one aspirin a day - to prevent stroke.

[Richard Poh]

I have recently met some friends who are health freak or has lost some one to stroke told me the same think -that taking aspirin in the lowest dosage avaliable daily can actually reduced their risk of stroke . Anyone heard about it. ? Like taking your daily Multivitamin.

By the way , some go to the extreme of keeping the ASPRIN tablet in their home as a emergency response thing for their family .(presumed for aged members)Just like keeping a Fire Extingusher in the Kitchen or a First Aid Box.

[firefox]

Changing one's lifestyle will be the best remedy to be in best of health. Any kind of self medication without doctors precription as its side effects too..I am no doctor just being logical.

[Sentinel]

Changing one's lifestyle will be the best remedy to be in best of health. Any kind of self medication without doctors precription as its side effects too..I am no doctor just being logical.I fully second that. Besides food and exercise regime change, the next best thing is a thorough medical check-up every year once you pass 40...

[bslee]

AFAIK,Aspirin is only prescribed by a doctor for a course to thin down your blood. Go get a medical check and take only with prescription, NOT HEARSAY!..
Thank you.

[mykern]

AFAIK,Aspirin is only prescribed by a doctor for a course to thin down your blood. Go get a medical check and take only with prescription, NOT HEARSAY!..
Thank you.

Agree with you I do, Master BSLee ....
The Aspirin is not for every one ... one other day I took an aspirin by accident and sat on the wrong bus to work (larky not late) ..... I also forgot that it was Ash Wednesday and did not fast. The pill disoriented me!~
The Aspirin is not for everyone ... good link to lowering heart disease risk but not the main link!~
Khap!~

[VeeJay]

ASPRIN is sold over the counter in many countries. I used to take it, when ever I need it, for pain...lah.

As long as you dont overdose (as in any other medication), I see no harm in it.

[Sentinel]

Aspirin is the generic name... the common brand name is Warfarin, and doctors prescribe this for thinning of the blood, to prevent blood clots for those with high chances of suffering from a stroke.

I think it is dangerous to take 1 aspirin a day to prevent stroke without having a cardiologist do a check up on you. Even a dentist won't operate on your teeth or gum if he finds out you're on Warfarin coz the bleeding can't stop...

Its best we check ourselves before offering medical advice in this forum. That was why my first post was to suggest diet regime and exercise and avoid the aspirin suggestion.

Since this thread has developed to this stage, it is best I say what I wanted to say all along, don't play with aspirin and talk to your doctor first, pleeez....

In any case, if taking 1 aspirin (without prescription) a day can prevent or reduce stroke, there will be no business for cardiologist. Second point to note, if it is not 'dangerous', aspirin would not be a prescription drug but sold over-the-counter (OTC). THINK ABOUT IT!

I think this thread is really dangerous and we should all refrain from playing doctors.

[VeeJay]

I agree with Sentinel, I'm not condoning the intake here, check with your doctor first, please! Not only for aspirin, any NOTC drugs.

BTW Aspirin and Warfarin are two different drug.

Read Aspirin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin)
and

Warfarin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warfarin)

[Sentinel]

Vee Jay, thanks... I am on Warfarin because I have atrial fibrillations (irregular heartbeat) and my cardiologist says it is aform of aspirin... I guess there might be some difference but I am a layman, what doctor say I do... want to live longer and ride my bikes... and enjoy my Musang King durians...

[PJS]

Some doctors prescribe low dosage aspirin in the form of Cardiprin which is just a convenient pack of 100mg of aspirin for the specific purpose. You don't have to hunt for children's aspirin or break an adult aspirin into 2 halves.

So yes, low dosage aspirin is used in the prevention of stroke. But do not self medicate without doctor's advise. Aspirin thins the blood and not advisable for those who may be undergoing surgery. In older patients the anticoagulant effect would lead to greater instances of severe haemorrhaging, just like warfarin.

http://www.drugs.com/international/cardiprin.html

http://www.onlinepharmacynz.com/product/437/Cardiprin_100.html

[CS Chua]

I took aspirin daily for many years. My doctor encouraged it. I have spoken to many others and they have confirmed the medical benefits of taking low dosage. One of those I spoke to was the Surgeon-General during Desert Storm.

However Cardiprin is expensive. About 50 cent each. So, I buy baby aspirin in USA. I think it is 80 mg only.

