionally gotten a wart on my hand or foot for years. I add a drop of water to an

Last edited Fri Apr 28, 2017, 04:17 PM - Edit history (1)

aspirin and apply to the wart and cover with a bandage. Replace every few days. Wart goes away completely in a few days. Very cheap and effective and I don't have to go to the drug store to get the liquid salicylic acid. I live 35 miles from the closest drug store so I try all the home remedies I can.

I also take it for my heart each day and of course for headaches. My doctor told me if it was discovered today they would regulate it like crazy and charge and arm and a leg for it. It is a miracle drug.

[Stuart G]

7. I agree completely.,,,Yes............these words are total and accurate..

"they would regulate it like crazy and charge and arm and a leg for it. It is a miracle drug."...

We are lucky it is in the ..."public domain"

[Wounded Bear]

15. If I found warts on my food, I wouldn't eat it...

[OregonBlue]

27. Thank you. I was off doing chores and just corrected it to foot. No, it would be very yucky to get

a wart on my food.

[Aristus]

8. As a practitioner of clinical medicine, I recommend a daily 81mg dose of aspirin.

It reduces the cohesive properties of platelets enough to dramatically decrease one's risk of death due to thromboembolism.

When cholesterol plaques build up in the bloodstream, especially the coronary vasculature, they can develop their own blood vessels if they grow large enough. If the plaques rupture, the resulting blood clot can cause cardiac ischemia, resulting in heart muscle scarring, or even death.

An aspirin a day can decrease the likelihood of this.

[CajunBlazer]

10. Won't any of the other non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs perform the same function?

[Aristus]

11. Aspirin shares some characteristics with NSAIDS.

But it's a salicylic acid. Acetylsalicylic acid, or ASA for short. NSAIDS can lead to bleeding in the stomach as a result of ulcerations in the gastric mucosa. But they do not have aspirin's anti-thrombotic properties; in fact, they can cause the opposite: thromboemoblism. NSAIDS, as you can guess, are better anti-inflammatories than aspirin, which does have a mild anti-inflammatory property. Aspirin is best used as an analgesic and an anti-thrombotic.

[CajunBlazer]

13. So what does one do if one takes a daily anti-inflamation drug which...

... are not supposed to be paired with aspirin?

[Aristus]

14. It's not as simple as that.

A dose of 81mg of ASA is all right to be paired with an NSAID. It's usually doses of 325mg or more that you have to be concerned about. OTOH, NSAIDS, as shown above, can inhibit the cardioprotective features of aspirin. So if you are at risk for thromboembolism and you're taking NSAIDS, you might want to be on a stronger anti-thrombotic, like clopidogrel. Bear in mind however, that NSAIDS can increase the bleeding risk with clopidogrel. I know it sounds like damned if you do, damned if you don't. But a good clinical practitioner can establish a good balance, provided he or she has taken a thorough medical history from you.

[CajunBlazer]

20. I'm taking 7.5 MG of Meloxicam daily back cronic back muscle inflamation problem

I just looked Meloxicam up on drugs.com and it listed a medium interaction with low dose aspirin concentrating on gastrointestinal problems.

Med MD listed the interaction as severe.

(I used to take a time release 200 MG time release Ketoprofen, but that drug is not on my new insurances formulary, so my doctor switched me over to the Meloxicam recently.)

Any suggestions I can take up with my primary care physician?

[Aristus]

23. Meloxicam's drug interaction with low dose (81mg) aspirin is a caution,

not an absolute contraindication. Once again, the provider's clinical judgement is critical.

In the realm of chronic pain, Meloxicam, as with all NSAIDS, should be considered for temporary treatment only. The long-term effects of NSAIDS are not good. A long-term treatment plan should be multifold, and include things like physical therapy, therapeutic massage, and anti-depressant medication.

[CajunBlazer]

24. I wouldn't call it "chronic pain"

It isn't present all of the time.

I was told long ago by a sports medicine doctor that when I tore a muscle in my lower back, and it repaired itself, it it grew back shortened. So whenever I was active it would inflamed and painful. Even now into my low 70's I am very active.

One would think with that condition stretching before exercise would help, but that was never the case. I "retired" from karate about a year ago (bad knees), but for 30 years everyday before class I would stretch every conceivable muscle for a minimum of 30 minutes - long slow stretches. One would think that would help, but no, especially not when I sparred. That are of my back would ache.

The Ketoprofen TR solved that condition, but now I have been switched to the Meloxicam 7.5 MG and it seems to work okay for that condition.

Come to think about it though, I have been going to my current internal medicine doc only about a year and a half, and the Ketoprofen was prescribed many years before she became my doctor. So it is possible that she doesn't totally understand why I needed the medication. I will discuss my condition with her in more detail on my next visit.

Meanwhile, do you have any suggestions

[Aristus]

25. Yes. If you ever get involved in strenuous exercise again,

stretch after your activity, not before. Stretching cold muscles can damage them.

Don't blame yourself. This advice did not become common until recent years. When I was growing up, it was 'always stretch before exercise'...

[CajunBlazer]

26. Well I always did warm up streaching

getting the muscles warm by light stretching and lengthening the stretch very slowly to avoid damage. Never had any problems with this technique. This was absolutely necessary to develop the range of flexibility needed for karate over time. However, I will take your suggestion of stretching after the working out, which I now do on my own.

I still have the back problem when I exercise, work in my garden, etc. if I don't take my current drug.

Do you have any suggestions on how I could bettter treat my muscle condition in my back that I can discuss with my doctor?

[Aristus]

28. Are you taking a muscle-relaxant medication?

Using one periodically might help. The most common side effect is sedation. And not just a little drowsiness, either. They can really knock you out. So be careful.

Cyclobenzaprine (under the trade name Flexeril) is one of the most common. But its real clinical effects are not very efficacious for muscle pain. It's more of a hypnotic that makes you sleep to forget the pain, than an actual analgesic.

Methocarbamol (or Robaxin) is a little more effective.

[JudyM]

32. Consider looking into cannabis. Anti inflammatory and good for pain.

Many docs won't even consider it, often not based on actual knowledge about it. It can't be titrated so it is trial and error with different strains and producers, most docs are uncomfortable with that aspect, as well. It is also something of a wonder drug. Studies are starting to show it even helps with Alzheimer's

[pangaia]

21. The generic aspirin I have, TOP CARE is 325 mg. Is that too much?

[packman]

31. I would say a big YES to that

my cardiologist has me on 83mg (baby aspirin- slow release) once a day. HOWEVER, as the article I gave stated, if you suspect you are having a stroke/heart attack take a 325 quick release and get yourself to a hospital.

Again, in my original post, I took 325 twice a day for a few days when I had severe aches and pains from over-exertion and then disaster struck with bleeding from parts one is not supposed to bleed from. My doc said I was lucky in that it didn't give me a bleeding ulcer. Talk to your doctor, but I would recommend double thinking that dosage.

[malaise]

9. My only one a day

81mg

[GoCubsGo]

12. It also removes sweat stains from your clothing.

(Google it.) If you have expired aspirin, this is a good way to use it, rather than just throwing it out.

I usually take aspirin for my aches and pains, rather ibuprofen or Aleve. It's cheaper and easier on the kidneys. It usually works just as well. Sometimes better.

[Thirties Child]

30. Easier on the kidneys than ibuprofen. Bingo.

My husband has Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Failure, has been advised, under no circumstances can he take ibuprofen. Aspirin is also verboten because he has a strange delayed bleeding disorder in which platelets build clots and then apparently destroy the clots. And, as of last week, he was diagnosed with nonalcoholic cirrhosis. Does this mean Tylenol is also out?

[Wounded Bear]

16. Aspirin is my primary pain killer...

seldom use anything stronger. Do the 81mg daily trip also.

[DFW]

18. Along with Tandrilax--aspirin saved/saves my life

I have to take a baby (100mg) aspirin every day for the rest of my life, as I have serious heart issues.

At age 65, I am beginning to have serious lower back pain on occasion. Aspirin didn't help me there, Tandrilax is my saving wonder drug for that. You can't get it in the States or in Europe. At $1 per pill, and only needing one every six months or so, I can understand why. If it were available in the States, the American pharma industry would have to charge $250 a pill instead of making weak crap that you need to take for a month, and STILL doesn't improve things.

[cwydro]

19. Aspirin has been my go-to for years.

I take nothing else except for benedryl.

Lifelong runner and exercise addict. I swear by it.

[geek tragedy]

22. my surgeon prescribed a month of baby aspirin to make sure there was no post-surgical clotting nt