[lady-o-leisure]

Like Chua, my hubby has been on baby aspirin for a long long time now. He, along with his identical twin bro hv been taking it due to their high bp problems. Their doctor seems to recommend it although it has been reduced in recent years after i freaked out on one incident where he couldn't stop bleeding from a little shaving incident. The bleeding went on for about half hour. For some, a baby aspirin every other day is more than enough.
Pls keep a card listing all medications that are taken, in your wallet or purse in case of accident, unconsciousness or any emergency.
There are a lot of people who are allergic to aspirin tho. So, pls consult a doctor and like most everyone here agrees, don't self-medicate.

[CS Chua]

It is true that aspirin makes it difficult for bleeding to stop. That is why a patient MUST stop taking aspirin for 10 days before any surgery. My surgeon was very particular about this before operating on me.

Thinning the blood is good but like everything else, there are always some negative sides but the pros easily outshine the cons.

[fRaNkY]

Some people suffers stomach discomfort after taking aspirin due to empty stomach...

[PeterLee]

I have recently met some friends who are health freak or has lost some one to stroke told me the same think -that taking aspirin in the lowest dosage avaliable daily can actually reduced their risk of stroke . Anyone heard about it. ? Like taking your daily Multivitamin.

By the way , some go to the extreme of keeping the ASPRIN tablet in their home as a emergency response thing for their family .(presumed for aged members)Just like keeping a Fire Extingusher in the Kitchen or a First Aid Box.

Don't take aspirin, if you are kiasu type, better to take some herbs or vege, even available in the SS15 wet market.

[zinglicious]

Aspirin is OTC drug in Malaysia and USA to the best of knowledge.The only country of exemption is probably India where Panadol or Tylenol (trade name ) or ( generic name )paracetamol or PCM is is only sold at pharmacies.
Aspirin is sold in Malaysia but has been hampered by Panadol as it does not cause gastro intestinal problems like gasitris or ulceration.
Both are actually analgesic (pain killer) and antipyretic (fever) and work on central nervous systems but the asiprin is the father of all anti inflamatorry drugs classified as NSAID which is non steroidal anti inflamotory drugs which many patients are taken for joints pains.
As for the drugs, try not to be over dependence on drugs if used for relievving pain as it does have side effects especially long term.Pharmacists know that even a supposely safe drug like PCM is accumulated and bad for liver. But to used it for life threatning indication like stroke prevention, that is another story.
But it haas been a universal medical knowledge that doctors would advise patients to take low dosage of aspirin to prevent stroke if they are at risks.Many clinical papers had pointed the fact.That is why aspirin has emerged to be a money spinner for drug companies where they lower the dosage form and repackaged it as the savior drug! It is just plain asiprinand the higher dosage is dirt cheap!
The asiprin at low dosage for stroke indication may not cause much problem but it is always advisable to take with meals and those who have history of astma should counter checked for drug interaction.

[zinglicious]

Like Chua, my hubby has been on baby aspirin for a long long time now. He, along with his identical twin bro hv been taking it due to their high bp problems. Their doctor seems to recommend it although it has been reduced in recent years after i freaked out on one incident where he couldn't stop bleeding from a little shaving incident. The bleeding went on for about half hour. For some, a baby aspirin every other day is more than enough.
Pls keep a card listing all medications that are taken, in your wallet or purse in case of accident, unconsciousness or any emergency.
There are a lot of people who are allergic to aspirin tho. So, pls consult a doctor and like most everyone here agrees, don't self-medicate.

Check for diabetes with your doctor if you observe any unsual bleedings.I tmay not due to asipirin.

[lady-o-leisure]

Tks for the note Zing, but thankfully so far, no sign of diabetes. Hubby goes for very very regular medical check-up to monitor his bp etc. He was recently in hosp for bloodclots in his lungs, following surgery to fix a broken ankle after he dropped his Harley. So yes.. he is very prone to blood problems. He was in ICU for 5 days and put on Lovenox to remedy that.
So dear Zing, very very confirmed that he is clear from diabetes. Like most typical Americans, everything is Diet sodas, and Splenda. (yuck) I prefer to just stay away from sodas and sweetened juices than to consume 'diet' drinks. (sorry to go offtopic)

[zinglicious]

Then father of NSAID - asipirin has many offsprings like Synflex, Voltaren, Naprosyn, Oruvail, Orudis, Ponstan, Celebrex used for wide indications like joints pains , and menstrual pains too! In fact, many drugs companies are making more drugs to be in the pain market than compared to the other category of drugs.

[Richard Poh]

Then father of NSAID - asipirin has many offsprings like Synflex, Voltaren, Naprosyn, Oruvail, Orudis, Ponstan, Celebrex used for wide indications like joints pains , and menstrual pains too! In fact, many drugs companies are making more drugs to be in the pain market than compared to the other category of drugs.
Would Panadol works the same way as Aspirin .? (assuming it does help in the prevention of strokes) . Since Panadol is much gentle on the stomach wall.

Tks , By the way. great info .dude . cheers.

[palmdoc]

Pls people. Do not spread medical misinformation. I fear also people indiscriminately popping low dose aspirin lest we see more haemorrhagic strokes!

Aspirin is not the same as warfarin and is not the same as panadol
The effects of NSAIDs (aspirin, voltaren, ibuprofen etc) on platelets are not the same as that of COX-II inhibitors (arcoxia, celebrex) and the effect probably is not the same within the same class

I also see GPs simply recommending low dose aspirin in all patients with hypertension but who have not had a heart attack and I don't agree.

Primary Prevention means preventing something from happening in the first place,. So giving low dose aspirin for the primary prevention of heart attacks means using it for people who have not had heart attacks before (and who are also asymptomatic and do not have any coronary artery disease).
Secondary prevention means giving it after it has occurred to prevent the risk of second and subsequent heart attacks.

The use of low dose aspirin is established for the Secondary prevention of heart attacks and ischaemic strokes.
The evidence for the use of low aspirin in the setting of Primary prevention is more contentious

The AHA did spell out some guidelines and perhaps some doctors may prescribe low dose aspirin for people "at higher risk" of heart attacks, in conjunction with other measures you can take for reducing risks

See this link for more info:
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4704

Regarding aspirin


Goal: Low-dose aspirin in people at higher risk of coronary heart disease (especially those with a 10-year CHD risk of 10 percent or greater).

Recommendations

* Do not recommend for patients with aspirin intolerance (or allergy).
* Low-dose aspirin increases risk for gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke. Do not use in people at increased risk for these diseases.
* Benefits of reducing cardiovascular risk outweigh these risks in most patients with higher coronary risk.
* Doses of 75–160 mg per day are as effective as higher doses. Consider 75–160 mg aspirin per day for people at higher risk (especially those with a 10-year CHD risk of 10 percent or greater).



If you want to assess your 10 year CHD risk, you can use this calculator

http://www.mdcalc.com/framingham-cardiac-risk-score

However all these data is American and we don't have local data.
The above information is provided for educational purposes and you have to consult your doctor for specific advice.

The AHA guidelines may recommend low dose aspirin in diabetics for primary prevention but even the latest data suggests there may be no benefit
see:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Prevention/11359

So bottom line is, the evidence for low dose aspirin in Primary prevention is still somewhat unclear.
There are risks involved with taking low dose aspirin and if you want to take it, you should be clear that the benefits outweigh the risks.

[zinglicious]

Panadol act on the central nervous system pathway but has no anti inflamotorry action unlike the aspirin. AND it is not indicated for stroke prevention at all.
Panadol is great for wifey if she complained about having headaches at night... ;) from the scene of What Women Wants by mel gibson during the presentation of selling Tylenol.

[Richard Poh]

wow..true also man... tks.

[zinglicious]

I think the palm doc has make a great point here. DO not pop any drugs unless if you have been advised by the doctor preferably by cardiologists after doing indepht tests and diagnosed with secondary prevention necesscity. No drugs is safe and even those multivitamins and supplementarry diet are as pure non sensical.
Why take something to prevent something which you may not be having? Taking something just because ah beng or ah mat are also taking is simply like asking the surgeon to cut your balls because you are afraid of getting prostate cancer.
If you are sick, see the doctor. if you are not sick, come see me......my food taste much better than popping those aspirins or panadol. Money back guaranteed.

[zinglicious]

One of the lesson we can learned from Michael Jackson ( with no disrespect to him),is that his stomach was full of pills instead of food. He was killed by drugs rather tha the illness itself IMHO.
Drugs companies spent millions not just on drug R & D, but marketing costs such as employing large sales tasks force. And many times, they concealed many vital info such as actual side effects reported by not showing least favorable clinical papers to doctors. Doctors are being encouraged to prescribe drugs with incentives of gifts , trips and etc.
SO it is not surprising some GPs have been prescribing drugs unnessarry to patients as well.

[bslee]

Whatever it is about drugs, I'd still tell anyone in any health discussion, it all starts with doing best by careful diet, very minimal outside food fried stuff, preserved delicacies, areated or very sweet drinks (bottled drinks?), MINIMAL cooking and frying with our NO REAL BENEFIT local cooking oils but OLIVE OIL or similar alternative (coincidently and truthfully more expensive) cooking oils.
I'M MINIMIZING THE USE OF LOCAL OILS. I realize and don't see real world benefits. I even think its a silent killer because we all savor too much of fried foods, MORE than what the previous generation had. We're ALL SPOILT for choice these days unlike say few decades ago, with mortality averaging around 50-60 with medium to severe heart and BP complications, not to mention other diseases still undetected. OF COURSE exercise is VERY IMPORTANT but thats besides the point. OUR DIET should be thought over and it takes discipline and peserverence to get down practising a more healthy food intake. Our local food dishes severly lack fibre content. Fry FRY, FRIED or cooked to ZERO food value. I suppose we often hear of people around half century old collapsing or died of a stroke or from some complication?????.. or is that "just another piece of unfortunate news"????? THINK! I've even been told that one chocolate manufacturer purposely add MORE SUGAR content to suit MALAYSIAN taste.. Go figure!..
BTW, LESSEN the intake of RICE too. Do you think rice 2-3times a day is good ah?... perhaps you all are JUST TOO USED TO IT ALL... Go figure again!
Ok...stop here..can't say everything in one paragraph.

[bugbear]

I find all this advice on taking aspirin OTC by GP or otherwise quite suspiciously. Granted, aspirin thin out the blood with regards to prevention of stroke. But do you know that there are different type of strokes out there? Mainly it is differentiated into 2 broad category namely, 1) Embolic or thrombosis and 2) Haemorragic.

While aspirin can prevent the thrombosis type but will worsen the haemorragic type instead.

To me, any kind of self medication without in depth knowledge of the working of your body as well as the side effect of drugs is foolhardy at best.

[geordie]

A lot of times you hear of friends and relatives who suffered from a stroke but mind you, I suspect many cases were that of brain aneursym which is a different matter altogether.

[Richard Poh]

I find all this advice on taking aspirin OTC by GP or otherwise quite suspiciously. Granted, aspirin thin out the blood with regards to prevention of stroke. But do you know that there are different type of strokes out there? Mainly it is differentiated into 2 broad category namely, 1) Embolic or thrombosis and 2) Haemorragic.

While aspirin can prevent the thrombosis type but will worsen the haemorragic type instead.

To me, any kind of self medication without in depth knowledge of the working of your body as well as the side effect of drugs is foolhardy at best.
hey..good one dude. !

[kkearthling]

There are too many contributing factors leading to an illness, from the air that we breathe to the food that we eat, and many other unknown elements. There is no single cause.

We are always searching for ways to maintain our health or to recover from illnesses. There is no single or total solution. Certainly one cannot just pop some pills and hope to keep the doctors away.

It’s not easy to talk about what we eat or drink, there are just too many types but it’s easy to talk about air because there is only one, the air, and it’s free, all we need is breathe.

Air is free perhaps that’s why it’s has not been well taken care of since the day human fell in love with money. Fresh & clean air becomes a luxury hence the level of oxygen we are able to absorb daily becomes a challenge. Hence, breathing in a proper way which ensures we have a better intake of oxygen cannot be ignored. A fact that all of us already know, oxygen helps in elimination of our metabolic waste. Perhaps we have been poisoning ourselves with our own waste.

Are you breathing correctly? This is a simple test -
(1) Sit up or stand up straight. Put one hand on your chest, and the other hand on your stomach.
(2) Inhale, don't try to breathe different way than what you would usually breathe. Just breathe in the usual way.
(3) Observe both hands, which hand rises more when you inhale (breathe in) and sink deeper when you exhale (breathe out)?

The outcome:
If the hand on the chest rises more when you inhale, you failed.
Likewise if the hand on your chest sinks deeper when you exhale, you failed.

When I first tried it, I failed. You are not alone, many do not know how to breathe the proper way. It’s not something we can learn at home, from our friends, our neighbours, in school or even university.

Some of the exercises that teaches the proper way of breathing are Tai Chi , QiGong. It’s for the young and old, though the young may think it’s not cool. It’s for those who want to maintain their health or recovering from illness (diabetes, stroke, cancer, etc).

If you can’t Tai Chi, just learn how to breathe properly, as a start.

(In the beginning, you can practice this 2 times per day, 8 to 10 breathing only per time, increasing it as you become more comfortable, soon it becomes a routine/habit)

Breathe in thru your nose, and make sure this time your stomach rises more not your chest. Doesn’t matter even if your stomach is 'buncit'. And breathe out/exhale thru the mouth, make sure your stomach sinks not your chest, and breathe out slow...slowly. This is called abdominal breathing i.e., deep breathing using the full extent of your lung capacity. It is called abdominal breathing because the movement of your diaphragm will expand your lower abdomen when you inhale and contract your lower abdomen when you exhale.

Happy breathing.

[lhtan]

My thoughts:

From http://raypeat.com/articles/aging/aspirin-brain-cancer.shtml

"The recognized anti-metastatic effect of aspirin, and its ability to inhibit the development of new blood vessels that would support the tumor's growth, make it an appropriate drug to use for pain control, even if it doesn't shrink the tumor. In studies of many kinds of tumor, though, it does cause regression, or at least slows tumor growth. And it protects against many of the systemic consequences of cancer, including wasting (cachexia), immunosuppression, and strokes."

I take that it means aspirin is good for cancer prevention & spreading.

"Since the polyunsaturated fats and prostaglandins stimulate the expression of aromatase, the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen, aspirin decreases the production of estrogen."

As a male, I take aspirin for this - increase ratio of testosterone/estrogen ;)

From http://articles.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2009/04/23/25-Things-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-Your-Body-and-Health.aspx

"8. Eating fruits and vegetables may help your body make its own aspirin. Benzoic acid, a natural substance in fruits and vegetables, causes people to produce their own salicylic acid, the key component that gives aspirin its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties."

Taking aspirin is like eating fruits & veg ;)

From http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/17/science/all-aspirin-poses-risk-of-bleeding.html
http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Bleeding_gums___causes__symptoms__treatment_a340_f 139.html

"In virtually everyone who takes it, aspirin causes what are known as microbleeds, the loss of tiny amounts of blood from the gastrointestinal tract that may show up in the stool"

"Medications could also cause bleeding gums, because continuous usage of blood thinners, such as Aspirin, heparin therapy, pain-killers and treatment procedures like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, can also cause bleeding from gums."

For men a tiny bleeding is good to reduce iron from the body, just like one of the benefits of regular blood donation. No wonder women lives longer than men.

[bugbear]

Here is something for your thought. For those who are hell bent on prevention of stroke by taking aspirin there is another way we can do to reduce the risk. By reducing salt intake by at least 1 teaspoon a day we will reduce our blood pressure and thereby reducing chances of stroke by 26%. In the olden time, people consume 0.1 gm of salt per day as compared to what we consume today which is as high as 10gm!!

[bslee]

Hey, hey... even if we eat or attempt the best diet intake but a lot of STRESS (for various and obvious reasons) is a very potential catalyst to killing oneself. If it doesn't kill you, you grow old very fast! Right or not?.

[fRaNkY]

One more petua..... Drink more hot chinese tea :D

Ice chinese tea doesnt help.... it just make solid the fats in the stomach

[firefox]

All of us are not built the same take a blood test and let the doctor decide ..its your life and you are fooling around listening to these ppl in the forum.
This thread should be deleted, i think.

[Richard Poh]

All of us are not built the same take a blood test and let the doctor decide ..its your life and you are fooling around listening to these ppl in the forum.
This thread should be deleted, i think.
Make sense .Thanks.

[palmdoc]

Aspirin does more harm than good in healthy people: research (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6114302/Aspirin-does-more-harm-than-good-in-healthy-people-research.html)

So if you are otherwise healthy, please don't go around popping aspirin like candy or multivits thinking it will protect you from heart disease. We don't have sound evidence for doing so in the healthy population.